Roll-out of the system is dependent on a successful pilot project

3.3  Piloting a new IT system enables faults to be identified and remedied without exposing the whole of an organisation to the risk of service disruption and the possible resulting loss of public confidence. Although a pilot extends the time period before which the whole of an organisation can benefit from a new service, it also avoids the problems of a "big-bang" approach and so is a common feature of well thought out IT implementations. Lancashire was selected to be the pilot force because it had a number of operational and geographic features that enabled the system to be tested in a range of conditions. The Lancashire Police Force area is divided into six territorial divisions, each with devolved responsibility for policing and management. The technical infrastructure for Airwave was provided for the whole of the geographical area covered by the Lancashire force as shown in Figure 14 and two of Lancashire's six divisions were selected to carry out extended operational testing for four months. In the event, such testing lasted six months.