Proof of Concept is also known as a Proof of Principle. The term has been in use since 1967. In a 1969 hearing of the Committee on Science and Astronautics, Subcommittee on Advanced Research and Technology, Proof of Concept was defined as follows: The Board defined Proof of Concept as a phase in development in which experimental hardware is constructed and tested to explore and demonstrate the feasibility of a new concept.

Everything starts with an idea, and bringing that idea to life means creating a Proof of Concept. By creating a Proof of Concept you’re testing the feasibility of your idea at a low cost. You want to verify your concept or theory and find out if it has practical potential.

Why would you spend thousands of dollars on something that might not even pay off? Or maybe, you can’t even afford something that expensive? The smart thing to do would be to test your concept first. Just by running a quick analysis of your theory, experts can answer all your questions and tell you that you should not waste your money, because there won’t be any profit, or that you might just be the next Elon Musk.

Core features of Proof of Concept

Proof of Concept is focused on a particular aspect of a product. It’s usually small and shows only the core features that are going to define the future product, rather than being a complete, finished product. The objective is to find out if the product has practical potential and if it’s worth future investments.

In the field of software development, the Proof of Concept is focused on the technical aspect of the feasibility of a product or an app. It may refer to a new web or mobile app, or automating a redundant manual task. It is typically not delivered to end-users but forwarded to domain experts for review and further estimations.Although a technical Proof of Concept doesn’t focus on the commercial aspect of the product, it is supposed to focus on providing details of cost-effective technologies that can be used.

Experts are going to decide on which technology should be used, what type of software is required, the size of their team, time, and resources required to finish its development. It can vary from project to project or client’s requirements. Its architecture and implementation follow rapid application development practices, introducing assumptions, static data, hard-coded elements, mocked APIs, etc.). At the stage of development, scalability might still be the work in process, it also usually doesn’t include full security models and layers, and it may not be reusable.

Who needs a Proof of Concept?

Whether you’re a small business owner, owner of a big company, the CEO, a manager, work in HR, a student, or just a person with an idea, this is something you will be interested in.

Of course, there will always be some challenges in the way, depending on what you do and on your business position, but that doesn’t mean you can’t overcome them. Besides the reasons we already listed, why would YOU need a Proof of Concept? See if you can recognize yourself in any of these challenges or share any of the same goals.

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

Challenges: no IT team, no personal technical skills, wanting something innovative but not knowing what or where to even start, difficulties standing out and getting noticed, general lack of experience in running a business.

Goals: business expansion, acquiring funds, building brand awareness, and standing out in a certain industry, finding new clients and leads, building a solid relationship with clients and customers.

CEO

Challenges: lack of staff, lack of capital, acquiring new clients, and maintaining existing ones, troubles finding new investors.

Goals: business expansion, becoming a leader in a certain industry, getting new projects, hiring more staff, opening a branch office, accessing new markets.

MANAGERS AND HR

Challenges: strict and complicated company policy, length of processes, in-houseIT team lack skills or time, big workload, deadlines are not being met, projects going over budget.

Goals: wanting to impress your boss or company board, bringing new business to the company, creating something innovative, improving processes, increasing revenue and efficiency, company growth.

INVESTORS

Challenges: finding the right investment, finding something innovative and different, investing at the right moment, having good grounds for making an investment

Goals: investing early with low cost and high profit, making safe investments, making efficient long-term investments, and securing your money.

STUDENT/NATURAL PERSON

Challenges: having a hard time finding a job, lack of capital, not knowing where or how to start, lack of personal technical skills, finding investors, lack of business knowledge.

Goals: starting your own business, having funds on the side, making connections, securing your future, self-growth, gaining high profit.

What are the advantages of Proof of Concept?

Before it is taken forward and presented to potential investors or clients, Proof of Concept should generate internal feedback from the company. After it’s been approved, it can be used as a successful idea ready to be sold to stakeholders or potential buyers. Proof of Concept is used as a sort of proof and a sneak peek into a final product before it has been developed and launched. It shows the feasibility of the product, determents its commercial viability, and informs about future monetary investments. It also helps to identify potential challenges, gaps, or loopholes in the product, while minimalizing the risk of losses and downtime.

Invest in yourself

Creating a Proof of Concept isn’t just a clever business decision, it is a chance to invest in yourself. If you never take any risks, you can’t expect to gain any profit, and creating a Proof of Concept is a great way to start. Stop for a moment and wonder, if you may have an idea that could make your life easier, make your business grow, or even change the world. Don’t be afraid to bet on yourself and start building your own road to success. Good luck!