Preparing Pilot Users

It is important to establish early communication with the pilot group. Your initial contact should open the channel of communication and set expectations. As the start date for the pilot approaches, train the users and inform them of specific deployment plans and target dates.

Establishing Early Communication

Soon after you select the participants, meet with them to do the following:

• Obtain commitment to the pilot.
• Establish a user liaison.
• Clarify responsibilities.
• Discuss support and rollback plans.

Pilot participants need to understand what the pilot will entail. They need to understand how the pilot might affect their work and what responsibilities they will have. Discuss the duration of the pilot, the level of support you will provide, and what testing they are to perform. Although pilot participants continue to perform their daily business tasks, you might want to specify some areas they should focus on. Address any concerns they might have about the pilot or their role.

Keeping Participants Informed

As your pilot plans progress, the user liaison can inform you of the users' concerns and can update the users on new developments. As you develop your support plans, communicate to the users how and when they need to request support and how they should submit problems or issues.

Inform the users about the type of training they will receive and when they can expect it. Some organizations provide one to two hours of training just prior to deployment.

As you begin to deploy the pilot, remind the participants of the following:

• Target dates for training and for upgrading computers.
• Procedures they need to follow before their computers are upgraded.
• Contact names and numbers for support.

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