You know this feeling. You come up with a business idea that will make you millions. The idea immediately wins over the board and receives the green light. The team rushes into work, months pass, the budget swells, and finally... the product lands on the market with a loud splash. No one wants it, no one understands it, plus a key feature barely works.
Sadly, the stats are brutal: 90% new startups fail. One of the main reasons is building something that's either technically impossible at the scale you're aiming for or just not needed by the market. In an era where innovation is the buzzword, we're weirdly afraid to experiment wisely.
Instead of jumping from idea to finished product, create a Proof of Concept (PoC). PoC isn’t an extra task that delays the project. It is a critical milestone that separates groundbreaking innovations from costly mistakes. PoC will save you time and money if the idea fails in the market.
PoC vs. Prototype vs. MVP
You may not be familiar with PoC development, but you likely know about MVPs or prototypes. Do all these concepts mean the same thing? Surely not. Let's see the differences between them.
The Definition of Proof of Concept (PoC)
PoC stands for Proof of Concept, which is a small-scale version of a product used to verify the technical aspects of a project. By using PoC, you will determine whether a key yet risky element of your vision is technically feasible using available resources.
With PoC services, you can test if the app will work as fast as users expect or if any hidden flaws can be fixed before clients discover them.
Prototype – what is it?
The purpose of a prototype is to validate the UX/UI for the end user. It is a clickable mock-up of the finished product, which can be tested for ease of use. This provides designers with feedback to apply in future work on product development.
What is MVP?
MVP, or Minimum Viable Product, is a working product or service, but with one or more key features that can be offered to customers. Through MVP development, it is possible to see how the product responds to user issues and identify which features should be introduced next, as well as which ones are unnecessary.
Why PoC Development Is Your Best Insurance Against Failure
You might think that PoC is just an optional extra. However, if there were no PoC, Google would have lost millions if it had released Google Glass for broad sale in 2013. Check out why you should include PoC services in your software development process.
Early Validation and Risk Reduction
Instead of building the entire product and discovering, after 8 months, that key integration with the payment system is impossible, a PoC lets you check it in 2 weeks. With PoC, the costs of failure are lower, and you can adjust your assumptions based on the feedback.
Tangible Argument in Business Meetings
PoC turns belief into confidence and moves the discussion from PowerPoint presentations to facts. When you show the Board a working PoC that costs $20,000 and ask them to fund $230,000 worth of work, you'll have a better chance of getting a favorable decision than if you try to get $250,000 for an untested idea.
Shorter Time-to-Market for the Right Product
Nothing kills team morale more than working on a project that lands in the trash. PoC development lets you engage a small development team to test a hypothesis quickly. If it succeeds, the team will have more motivation to complete it. If not, you lose a dozen days instead of a whole quarter, and you can move on to the next idea.
How to Create a PoC that Answers Real Questions
Although building a PoC consumes little time, the entire process should be well thought out and carefully prepared. What shouldn't you forget to get viable results?
Define the Problem
Before starting, clearly state the one biggest, riskiest question you need your technology to answer.
Set the Scope of PoC
Make the project extremely small and focused. Only test the main idea, ignoring everything else, like fancy looks or extra features.
Describe Success Criteria
Decide ahead of time what numbers (such as speed or accuracy) will indicate whether the test has been passed or failed.
Test Your PoC
Run realistic checks to verify that the main technology functions as promised under normal operating conditions.
Ask for Feedback
Share your results with tech experts and future users to ensure your solution fits the company’s plans and their needs.
Document the Process
Write down what you did, what you learned, and the final decision so that everyone knows why you are moving forward (or why you stopped).
Conclusion
In business, you can't wait for a fluke. The most innovative companies in the world aren't luckier than others – they just use PoC development to test their ideas and minimize the risk of failure.
Whenever a business meeting results in a game-changing idea, instead of engaging all available resources and funds to bring it to life, start with a PoC. Even if this idea fails, you will have room to test several more and hit the market with the right product.
Entrepreneurship
