How do you describe a manual pilot without pretending it is automated?
Explain the human work, deliverable, timing and data use before inviting willing testers. A manual pilot can reveal a workflow, but it should not present an unavailable automated feature as operational.
Write an accurate pilot description
- Choose one result you can deliver.
- Request only information needed for it.
- State the process and finish time. A manually prepared list of public exhibitions is a bounded service, not a live recommendation engine.
Observe usefulness and effort
Ask whether the list helped complete the intended task and record where your effort went. If trustworthy information mattered, the manual result may still help. If immediate updates were essential, acknowledge that this condition remains untested. Avoid gathering unrelated private information merely because a form makes it possible.
What to do with your observation
| Observation | Next action |
|---|---|
| Useful but labour-intensive | Record the bottleneck before deciding whether to improve it. |
| Need depends on immediate updates | Mark this untested; manual delivery does not establish automation feasibility. |
A worksheet you can use
Deliverable: __. Human work: __. Required information: __. Timing: __. Task completed: __. Untested condition: __.
Can I call the pilot a finished product?
Clearly identify its pilot status and actual scope rather than implying an ongoing service commitment.
Evidence and scope
Graham discusses early manual work. This original pilot sheet guarantees neither demand nor scale.
Graham discusses early manual work. These procedures are original. Paul Graham (2013) — Do Things that Don’t Scale
Sources and further reading
This collection in Chinese and English · Life possibilities library