Proof of Concept in Software Development. Are you planning to develop a software application for your business? Achieving success in software development requires Proof of Concept (PoC) as a pivotal phase that lays the basis of successful software.
When an idea is formed, it is most likely based on assumptions, PoC aims to find evidence and validate these assumptions. If the initial idea isn’t tested accurately or the core value is not determined, the project is doomed to failure as they are bound to problems that will hinder the final result.
To help you out, we will cover everything you need to know about Proof of Concept (PoC). But first, let’s take a look at what PoC is.
What is Proof of Concept (PoC) in Software Development?
A Proof of Concept or PoC in software development refers to the demonstration of software focused on testing whether an idea can be transformed into a viable product. It is created during the discovery phase of an idea to prove its technical feasibility.
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Although PoC is mainly used in fields like marketing or healthcare, it has a specific use case in the software development industry. Proof of Concept involves thorough planning and idea testing in the form of test applications.
Other than that, PoC also includes technical specification documentation and timeframes for Minimal Viable Product (MVP) development. PoC aims to increase the chances of developing a useful and successful product genuinely liked by users.
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Benefits of Proof of Concept in Software Development
Most companies with new software product ideas fail either due to lack of market research and need, or lack of funding. And both of these issues are easily solved by working on Proof of Concept before starting software development.
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But that’s just the beginning of PoC benefits. Here, we have listed all the benefits a business can gain using Proof of Concept (PoC).
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Confirming Product Feasibility
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Gaining Insights from Key Stakeholders & Developers
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Generating Investment
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Demonstrate Market Fit
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Have a Clear Action Plan
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Understand Risks and Limitations
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Confirming Product Feasibility: One of the core benefits that come with creating PoC is its ability to prove the software product's actual working and financial feasibility. It will assist in determining what the ROI and market demand for the software would be.
Gaining Insights from Key Stakeholders & Developers: A successful proof of concept (PoC) helps to gather feedback from both developers and key stakeholders on technical and general aspects respectively. This allows you to remain flexible, make room for changes, and be ready for development.
Generating Investment: When you will show the investors your well-defined and thought-out roadmap, defining the product market value and steps to mitigate risks, it will build confidence among investors and secure potential funding.
Demonstrate Market Fit: With Proof of Concept (PoC), you can also demonstrate the need for the software in the market with the problems it is going to solve. To do so, you will need to carry out research that will minimize the risk of software failure upon launch.
Have a Clear Action Plan: Creating PoC makes it easier to navigate between features, workflow, and functionality of the product better. It also helps in having a clear action plan and optimizing the development process.
Understand Risks and Limitations: Proof of Concept (PoC) also helps in identifying and understanding any risk or limitation your software might encounter, allowing you to foresee the best way to proceed with software development and mitigate any sort of flaws in the project.
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Ways to Create Proof of Concept in Software Development
For creating a PoC in software development, it is vital to produce detailed documentation that defines project objectives, requirements, processes, and assigned stakeholders’ roles. The basic steps that you need to take when creating a proof of concept are as follows:
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Determining and defining the PoC idea, entailing the details on what you are trying to achieve, what resources you need, what would be the project’s objective, what should be the workflow, what is the development timeframe, and so on.
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Next comes ideating the right solution where you will need at least one or two technical experts to brainstorm solutions for problems and pain points, take competition into account, and clarify your guesswork.
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After determining the right problem-solving scenario, you must create a prototype in the form of a wireframe, mockup, or sketch depending on the nature of the product that demonstrates the envisioned features, workflow, and UI/UX.
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Now you need to show the prototype to the end users and gather feedback for evaluating PoC.
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If the project needs some work, you can make the required changes to the PoC, and create a proposal on how to move forward, making PoC successful.
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Wrapping it Up
Proof of Concept (PoC) is not just a fad. PoC should be included in the software development lifecycle as an initial step. It will help evaluate whether investing in the idea is worth your time and money. No matter how large your budget is, if the idea is bound to fail then it makes no sense to pour down money in the drain. With PoC, you can save yourself from failure and invest in another feasible software idea.
To know more or hire developers to bring your idea to life with PoC, get in touch with our experts now!
FAQs: Proof of Concept in Software Development
What is a proof of concept in software?
A Proof of Concept or PoC refers to the demonstration of software focused on testing whether an idea can be transformed into a viable product.
How do you create a proof of concept for software?
To create a proof of concept for software, you need to outline the project scope, purpose, and solution to pain points, research the market, pick resources, build the prototype, gather feedback, and implement changes.
What is the difference between MVP and POC?
A minimum viable product (MVP) refers to the software with basic functions that will allow you to introduce your product to the market, on the other hand, a proof of concept is a step-by-step plan that outlines your concept, how to implement it, its limitations, risks, and opportunities.