Define the run
Record the model, precision, sequence length, batch strategy and target quality. Include optimiser and activation memory, not just parameter weights. Different parallelism methods change the communication pattern and where memory resides.
Protect the run
Plan dataset staging, checkpoints and restarts. A short single-node test does not establish multi-node scaling or recovery behaviour. Measure elapsed time to an accepted checkpoint and document what happens if a node or storage path fails.
Choose the operating model
Slurm and Kubernetes address different workflow and operating needs; a managed service can connect them. Ask which team manages identities, scheduling, images and recovery. Compare like-for-like sustained progress, service terms and data movement.
Prepare a comparable test
Keep the workload, software version, data path, service objective and cost boundary attached to the result. Changing these assumptions changes what a comparison means.