Right-Sizing Pilots: Getting Market Systems Development Projects Off the Ground

Patrick Niyomugabo, CASA Rwanda

Pilots are often the starting point for developing scalable and sustainable solutions. They serve as a platform for driving systemic change by encouraging key sector actors to think and act differently, based on evidence. In doing so, pilots help create a more resilient system, strengthened against external factors.

Being the testing ground for ideas that could shift incentives, open up opportunities, and unlock systemic change, pilots allow practitioners and partners to experiment with business models, products, or services that (if proven viable) can later be scaled to reach thousands of target clients or more marginalised groups who are often excluded by the system.

But as many of us practitioners have seen, pilots are tricky to get right. Some collapse under the weight of overly ambitious targets. Others are so small or unfocused that they fail to generate useful impact and attract the spotlight for replication and scale. In all these cases, the result can bring frustration … the wasted time, wasted resources, lost momentum with partners and most importantly the loss of impact which was at the core of the initiative.

So, how do we avoid these drawbacks? How do we design pilots that are not just “projects or interventions” but steppingstones toward systemic transformation? The answer lies in right-sizing … designing pilots that are realistic, partner-driven, and purposeful.

Drawing on reflections from market managers and senior professionals within the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness (CASA) Programme, we have identified some key strategies to help Market Systems Development (MSD) programmes and practitioners to design and launch pilots of the right proportions that will set them on the path to ensuring both scalability and sustainability.

1. Start with the partner, not the pilot

It’s tempting to jump straight into design: sketching timelines, budgets, and targets. But the real starting point is the partner. No matter how well designed, a pilot will only succeed if the partner is genuinely motivated and has the capacity to deliver.

In practice, this means digging beneath the surface. Is the business truly invested in the model, or are they saying “yes” because of donor funding? Does leadership support the initiative, or is it driven by one enthusiastic staff member who might soon move on?

We’ve seen promising pilots stall simply because leadership priorities shifted, or because the partner lacked the systems to manage new risks. By contrast, even simple pilots thrive when driven by partners who see the vision of the pilot aligning with their incentives and are open enough for changes that are proven to be effective and viable when used.

Right-sizing starts with pre-due diligence. Before launching, take the time to understand the partner’s business model, motivations, and internal capacity. Ask hard questions early; it’s better to walk away than to invest in a partner who isn’t ready.

2. Ask the right questions up front

The difference between an overburdened pilot and a right-sized one often lies in the clarity of its foundation. It is essential to consider the right questions before any action:

• Ask about intention: What is the key innovation you are testing? What is the minimum you should do to demonstrate it?
• Ask about scale: How many end users should be involved? What is manageable for a first test to serve as demonstration?
• Ask about duration: How long is needed to generate meaningful results? Is one year enough, or does the innovation require multiple cycles?
• Ask about partner capacity: What systems, staff, or infrastructure does the partner need to succeed? Do you need to invest in building this capacity first?
• Ask about investment: What level of financial contribution makes sense? How much should come from the partner to signal ownership and motivation?

These questions are not just technical … they shape incentives, risks, and outcomes. Asking them upfront avoids confusion later and ensures the pilot is grounded in reality.

3. Stay focused on purpose

One of the most common mistakes in pilot design is trying to test too much at once. For example, a pilot may attempt to validate a financing model, a distribution network, and a behaviour change campaign all at the same time. The result? Confused partners, scattered data, and unclear learning.

A right-sized pilot identifies the core element that must succeed for the business model to scale. Everything else is secondary.

If the goal is to test whether farmers will adopt a new input package, then focus on adoption rates first. Questions about repayment, distribution, or bundling can follow once adoption is proven. By prioritising, the pilot creates clear, actionable learning instead of blurred outcomes.

4. Balance ambition with realism

Many pilots are designed with the best of intentions but the worst of expectations. High targets, short timelines, and multiple objectives might look good on paper, but they often set pilots up for failure.

For example, a pilot might aim to reach thousands of smallholder farmers within a single season, while also testing a new distribution channel and introducing digital tools. The workload quickly becomes unmanageable, and when targets are missed, the narrative shifts from learning to a non-working model.

On the other hand, pilots that keep expectations realistic often achieve more in the long run. A modestly scaled pilot with 200 farmers might not make headlines, but if it generates solid evidence and builds partner confidence, it provides a foundation for scaling to 20,000.

Right-sizing involves defining what success should look like at the pilot stage and resisting the urge to solve everything at once.

5. Keep the conversation flowing

Pilots are living processes, not static plans. External shocks, partner challenges, or simple learning-by-doing often require adjustments along the way. That’s why communication is central to right-sizing.

When communication is strong, market managers, practitioners and partners can surface challenges early, adapt strategies, and avoid wasted effort. When communication breaks down, problems are ignored until it’s too late, leading to frustration on both sides.

Right-sizing means recognising that design is just the beginning. Continuous communication ensures that the pilot stays on track or that adjustments are made before it derails.

6. Simplicity is strength

Finally, simplicity is often underrated. Complex pilots can be exciting, but they are also hard to manage and harder to replicate. A simple design, by contrast, provides clarity for partners, makes learning easier to capture, and reduces the risk of overextension.

In one instance, a simple pilot designed to test farmers’ interest in an out-grower model as a supply chain approach generated powerful insights that informed a nationwide rollout. Had the pilot simultaneously attempted to introduce credit and insurance, the results might have been far less clear.

Right-sizing is about resisting the temptation to overload a pilot with objectives. Focus on the essentials first and once they are proven, scaling will naturally bring in more complexity.

Think Big, to Pilot Right

Pilots are not an end in themselves … they are means to systemic change. The purpose of a pilot is not to achieve scale immediately, but to generate the insights, confidence, and momentum that make scale possible.

For MSD practitioners, right-sizing is about systemic thinking informed with accurate information. It means being realistic about what a pilot can achieve, selective about the partners we work with, and focused on the learning that truly matters.

When we design pilots that are partner-driven, purposeful, and simple, we set ourselves and our partners up for success. Right-sized pilots may start small, but they create the foundations for big impact.

In the end, the lesson is simple: Think big, systemically and pilot right for impact at scale.