Aspiring SE Tip #2: Prudent Steps for your Proof of Concept
by Tony Matos
Quality POC’s are purposeful and lead to the Technical Win.
The following are critical elements of a successful Proof of Concept.
Proof of Concept Planning Checklist
Current State
Describe the current situation that is driving the need for PoC. This should come directly from the customer through Discovery.
Desired State
Describe the agreed future state that the customer expects to reach within the 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 needs to be ready before the PoC begins and what will be provided based on the agreed effort. Get the customer’s agreement before the engagement begins.
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).
Proof of Concept Success Criteria Example
NAASE illustrative example
This hypothetical example shows how a customer and sales engineer can agree a barcode-inventory evaluation before the PoC begins. The test quantities and timing below are illustrative assumptions.
| Element | Agreed test |
|---|---|
| Customer objective | Reduce receiving errors caused by manually entering item and location details. |
| Scoped test | In one test environment, scan 20 agreed valid barcodes and one invalid barcode. The customer supplies the expected inventory entries. |
| Success criteria | Every valid scan must create the correct item, quantity and location entry within 5 seconds. The invalid scan must be flagged without creating an inventory entry. |
| Evidence and acceptance | The warehouse lead and sales engineer compare the scan log with the inventory records, mark each criterion met or not met, and agree the next decision at the PoC close meeting. |
For the customer communication that supports the plan, see Tony Matos’s seven habits for effective proof of concepts.
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