Being optimistic about gaining support for an idea or project is not enough. Investors and stakeholders are typically pragmatic and require concrete evidence that business proposals can be viable and successful. This is where a proof of concept (PoC) comes in.
A PoC demonstrates the core functionality or a key component of the planned software to demonstrate that it's feasible and likely to meet business goals.
What does PoC mean?
We’ve already thoroughly covered what a PoC is in one of our articles, but here we want to give a quick reminder.
A proof of concept (PoC) is a powerful tool that can help you bring your innovative ideas to life and demonstrate their potential impact. With a PoC, you can provide tangible evidence to your stakeholders, partners, and customers that your idea is not only feasible but also delivers real value. Whether you are introducing a new product, service, or process, a PoC can help you minimize risks, validate your assumptions, and gain the confidence to move forward with your vision.
You can also check our software outsourcing services to check how we can support your project.
Why is a PoC important?
A proof of concept gives a first point of reference of how the future product might look. Incorporating a PoC into the product development process helps to measure the idea better and improve it before releasing the final version.
A PoC serves as a preliminary validation factor to determine if a certain idea is worth developing. Project managers, product owners, and developers can benefit from this by identifying potential issues, resulting in minimized risk.
Moreover, clients can provide feedback and have an impact on the product at the early stages of development. A PoC helps with refining the product idea and adding necessary changes that are now aligned with clients’ expectations. If the PoC doesn’t meet the client’s needs, it saves them from investing in an idea that wouldn’t be viable.
Also, a proof of concept gives you a solid idea for your prototype and minimum viable product (MVP). Check out the difference between them in the section below.
Proof of Concept vs. Prototype vs. MVP
We know what a PoC is, but it’s often misunderstood or mistaken for other quite similar yet different concepts, such as the prototype or minimum viable product (MVP). Let’s examine the differences briefly.
A proof of concept focuses on the main idea, addressing the specific, central issue. In general, it helps you determine whether your idea is feasible and viable. A prototype, on the other hand, goes a step further and showcases how the product might be built, providing a tangible representation of your idea. One of the most common prototypes is a clickable mockup. A prototype provides a visual representation and basic functionality of the software product. Going even further, a minimum viable product (MVP) is the product’s pilot version that can be tested and used to collect feedback from real users. It contains only the core functionalities critical for the product to function, but it’s still a work-in-progress process.
All these solutions are interconnected and usually follow each other in the development process. If you want to dive deeper into this topic, read our other article about the differences between MVP vs. prototype and Proof of concept vs. prototype.
PoC meaning in a project - when to use it?
There are a few scenarios where a proof of concept can be used to show when the idea works best and check if it’s feasible for a software development project. Here are some examples:
- Reducing risks - A PoC can be used to mitigate potential risks. In the early stages, it’s good to have a bigger picture of the proposed solution to identify potential obstacles and verify the product idea properly. A proof of concept can help you assess the level of effort needed.
- Demonstrating feasibility - It’s good to show that the business idea works. A proof of concept is a great way to illustrate the idea in an early version of the product. Showcasing a successful PoC will help your clients visualize the final product.
- Assessing the use of new technologies - Including new tools and technologies in a project requires knowledge of their potential limitations and benefits. A PoC identifies any issues that might arise and helps to evaluate the suitability of the product idea.
Bear in mind that these examples are interconnected, and that a proof of concept is usually most useful when you want to test a new feature or develop something completely unique to check if it’s going to work as expected. The development time of a proof of concept is counted in days or weeks. So, it’s pretty fast to build and doesn’t require a lot of budget to invest.
How to use a PoC in the development process?
To use a proof of concept in the software development process, it’s important to define the scope. Identifying the problem that the PoC is intended to solve gives you a clear understanding of the proposed product. Creating a plan for the PoC documents the process and ensures that the idea is allocated within the time frame and used resources. Moreover, a PoC is usually a one-time solution that aims to demonstrate the technical feasibility of meeting a business requirement. After successful validation, very rarely is any further work done on the PoC. Typically, the process starts anew to prepare a prototype enriched with the knowledge acquired. Analyzing the collected data and identifying issues once the proof of concept is built should give you information on whether it is successful or not. Comparing the results with the previously established criteria will help you determine that.
Once you have all the data, including stakeholders' feedback, gathered and analyzed, your team can benefit from the information and use it properly to apply improvements. Usually, project managers take the role of facilitator and check if the team is worksing with the business plan in mind.
How to create a proof of concept (PoC)?
Creating a PoC consists of specific steps you should follow to organize your work appropriately and derive the most from the proof of concept process. Here are some tips that will help you through this process:
Decide on the concept you want to prove
Your proposed project should confirm the new features and functionalities you want to build. It’s recommended to choose a specific feature or a set of features and then focus on them. Testing smaller parts will give more precise results.
Decide how you need to prove it
As we mentioned earlier, proof of concept isn’t a must-have. It’s most commonly used when the idea is unique, there are unknown technical areas, or a technical solution requires in-depth performance evaluation. That’s why you should research the market to find similar features in already existing products and identify how they work.
However, if there are existing solutions with similar features, you should still identify the unique aspects of your idea and differentiate the product from your competitors.
Check what you need to build a successful proof of concept
The main goal of a proof of concept is to check if the idea is feasible. To do that, you need to establish success criteria. In other words, you need to make sure that the developed proof of concept has met the requirements. The more precise the conditions are, the more probable that your PoC will be successful.
Build a proof of concept
Building a PoC shouldn’t be time-consuming, but it requires a solid effort from the development team. The time frame can vary depending on the complexity and scope of the project. Depending on your needs and possibilities, you can choose in-house development or an outsourcing company. Choosing to outsource can be potentially cost-effective because you don’t have to manage the process internally. However, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of the two methods.
Conclusion
The proof of concept is a valuable technique used in software development. It’s always worth pursuing the best possible solution and presenting an early concept to the client to ensure the proposed idea fits with the business expectations. By following established criteria and including improvements based on user feedback, you can achieve spectacular results and save money in the long run.
