A 60-day pilot is one of the most practical ways to evaluate hospital hiring software. It gives talent acquisition (TA) leaders results from real requisitions within a single quarter, and it gives hiring managers a voice before any long-term commitment. This guide shows how to plan those 60 days so that every week produces useful evidence.
Start With One Clear Problem
Strong pilots begin with a specific problem. Leaders who have run hospital technology pilots say that a clearly defined need is the foundation of success. Limited budgets make it wise to start with the most urgent one (MedCity News).
In hiring, a good problem statement sounds like a target. For example: "Hiring managers review every submitted candidate within two business days." Choose one stage of the process, such as candidate review or offer approval, and write down what better looks like. The four decisions between a candidate and an offer offer a helpful map for choosing that stage. A single focus keeps the pilot small and the results easy to read.
Involve Hiring Managers and Recruiters From Day One
Frontline users shape the result. One health system innovation leader described a pilot in which frontline therapists were left out of the early planning. The team needed about six months to recover (MedCity News).
Invite a small group of recruiters and clinical hiring managers before kickoff, with a mix of units and schedules. Explain the goal in plain terms: the pilot gives hiring managers a faster way to decide between patients, so their time stays with patient care. Name one executive sponsor and one day-to-day contact, so every question finds an owner quickly.
Capture Baseline Data Before Day One
Measurement begins before the pilot does. An innovation partner at an NHS hospital trust recommends deciding what to measure and collecting baseline data before the pilot starts (DigitalHealth.London).
For hiring, a baseline can include:
- Average days from candidate submission to hiring manager decision
- Days from final decision to offer approval
- Recruiter hours spent on follow-up each week
- Reminders sent per requisition
Pull 30 to 90 days of recent history from your ATS, so the pilot has a fair comparison. Tracking these numbers also makes decision latency visible for the first time in many hospitals.
Plan the 60 Days in Three Phases
Active management turns a pilot into a project with a finish line. Assign clear responsibilities, contacts and meeting schedules, as pilot guidance from NHS innovation teams suggests (DigitalHealth.London). A simple three-phase plan works well:
- Days 1 to 10, prepare. Share your process map, name pilot users, and connect the software to your ATS. Hold a 30-minute kickoff to confirm goals.
- Days 11 to 45, run. Pilot users handle real requisitions. A short weekly check-in reviews decision times and collects feedback.
- Days 46 to 60, review. Compare results with your baseline, gather user feedback, and prepare the decision.
Measure What Matters for Hiring Decisions
Choose three to five measures and agree on them at kickoff. Useful examples include decision turnaround for each hiring stage, candidate days in stage, recruiter time on follow-up, and the share of requested decisions completed on time. Add a two-question satisfaction survey for hiring managers.
Pair the numbers with stories. Short comments from hiring managers show how smoothly a new process fits into a clinical day, and they often explain why a number moved.
Decide With a Simple Scorecard
Agree on decision criteria before the pilot starts. A one-page scorecard works well: a target for each measure, a rating for user experience, and the questions your IT and security teams want answered.
At day 60, the group chooses one of three paths: expand, adjust and extend, or conclude. This structure helps your team evaluate hospital hiring software fairly and with confidence. Sharing what the pilot taught the team helps the next initiative, a practice that hospital innovation leaders encourage (MedCity News).
Your 60-Day Pilot Checklist
- One clear problem and one target measure
- Recruiters and hiring managers invited before kickoff
- Executive sponsor and day-to-day contact named
- Baseline data collected from the last 30 to 90 days
- Weekly 20-minute check-ins scheduled
- Scorecard and day-60 decision meeting agreed
Try a 60-Day Pilot With Boundee
Boundee is a mobile decision layer that works alongside your ATS. It runs 60-day pilots built around the steps above: your team shares its process map, pilot users decide on real candidates from their phones, and results are measured together against your baseline. To see how a pilot could fit your hospital, visit boundee.com.
Sources
- MedCity News. "The top 3 reasons that hospitals' tech pilots fail." May 2024. https://medcitynews.com/2024/05/the-top-3-reasons-that-hospitals-tech-pilots-fail/
- Wright, Mike. "Test & scale success: five top tips to a successful pilot." DigitalHealth.London, April 20, 2021. https://digitalhealth.london/test-scale-success-five-top-tips-to-a-successful-pilot