A user pilot is an ideal way to explore new technology, such as Teams, offering the ability to mimic how Teams will be used when it is deployed organization-wide while verifying functionality across all major Skype for Business features and workloads. Whether your organization is considering running Skype for Business and Teams side by side or transitioning to Teams at a future point in time, a pilot can help identify the right path forward for your organization.

There are three core scenarios of communication and collaboration detailed below. Review the scenarios to create a test plan tailored for how your organization uses Skype for Business today, and how they will use Teams in the future.

Test Scenario #1: Day-to-Day Interactions (e.g., chat and calling) #

Sample use case: Joe needs approval from his manager, Jill, who is in another state, before sending the contract to his client. Using Skype for Business today, Joe checks for presence availability, sends Jill an IM, escalates the IM to a call, and shares a file for review.

Features to test in Teams:

• Initiate an IM (whether recipient is offline or online)
• Add audio/video to an IM
• Add app share to an IM
• Add another contact to an IM
• Add a meme/GIF to an IM
• Attach a file to an IM
• Search for a contact
• Call a contact
• Optional: Verify same activities on mobile device

Test Scenario #2: Group Meetings (i.e., one-time or recurring meeting) #

Sample use case: Contoso is hosting an internal training session for a new product. Using Skype for Business today, Mary schedules an online meeting via the Outlook add-in and attaches a document for pre-read. During the training, she conducts a live demonstration of the new product, captures Q&A, and records the meeting for those who could not attend.

Features to test in Teams:

• Schedule a meeting in Outlook
• Schedule a meeting in Teams
• Send a file in advance of the meeting
• Live app share during the meeting
• Take questions during the meeting

Test Scenario #3: Team and Project Teamwork (collaboration) #

Sample use case: The Contoso marketing team is preparing for a new product launch and must set up multiple cross-team workflows to prepare for the launch. This ongoing project hub is not available in Skype for Business today but should be tested as part of your Teams pilot.
Features to test in Teams:

• Create a new team
• Invite users to a team
• Create new channels within the team, invite users
• Communicate updates and questions via conversation in respective channel
• Mention @user alias to call out their call to action
• Post and link to files within the team
• Schedule and host a meeting within the channel or team to discuss project status

Pilot Success Criteria #

Establishing clear goals and success metrics for your pilot will enable you to measure the impact of your pilot efforts and inform the next steps on your Teams journey.