Find a specific, recurring challenge
Look for work that happens often and consumes time: searching internal guidance, drafting routine material or organising incoming requests. Define who does the work, where the friction occurs and what a better outcome would look like.
Check the information it needs
An assistant is only useful if it can access relevant, reliable information. Identify the sources, their owners and any access restrictions. Avoid using sensitive information in a pilot before the appropriate permissions and safeguards are in place.
Keep the first pilot small
Choose one workflow and a limited group of users. Test realistic examples, including ambiguous questions and missing information. Keep a person responsible for reviewing outputs where mistakes could affect customers or business decisions.
Measure usefulness, not novelty
Agree on evaluation criteria before the pilot. These might include time spent on a task, the quality of answers, how often people need to correct an output and whether the team actually uses the tool. A pilot is a way to learn, not a guarantee of success.
Decide what happens next
Review the results with the people doing the work. Improve the design, expand carefully or stop if the tool does not solve the problem. Training and clear ownership are as important as the technology.