Most engineers likely have a clear conception of what a pilot plant is; however, a review of the technical literature indicates that one person's definition can have little in common with another's. What is meant by a pilot plant follows from the goals or intent of the work, and these can be grouped into a small set of categories. We contend that resource discussions—such as what to pilot, where, when and how—are best discussed in the context of managing identified risks, and that these needs can differ greatly between projects and over the course of a project. In this presentation, we will elaborate on this argument and include examples pulled from the literature.