what is pilot testing

Pilot testing is a preliminary test or study conducted before a larger-scale study or project. It is a small-scale preliminary study that is conducted to evaluate feasibility, duration, cost, adverse events, and improve upon the study design prior to performance of a full-scale research project. Pilot testing is used in various fields, including software testing, clinical trials, and product development. The purpose of pilot testing is to evaluate the feasibility, time, cost, risk, and performance of a research project. It helps in early detection of bugs in the system and provides insights into the ultimate cost of the study, its overall feasibility, and any challenges that the actual study may face once it gets off the ground. Pilot testing is generally conducted before beta testing in the case of a product or software release. In pilot testing, a selected group of end-users try the system under test and provide feedback before the full deployment of the system. The analysis from the pilot experiment can be added to the full-scale (and more expensive) experiment to improve the chances of a clear outcome.