How can you ensure that the resources for scaling up an experiment are available?

First and foremost to define a scope for scaling up an experiment whether need to scale up on global level or local boundaries applicable. Once decided next big thing for consideration is resources as per the scope. As global level scaling need further exposure of resources for pricing strategy and skills accordingly. On the other side, sometime local boundaries also need to overlooked for better pricing strategy.

Scaling does not only mean increasing in size it also means increasing in efficiency. If its for data collection or sample collection think about the personnel and resources you have. Can someone else learn a skill and do coverage on two task? Is their something on the backend before the collection that you can optimize to help with scaling? Identify your current weak points or processes that can be optimized. Because once you scale, your inefficient processes will scale as well. So figure out what you can optimize first.

There are always key growth areas for a business, linked to the incentive structures of the leadership. Understand which budget your scaling funding will come from. Empathize on the incentives for that executive. For example if you are doing a pilot in a call center and your scaling funding will come from that budget, calls per employee, time of call, first call closure, etc. are likely evaluation measures for the executive running the call center. Link your scaling strategy and tactics to improvement of those measures within the budgeting period -- often a year in length. If your sponsor is "above" that, that person's incentives may be more financially oriented, rather than operationally oriented -- adjust accordingly.

Make sure you lay a solid foundation first, so you have something to come back to if you run out of time, people or money. Multiple failure is a great predictor over success

One question which often comes up is, how much do we actually scale? Make your of the following while setting up your goals 1. Scaling up should scare you a little. It its too easy, its not enough. 2. But the goal should not be completely out of reach. You need to find the balance of stretching out of your comfort zone but not so much that you break down in the journey. 3. Make sure that your scaled up goals can be backcasted and not just forecasted i.e. have a final date when you have to meet the goal. Then create smaller deadlines/milestones backwards which help you achieve the goal by that date. This also helps understand the different stages which may be needed for scaling up as well.

I am a strong believer of partnerships for growth and scaling up. If you have a crunch of resources, do look out for possible partnerships rather than increasing the resource pool to match the requirement.

Scheduling is a big part of this. Develop a draft based on days not dates. Why on days? Because if you base it on dates critical personnel may not be available. If your plan is based on days you can easily move it to anywhere on a calendar that works for you and your team. Bring this plan up in meetings and show your team what dates you were thinking. If there is something that is on your teams mind (i.e. Holidays, life in general) then you can finalize and make adjustments in that meeting.