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.