Power of POC in Software Development – Why and How POC Is Essential for Software Development?

IT workspace is full of new opportunities and situations – on one day software developers get a chance to refurbish old software, and on another, they get an idea to build a new mobile app. Ideas are constantly bouncing around in the IT realms, but shaping and conceptualizing it requires numerous resources like finance, technology, management, logistics, etc. And that’s when POC Software Development comes into existence. 

What is a Proof of Concept (POC)?

Proof of Concept is a demonstration of a certain idea or method in a feasible manner to determine its practical potential. The primary purpose of POC is to draw a conclusive plan to present ahead of potential investors and convince them that an idea can be turned into a profitable venture.

POC can be a small demonstration on paper or a full-fledged product demo video, depending upon business nature. In the context of software development, POC development services revolve around the technical aspects of an app or software.

POC for software development means focusing on – which tech stack to be used, how many updates are required, what is the nature of the existing app, and so on. Many people confuse POC for an MVP or prototype, but they are different.

A prototype design shows how the product will work once developed, and MVP stands for basic functionality that is required to run a product and gather feedback. On the contrary, POC is a mere concept to visualize whether an idea has the potential to become a profitable application or not. It doesn’t deal with the feedback or functionality of an app.

Why Is POC for Software Development Vital?

POC development services in the context of software refer to a process of building a new app or software for a client to automate redundant tasks. POC for software development stands for marking down various layers of technologies that may be required to configure system and other hardware and software parts. Technical POC software development differs from the commercial, but it provides technical costs detail required to complete the project.

For instance, when you have an idea to develop a mobile app, you hire a POC developer to gather relevant facts about the idea before presenting in front of potential clients or investors. One POC developer will study all the technical aspects of your idea and provide constructive feedback on whether the idea can see daylight or just a dark meteor. With the POC development services, you can eliminate many ‘what if's’ from your software development phase.

How Can Proof of Concept in Software Development Be Achieved?

Many IT companies don’t hire POC developers because they think that their software developers can easily manage all the POC responsibilities. Now, the software developer has training and responsibility to develop a project – not to determine its practicality. To provide complete POC development services, developers have to focus on the following steps:

Find the Need

When you are investing time and money into developing a product, you really want people to need it. Before diving into the software development phase, you want to have a clear view of your targeted audience's pressure points. You have to interview your audience and analyze what they actually need. By consulting your potential users and stakeholders, you can make a list of specific needs that your software should have.

Brainstorm Solutions

In the next POC development phase, you have to brainstorm how all the users’ needs can be identified in an app. There are multiple ways to approach one needs. But, you have to find a perfect solution considering cost, timeline, competition, technical challenges, and so on. Once you have evaluated all the possibilities to target a need, you will get a clear idea of which solution to incorporate in a product.

Test your Solution

Next, you have to develop a POC prototype to determine how your solutions will look into a real product. You can test the prototype on your targeted users to observe a real impact. The prototype has to implicate UI/UX and features of a real app. You should record feedback received for the prototype to make modifications to the actual product. It will save the cost and efforts to develop a complete project and not get a positive response at the end.

Develop Minimum Viable Product

An MVP is a fully functional solution that you can put out for use. It includes the essential features that are required to solve the problem. With MVP, you have the option to test your product beyond the small user group and get feedback from a large number of representatives. When you get feedback from the larger group, you have a better view of your project’s viability.

Map Out your Actions

Using all the information that you have gathered by far from prototype and MVP, you should prepare a development roadmap. Your development roadmap works as a blueprint for building your software. With the analytical roadmap, you can align your software development team and touch all of your user needs.

How are POC Development Services Beneficial?

A POC can serve the purpose of a deciding factor before your actual product hit the market. It can assist you in making the informed monetary decisions after analyzing the commercial viabilities of a product. For a technical project, it is very important because technology trends change swiftly.

Thus, when you want to turn your software idea into a reality or want to shape your clients' idea, you have to hire a POC developer to recognize all potential loopholes and risk elements before investing your time or efforts.