Proof of Concept (PoC) Development
Ultimate Guide
Taking enough time to plan development properly before the project's actual launch is extremely
important as there is a lot at stake before achieving the end product. Before the actual launch,
planning development helps save resources, time, reduce cost, and ensure that you get a high-
quality software product. A PoC (Proof of Concept) is a crucial way to start with as you plan on
your software development.
A Proof of Concept is a small prior test done before the launch of the actual project to help test
your idea and determine whether a product concept can be developed and functional. Most
people mistake a PoC for a prototype, but a prototype helps the developers visualize how the
software product will function. A prototype shows how the end product is achieved in simple
terms while a Proof of Concept shows whether an idea can be implemented. The prototype
shows the layout, navigation and the design of the end product, which means that it is a working
model.
Moreover, a PoC allows the custom software development company to study emerging
technologies, share some knowledge with them and, most importantly, give the stakeholders a
confirmation that the concept is viable. Once the stakeholders are sure that the concept works, a
prototype is then developed to help demonstrate to the client how the software product will
function.
What is a PoC (Proof of Concept)?
Apart from showing that an idea or proposed software product can be developed and viable, a
successful Proof of Concept enables a project manager to gaps that need attention for the process
to succeed. Therefore, a POC helps test a project to evaluate its viability and whether it can be
done before launching it. A Proof of Concept allows project managers to identify weaknesses
and the development team to understand your idea's relevance, which helps save time, resources,
and ensure a high-quality end product is developed.
A Proof of Concept allows the project manager to verify if the project's theoretical concepts can
offer solutions to real-world applications. It also explains how the software end product should
function based on detailed specifications and requirements. Consequently, a PoC checks the
feasibility of the product being developed rather than producing the deliverables.
Why Do You Need a PoC?
When you need to test the efficiency of the preferred software development method
To ensure that the software product idea offers the much-needed value.
To identify gaps or limitations on the software functionality.
To ensure that the proposed idea aligns with the requirements of the targeted users.
Factors to Consider for a Successful Proof of Concept
Here are some of the key points that both the company that is delivering and the one requesting a
PoC should consider. If you are the one requesting a Proof of Concept, you have to:
Understand the resources that you will be required to provide
Ensure that the project is of great importance to you. Usually, most companies that
request for PoCs are certain of the necessity of the process and are just looking for the
best to acquire it. Therefore, if you are still planning, it is important to wait and think of
creating a PoC in the later stages when you are sure of its necessity.
Determine the benefits of the PoC to you and those performing it.
Ask the company to deliver a PoC for examples of PoCs from the tasks they have
handled in the past. Checking these case studies will not negate the importance of a Proof
of Concept even though organizations are different. Instead, it will help you develop
insightful ideas and add experience in the entire process.
If you are the company delivering a Proof of Concept, you will have to:
Determine whether your company has the means to handle the project by carrying out an
internal assessment.
Create a separate PoC for the internal team that covers what needs to be done, the
challenges, what to focus on and how to handle the main challenges that come with the
project.
Create a detailed presentation for the client covering the information and marketing part.
The presentation should outline what you propose to do, convince them that you are good
at your job, and explain how you intend to accomplish the result.
Make a technical write-up for the client's company's internal test teams, covering what is
expected of them, pros and cons, what the team will handle, and address potential
problems.
A well-polished write-up detailing each step's potential cost, the timeline, and how the
project will be handled to the end.
How Do I Create a PoC?
When it comes to making a PoC in development, there are some crucial steps that you need to
follow. However, these steps can be modified to suit the software's needs that you need to create
or the type of Proof of Concept that you need to make.
1. Start with a Plan
The Proof of Concept in software development is not the final project. Therefore, it is advisable
to plan accordingly the resources, time and effort that will be invested to create it. Usually, a PoC
should not take a team of two to three software developers more than two weeks to complete.
With the latest technological advancements, there are many third-party tools that can help build a
PoC within a few days.
2. Consider the scope of the project
A Proof of Concept should prove the project is viable, but most importantly, it should identify
the end objective of the software development project. Remember, the scope of the project has to
maintain its focus on meeting the needs of the detailed requirements and resolving specific
problems.
3. Choose the right Resources.
Just like when creating anything else, you will need to select a team with excellent skills to build
a great PoC. Remember a Proof of Concept helps you to check the viability of a vision or idea.
Therefore, you will need to pick a team that includes a project manager that has a great mix of
technical and business experience and developers with the ability to translate the idea into a
high-quality end product.
4. Pick the right metrics.
Picking the right project metrics enables you to collect pertinent information on the project and
accurately determine whether it will be a failure or success. Therefore, the right metrics will
provide you with accurate feasibility measurements of your project's success. To achieve this,
you need to interview the client through the targeted questions that help your team achieve the
project's intended objective.
5. Consider feedback from the intended users
The next step should be gathering feedback from the intended users or actual customers if you
are lucky to meet them. In this case, you need to have a document with the software's description
ready and should also include the functions that the product should perform. Getting the
feedback of the intended users or actual customers on the software's description provides you
with a chance to get the reaction similar to the one you expect after the project is fully
implemented.
The step involves offering the product to your users as an impactful solution to a given problem
and then explaining how it should function to get their reaction. Once you get the users'
suggestions and feedback, you should consider them to help improve the end product. However,
you should be ready for some of your guesswork to be challenged.
6. Evaluation of the PoC
Once you gather feedback from the intended users, you will now have a clear picture of the users'
interaction with the software product. Therefore, the next step should be evaluating the
customers' feedback and picking insightful suggestions to improve your Proof of Concept. This
preliminary stage will help you determine what you need to change in your PoC depending on
the information and suggestions received to make it more convenient.
However, if the feedback from the intended users is largely negative, it is advisable to stop the
whole process and think of coming up with a better idea.
Why Is a Proof of Concept Important for Small Businesses?
A Proof of Concept is important in helping businesses start their project management process,
launch refined or new product ideas. It is more critical for small businesses as compared to large
enterprises. Here we look at the 3 top reasons why a PoC is important for them:
1. Enables project managers to spot potential obstacles and risks
Creating a Proof of Concept enables project managers to spot potential obstacles and risks that
small businesses may face while implementing the proposed software product.
PoCs help project managers to pinpoint these obstacles earlier, which allows them to plan to
resolve them during the development phase rather than uncovering them after or during the
product launch. Some of the common obstacles and risks that can be spotted through PoCs
include disputes during the implementation of the project, failure to fulfil their deliverables and
many others.
The PoC helps increase the chances of product's success, but this does not mean that it
guarantees smooth implementation of project management basics. For instance, the project
leaders can register the potential obstacles unveiled through the PoCs in the risk register.
Recording potential obstacles and risks on the risk register is among the best project management
practices as it allows for proper budget coverage, planning as well as other actions. Moreover, it
also enables project leaders to look for effective ways to help mitigate, address or eliminate the
potential risks and also give assurance of the project's success to their investors.
2. Provides proof to stakeholders
Most small businesses look for stakeholders to invest in their ideas to allow their enterprise to
achieve sustainable growth and also be able to compete with other businesses. However, project
managers will have to show investors that their investment is viable before requesting resources.
A Proof of Concept offers an opportunity to convince potential stakeholders to invest in the
business since a PoC helps them illustrate the idea's profitability and usability. Besides, PoCs can
show the idea of the product in detail with visuals and illustrations to ensure the presentation has
sufficient data.
PoCs can also clearly explain the benefits of the proposed product to customer relations, brand
image, and operations. Explaining the advantages thoroughly helps convince the company to
assign the necessary resources to develop the idea.
Moreover, a Proof of Concept gives the stakeholders a chance to assess the idea thoroughly as it
provides them with the cost-benefit or win-loss analysis. Usually, stakeholders will decide not to
invest if the concept proves not to be profitable or practicable as previously thought.
3. Determining whether the product is scalable
Usually, project managers and stakeholders expect a product to be scalable when they propose it
to be developed. Consequently, project managers can verify the scalability of the idea over time
or immediately.
A Proof of Concept can also help managers and stakeholders to determine how to carry out
mass-production or grow the product to match the systems' architecture, workflow
standardization, human resources and other areas. This allows enterprises to determine their
working capacity with additional production. Additionally, PoCs also help project managers
prove the company's ability to manage scope creep during scalability.
Final Thoughts
A Proof of Concept plays a key role in ensuring proper allocation of time, effort and resources to
software development projects. It helps businesses determine if a proposed idea is attractive to
the intended users and also whether it offers practical solutions to real-world applications.
Moreover, a PoC enables project teams to explore planned functionalities and components of the
proposed product as well as the resources, costs and capacities to ensure that it works. With the
details in PoCs, companies can easily assess the newly developed solutions' effectiveness to
allow for a wider scale adoption. The documentation will also help the software development
team to replicate the product. A PoC is also tangible evidence that saves your company from
spending time, resources and effort on a project that is not viable or an idea that is not
worthwhile.
Hope that my sharing of 14 years working in the Vietnam software industry and 9 years running
Saigon Technology, a leading software development company in Vietnam is helpful for you.
