What should I ask for in a first sample or pilot?

Keep the first request small and testable. Include these items.

- One domain and one approval type, with the condition kinds you care about. - The role list with clearing and waiver authority for each condition kind. - A handful of seeded exceptions, such as expiry, reopening or a non-waivable condition. - A policy document that the records can be checked against. - Task prompts with expected outcomes and acceptable action orderings. - Starting snapshots and a clear description of the reset points. - Output in the formats your pipeline reads, with a schema file and a data dictionary. - A written list of the checks you will run, shared in advance.

Also ask how generation choices were made, which fields are fixed and which vary, and what limits apply to your use. After the sample arrives, run your checks, log defects by identifier and decide whether to widen, revise or stop. That decision, made on evidence, is the real purpose of the first step.