Getting ready does not mean having every detail finished. It means knowing which questions matter, who can answer them, and what your team needs to move forward responsibly.
Before a Dragon Copilot evaluation, take a look at your workflow, technology, safeguards, team support, and goals. This checklist can help you spot gaps early and turn a big idea into a manageable plan.
1. Establish accountable ownership
- Name an executive sponsor who can resolve priorities and remove barriers.
- Assign an operational owner responsible for day-to-day decisions.
- Include clinical representatives from the workflows being evaluated.
- Identify IT, security, privacy, compliance, and EHR stakeholders.
- Agree on how decisions will be documented and approved.
A project can have many contributors, but it still needs clear decision rights. When ownership is vague, technical questions wait on clinical decisions and workflow questions wait on technical review.
2. Define the workflow and audience
Choose a focused starting point. Document the specialties, locations, visit types, user roles, and systems involved. Identify workflows that should be included and any situations that should remain out of scope during the first phase.
- Map the current documentation process from encounter through signed note.
- Record common variations rather than describing only the ideal workflow.
- Identify accessibility, mobility, audio, and workspace considerations.
- Estimate the number and type of users in the initial cohort.
3. Prepare the technical path
Your technical plan should cover identity, devices, networks, browser or application requirements, integrations, and who will provide support. Confirm the environment in which the evaluation will run and how changes will be promoted beyond it.
Document assumptions explicitly
If an integration, device standard, or access method has not been validated, label it as an assumption with an owner and a target date. That is more useful than allowing an open question to look like a completed decision.
4. Complete governance and risk review
- Identify the data that will be captured, generated, stored, and transmitted.
- Review authentication, authorization, retention, and audit requirements.
- Clarify responsibilities for reviewing and approving generated documentation.
- Define the process for reporting privacy, safety, or quality concerns.
- Confirm required agreements and approvals before real-world use.
Governance should be proportionate to the planned use, but it should not be postponed until after the workflow is already underway.
5. Plan enablement and support
Decide how participants will be introduced to the workflow, what successful onboarding looks like, and how support requests will be handled. Include a feedback process that is easy for users and specific enough for the project team to act on.
- Prepare role-based onboarding and realistic practice scenarios.
- Name first-line support and escalation contacts.
- Schedule early check-ins rather than waiting for the end of the pilot.
- Identify clinical champions and protect time for their participation.
6. Agree on evidence and next-step criteria
Define the baseline, evaluation period, measurement methods, and decision criteria. Include experience and quality indicators alongside operational measures. Decide what evidence would support expansion, another iteration, or a pause.
The result should be a short action plan with clear owners—not a large document that quickly becomes outdated. For more foundational guidance, visit the Dragon Copilot Knowledge Base, or explore our Getting Started conversation.