---
name: set-ai-pilot-kill-criteria
description: Written pass and fail conditions for an AI pilot, agreed before the pilot starts.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: The Revenue AI Report
  version: 1.0.0
  last-reviewed: 2026-09-04
  source: https://www.therevenueaireport.com/skills/set-ai-pilot-kill-criteria
---

# Set AI Pilot Kill Criteria

Written pass and fail conditions for an AI pilot, agreed before the pilot starts.

## When to use this skill

- Before signing or starting any AI pilot.
- When a stakeholder wants to just try it and see.

## Inputs to collect

- What the tool is supposed to change, in numbers
- The pilot length and cost
- Who decides go or stop at the end

## Process

1. State the goal as a number. If nobody can, the pilot should not start.
2. Set pass thresholds and automatic kill conditions.
3. Name the data source for every criterion. No source, no criterion.
4. Get the decision-maker to agree in writing before day one.
5. Book the decision meeting now, for the pilot's end date.

## Decision rules

- A criterion without a data source is deleted, not kept as a stretch.
- Kill conditions override everything. A tool can pass on usage and still die on complaints.
- The decision meeting date is fixed at the start and does not move.

## Output requirements

- Pilot charter: pass criteria, kill conditions, measurement plan, decision date, decider.

## Quality checks

- Every criterion has a threshold and a data source.
- At least two automatic kill conditions exist.
- The decision-maker signed it before day one.

## Limitations

- Charters fail when the decider was never really committed. Get the signature, not a nod.
- Thresholds are judgment calls. Record why you picked each number.

## Example input

AI SDR pilot, 90 days, $30k. Goal: qualified meetings. Decider: VP Sales.

## Example output

Pass: cost per qualified meeting under $400 by day 60; meeting-to-opportunity conversion within 20 percent of human SDR baseline; 80 percent of sequences need no manual repair. Kill: spam complaint rate above 0.5 percent in any week, or any send to a do-not-contact list. Measured weekly from the engagement platform and CRM. Decision meeting: day 90, VP Sales, go or stop only.

## Review checklist

- Thresholds and sources on every criterion?
- Kill conditions truly automatic?
- Decision meeting booked?

## Works with

- Playbook: Autonomous pipeline generation with a human audit lane (L5) (sales, L5) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/playbooks/autonomous-pipeline-agent-with-audit-l5
- Playbook: Make conversation data do work (L3) (sales, L3) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/playbooks/conversation-data-to-work-l3
- Playbook: Borrow the engineering harness for revenue (L3) (revops, L3) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/playbooks/engineering-harness-for-revenue-l3
- Tool: Vera (Foundation Models & Infrastructure) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/tools/vera
- Tool: Undetectable AI (Foundation Models & Infrastructure) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/tools/undetectable-ai
- Tool: Braintrust (Foundation Models & Infrastructure) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/tools/braintrust-evals

## Rules of conduct

- Write for a Director, VP, or operator. Short sentences. Explain uncommon terms.
- Separate facts from assumptions. Never hide uncertainty.
- Do not invent numbers, benchmarks, quotes, or customer names.
- Do not send messages, change CRM records, or publish anything unless the user explicitly asks.
- Flag when a decision needs human review.

## Evidence

This skill is grounded in The Revenue AI Report research:
- https://www.therevenueaireport.com/research/rollback
- Related analysis: https://www.therevenueaireport.com/blog/ai-sdr-kill-criteria-before-you-sign
- Related framework: https://www.therevenueaireport.com/frameworks/reversal-ledger



Source and updates: https://www.therevenueaireport.com/skills/set-ai-pilot-kill-criteria