A toolkit for Planning, Conducting, and Monitoring Pilot tests-Savings products

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Introduction

This work was done to develop a very practical tool kit to guide institutions in pilot testing new savings products for the poor. The practical nature of this guide was greatly aided by work with MicroSave’s action research partners in East Africa – the Kenya Post Office Savings Bank and the Tanzania Postal Bank, where this guide was tested. Additional idea and inputs were received from the staff of Equity Building Society, Centenary Rural Development Bank and Teba Bank where this systematic approach to the pilot-testing process was tested on a variety of savings and loan products.

A pilot test is something that measures the worth of a thing, in such a way that the test itself acts as a guide. By pilot testing a new product before rollout, the company avoids errors on a large scale that could be corrected on the lessons from the small-scale test. MFIs need the pilot test in order to be certain that any new product is appropriate for its market, and because mistakes can be costly.

This toolkit provides and explains in a most comprehensive way all the stages of an efficient Pilot Testing. By following these steps MFIs will be able to control the process of pilot testing, which enables full participation, the potential for rapid trouble-shooting, effective and efficient feedback, and professional management of the product. It describes each step in detail and offers examples and worksheets so that MFIs can begin the product testing process right away.