Any tips for running a successful pilot of a new tool or technology? What’s your method for tracking the results of the pilot?

Som solid suggestions here, I would add one more item to track as close as you can:  Pivot with out mercy.    I have seen many implementations get stuck on sunk cost and not make wise decisions because of it.   The better you can do all the things discussed  on this thread and be clear on success or your definition of when to pivot the faster you can pivot and find the solution you need.   

Does not always workout but it can save alot of time and money if you can focus on pivoting as fast as possible.

To have a success full pilot for new tools or technologies, we should have the following
 
1. Define Clear Objectives: Know what success looks like and how its aligned to Organization Business objective.

2. Select the Right Participants: Choose a diverse and representative group who are not part of design of the tool and can operationally validate the value of the tool.

3. Set a Timeline: Keep it long enough for meaningful data, but short enough to stay agile.

4. Provide Training and Support: Ensure everyone knows how to use the tool.

5. Have open communication: Keep everyone in the loop with updates.

6. Gather Feedback and feed into improvement cycle: Use surveys and interviews to collect insights.

7. Document Issues and Solutions: Keep a record of challenges and how they were resolved.

8. Analyze Results: Review the data to see if objectives were met.

Hi, what I've found works it run it with a friendly group first - such as your entire IT team and then pick from there the group who will tolerate issues the best, be the most understanding, and provide the most feedback. Set expectations clearly - from what to expect, known issues that they may encounter, any updates to the tool as you solve issues, and share your metrics on how the pilot is going with leadership of the pilot group at a minimum.  Ensure you have a clear way to receive feedback, issues, and bugs from the pilot group and address them quickly to ensure the pilot group knows you are in this together.  Communication is key as well.  Ensure everyone knows the roll out schedule, what to expect and what is expected of them.  A for metric to track success, it will depend on what you are rolling out - use and adoption may be one metric, but you will have others depending on the tool.   

Set goals and define the criteria of what would make this is a successful pilot. Involve your team that will be supporting/implementing the POC very early on and listen to their feedback.  Ensure you have reached out to the external teams who will be validating the POC so that you have resources for testing.  After the external teams test out the solution ask for feedback.  Use a tool to track results that works for you (I like Microsoft Planner but there are plenty of other great tools out there).

Commit to the tool you're piloting - have set goals for what you're trying to achieve or prove. Understand next steps upon either success or failure. If you've set proper goals, it should be easy enough to track the pilot's results.