Stop Piloting Everything: How To Know When You're Ready To Scale

InnovationStop Piloting Everything: How To Know When You're Ready To ScaleByKeith Yandell,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)Jun 03, 2026, 09:30am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Keith Yandell is Executive VP of Innovation at FORTÉ, a global provider of communication and collaboration solutions. getty​For years, the path from idea to implementation followed a familiar rhythm. This involved:• Spending months building a proof of concept• Earning buy-in with key stakeholders• Securing funding/budget approval• Getting the green lightNext, you move into pilot, bring in a subset of users, pressure-test the solution and determine what it did (or didn't do) for the business. Then, it’s time for production. Depending on the solution, the whole cycle might take a year or more.Think about the AI capabilities that come at us today within a one-year window. Solutions evaluated at the proof-of-concept stage are irrelevant by the time you're ready to launch. And so, you find yourself stuck in what I'd call a pilot loop. The solution you're piloting gets replaced by a new feature or capability and you pilot that instead. You constantly play catch-up with innovation rather than moving the business forward.At a recent industry conference, I heard the same message repeatedly from business leaders:The traditional pilot model no longer matches the pace of AI innovation.​The Real Cost Of Staying Stuck In Pilot ModeThe competitive risk is obvious. A company more willing to take measured risk can deliver the same outcomes at a fraction of the cost. Vibe coding is a useful example. A traditional development approach charges clients for the hours it takes to build something from scratch. A team that has thoughtfully embr...