Proof of Concept
Definition
A time-boxed evaluation in which the vendor's product is set up against the prospect's real data and use case to prove it can meet defined success criteria. A well-run POC has written success criteria, a defined duration, a named owner on each side, and a clear next-step on close.
What a POC is actually for
To remove a specific technical doubt that blocks a decision. If nobody can name the doubt, the POC has no exit condition, and a POC without an exit condition does not end — it fades, consuming engineering time until someone stops answering.
The criteria worth agreeing before it starts
- The question. What specifically is being proved, written down and agreed by both sides.
- Success criteria. What result counts as a pass — in the buyer's words, not yours.
- Scope and duration, with a date it ends whether or not it has succeeded.
- What happens on success. If a pass does not move the deal to a decision, you are running a free implementation.
The tax nobody budgets for
POCs are engineering projects hiding inside presales. Each one consumes an engineer for weeks, and the ones that hurt are not the failures — they are the passes that changed nothing because no decision was attached to them.
POC versus pilot
A POC answers a technical question in a controlled setting. A pilot is limited production use with real users and real data. Conflating the two is how a pilot ends up unfunded, unsupported and indefinite.
Related terms
Further reading
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