The Innovation Tip: Three Proof Of Concept Strategies
Proof Of Concept, POC, sometimes labeled as POV (Proof Of Value) is probably one of the most used terms in the entrepreneurial world. There are definitely many reasons behind the abusive use of this word. Among these reasons, stands the key fact that a POC unlocks doors to an important milestone: Funding.
Let’s have a look at three different strategies for launching your POC.
#1 Start with a prototype and provoke a use-case
Here is where you put your hacker hat on. It’s the most unconventional way of launching your POC but if you’re a believer of “Stop talking, start doing” then this approach fits with you.
The main strength of this strategy is that a demo of your prototype can create a momentum, sometimes a wow effect, which will allow you to onboard your sponsor or investor, and then build a use case out of it. The momentum created will allow you to onboard more people if needed.
When to use this strategy:
- For new topics / new tech (Web3, New business models, No-code/Low-code, etc.)
- You have high control on the tech or dev team
- You need to launch fast or you can test and learn
- Demo-oriented stakeholders / ‘fast pace’ investors
#2 Start from a defined use-case and develop backward
This is a more conventional way of doing things. It sometimes reminds me of the cascade project management methodology. Don’t get me wrong, this approach can be very efficient when properly applied: Start with framing an idea, define the business case, secure a minimum of funds/resources and then kick-off your implementation.
Starting from a defined use case removes a bunch of risks such as over-development or being out-of-scope.
When to use this strategy:
- For high maturity topics (e-commerce, web services, fintech, health tech, etc.)
- You have low control on your dev team
- Less rush to deploy. Go far vs Go fast
- Cost-sensitive and risk-sensitive stakeholders. Safe investors
#3 Explore a use-case while building your prototype
You can see this as a hybrid approach of #1 and #2. It consists of developing your use case and your POC simultaneously. The good part of the story is that these two elements will feed each others: Your use case will enrich your prototype by telling you what features to add/adjust/remove, while your prototype will prove some aspects of the feasibility of your use case, a kind of reality check. The tricky part is to make sure you do not go into an infinite loop of iterations (feedback > changes > feedback). That’s why you should be comfortable with a minimum of design thinking and agile methodology.
When to use:
- For any type of topics and tech (e-commerce, Web3, no-code/low-code, etc.)
- If your dev team is comfortable with Agile methodology. If you have low dev cost per iteration
- Stakeholders or customers are available for quick feedback. Go far & Go fast
- Stakeholders and investors more involved in the product
There are no good or bad strategy for launching your POC. They do all fit and depend on different factors (topics, dev team, stakeholders style, etc.). What I believe should be respected though is to keep your POC simple, and make sure it is measurable in order to iterate and adjust later on.
Some related articles:
-You can also check my previous article on 5 tools to launch your POC/MVP.
-Wondering if you should launch an App (Mobile App) or a Website (Web App)? Check this out
