Factors Forming the Success of Pilot Projects: From Initialization to Risk Assessment

In view of the destroyed cargo delivery routes in Ukraine, many companies are forced to quickly change the geography of production and directions of trade flows. Previously established supply chains ceased to function. Many new supply chains have become subject to considerable uncertainty. Random events of various kinds disrupt the coordinated operation of the system and create the risk of not receiving the expected results. Now there is a need to develop new experimental logistic ways of so-called pilot projects. Such projects are created to test the viability of the proposed solution. The involvement of foreign companies in the Ukrainian market entails their change, as a result of which those that provide a range of additional services win, thus forming resistance to risks. Analysis of the technical and economic justification of some projects shows that they are characterized by structural changes and require the introduction of additional services, not only transport, but also processing, trans-shipment, storage and on-site sales. It should also be taken into account that insufficient consideration and assessment of certain risks at the beginning of the initialization of the planned pilot project can lead to its failure and negatively affect the success of the entire project. In the process of research, a systematic approach was implemented, general scientific methods such as logical analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction were used. The purpose of the work is to develop theoretical and applied foundations for researching the formation of project success factors: from initialization to risk assessment. The article examines theoretical approaches to determining the success factors of pilot projects. The success criteria of pilot projects, which create prerequisites for the study of their factors, are considered. Factors of success of pilot projects and possible risks of failure of the pilot project are analyzed. Proposed success factors of pilot projects that have the greatest impact on their launch, taking as an example the logistical delivery of Ukrainian grain by rail to Spain. It was concluded that despite the randomness of the occurrence of a risk event that does not make it possible to accurately determine the spatial and temporal coordinates of its occurrence in advance, in order to achieve the success of any new pilot project on cargo delivery, it is necessary to more thoroughly assess the risks at the beginning of the initialization of the entire planned project.