Aspiring SE Tip #2:   Prudent Steps for your Proof of Concept

Se tactics Uncategorized
Tony Matos
Tony Matos
May 12, 2023
Aspiring SE Tip #2:   Prudent Steps for your Proof of Concept

Quality POC’s are purposeful and lead to the Technical Win.

The following are critical elements of a successful Proof of Concept:

Current State

Describe the current situation that is driving the need for PoC. This should come directly from the customer through Discovery.

Desired State

Describing the agreed up future state of where the customer expects to be within their project timeframe.

Customer Business Initiatives

What are the customer’s business objectives of the PoC, and how will the POC tie back to these.

Proof of Concept Objectives

What are the PoC objectives. Top 3-5 solution workflows we would prove out in the PoC — not features list.

Success Criteria

What will make the PoC successful, why and impact to customer. What does success look like for the customer. This is critical to be able to get to a successful “Technical Closure”.

Scope

Document what should/needs to be ready before we start the POC engagement and call out what will be provided based off the agreed effort. Get agreement from the customer before these kicks off.

Roles and Responsibilities

Define who will own each part of the POC, including when folks from the customer side are needed to move pieces forward.

PoC Deliverables

Any data results, documentation, demo, or presentation delivered from the PoC effort. With high-level timelines of the key milestones.

PoC Closure

Define upfront how you will bring the PoC to a close (technical meetings, executive close meeting, end of PoC meeting).

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