---
id: "prereq-enterprise-pilot-lifecycle"
type: "prereq"
source_timestamps: ["¶2", "§ Performance drive"]
tags: ["business-acumen"]
related: ["concept-pilot-theater", "concept-experimentation-trap"]
reason: "Required to grasp concepts like 'pilot theater' and the 'experimentation trap'."
source_url: "https://hbr.org/2025/09/what-companies-with-successful-ai-pilots-do-differently"
source_title: "What Companies with Successful AI Pilots Do Differently"
sources: ["execution"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-execution"
originDay: 8
articleStem: "hbr-foci-60-successful-ai-pilots"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/09/what-companies-with-successful-ai-pilots-do-differently"
sourceTitle: "What Companies with Successful AI Pilots Do Differently"
---
# Familiarity with enterprise pilot lifecycles

## Prerequisite: Familiarity with enterprise pilot lifecycles

The text assumes knowledge of how enterprise software/technology pilots are typically run, funded, and evaluated — including the difference between a **'lab' environment** and **'production/scale'**.

**Why it's needed:** Required to grasp [[concept-pilot-theater]] and the [[concept-experimentation-trap]].