Proof of concept in testing: what should you know about it?

Proof of concept

There are more than 7 billion minds in this world. Each of us is having some idea which we think is going to bring some change in the world or make a process a lot less hectic. Well even if each person thinks of at least one idea that makes up to more than 7 billion ideas. Now we all know not every idea works, it may be effective and better but it may not be efficient enough to induct it as an idea which can sustain itself.

This article is all about the proof of concept in testing and why it is important for you to know about it, what are its advantages and disadvantages and an overall perspective on it.

What is Proof of concept in testing?

Proof of the concept is a broad theory or rather a practical approach to ascertain whether an idea can be implemented or not. What are the pros and cons of the idea, where it lacks and what improvements it requires to pass as a working idea?

Basically, proof of concept is the very first step towards making the first prototype which moreover is just the first step in launching the idea. Proof of concept has application and not limited to any particular field. For example, Business Development, Product launching, Decision making, Engineering, Medical drug development, software development, and the list go on.

You might ask why proof of concept is important, what makes it so important? Well, do you like making mistakes? Especially those mistakes which can cost you money or your image? No right, Proof of concept is a simple process done with great focus. When there is an idea floating around, it is very important to make sure that the idea can actually work rather than just assuming everything. It helps in so many ways which we will discuss under its advantages later on in this article.

So now you are clear that it is important, you must wonder how it is done right. Let’s see how exactly it's done.

1) Thought to Idea - 

First of all the rough thought should be converted into a full-fledged idea. It should have some meaning to itself before heading forward. It should be designed in such a way that it is organized and all the external facts should be considered during this process. If the idea is too rough and unpolished the goal becomes unclear and ultimately looks unachievable. Therefore having a properly designed idea is very important.

2) Develop your idea-

Now develop your idea to such extent that it is executable. Screen all the possibilities of the idea going wrong or right. Make a team to get a wider perspective on the development of the idea. Bringing more people will expose the hidden flaws in your concept.

3) Engineer and Execute it-

Focus on smaller details test your idea in different scenarios and question its execution. Run random tests to check this. The more time you take to engineer it, the less time you have to spend on evaluating it. Now execution is also important, as we are not going to make the final product right away, we need to make a dummy with the functionalities we need but less focus on design as it is not a big deal to crack.

4) Evaluate-

The last and the most important step is to evaluate your concept. Gather all the data from the testing and study them properly. Find where it didn't go as planned and the reasons for the same. This evaluation is the main part of the proof of your concept. If you fail to detect any flaw in this step it will directly affect all the process ahead. I'm saying ahead even though it is the last step is because it is actually a cyclic process that ends only when there is a 100% positive evaluation.

Apart from the above process the proof-of-concept process must include:

•             Clearly described criteria for success;

•             Documentation for how the proof of the concept will be done step by step.

•             An evaluation element

•             A proposal for how the POC proves to be successful.

Now that we have learned the process let's see where it is applicable also.

WHEN IS IT DONE?

Business development-

To give prospective customers confidence in the product, the vendor generally gives a trial product to them. You can relate it if you remember some YouTube reviewers doing an unboxing of some gadgets that are actually not yet launched but to see the reaction of them for their decision making. This use of proof-of-concept helps to establish sustainability, to avoid technical issues, and to suggest an overall direction, as well as providing feedback for changes and other internal decision-making processes.

 Software development-

In the era of the internet, software development has become so advanced that it has made our life so much easier. But to reach this level of advancement couldn't have been possible without filtering the unviable concepts in this industry. First, the idea is turned into a sample. Once the vendor is satisfied, a prototype is developed which is then used to seek funding or to demonstrate to prospective customers.

Drug development-

All the medicines that are available in the pharmacy stores have gone through rigorous testing even before they were started manufacturing. Health and medicine is a very sensitive field especially when it comes to humans. The rules are very strict and any leniency in this field by anyone is not tolerated very well.

Now to make sure the drug that manufacturers are going to make works or not, they have to do trials. Every country is having its own standards. Below refers to early clinical drug development process divided into Phase I and Phase II.

Phase I is usually conducted with 10 to 20 healthy volunteers who are given 1 dose or short courses of treatment for up to 2 weeks. Studies in this phase strive to show that the new drug holds some of the desired clinical activity, for example, an experimental anti-hypertensive drug truly has some effect on lowering blood pressure, that it can be tolerated when given to humans. Other Phase I studies intend to examine how the new drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized and excreted.

Phase II is generally conducted in up to a hundred patients with the disease of concern. Studies in this Phase strive to show that the new drug is consumable and does not harm the human body negatively and also it can be tolerated when given to humans in the more extended term and to decide which dose levels will be most proper for eventual marketing.

A decision is taken at this point in time as to whether to advance the drug into later development stages or if it should be abandoned. If the drug advances, it will progress into later-stage clinical experiments, namely "Phase II" and "Phase III".

Security:

In computer safety and encryption, proof of concept (POC) refers to a representation that in principle reveals how a system may be protected or hazarded, without the obligation of building a complete functioning vehicle for that purpose. Win zapper was a proof of concept which maintained the bare minimum of capabilities needed to selectively extract an item from the windows security log, but it held not optimized in any way.

We have so far covered the good things about proof of concept. Let's summon them up here.

ADVANTAGES OF PROOF OF CONCEPT.

Proof of concept

Evolving the POC system with key functionalities successfully gives everyone the confidence that they can deliver the goods. The POC system also gives the chance to carry the users along by describing what the final system would look like. The POC system gives a chance to comprehend the capabilities and limitations of the system and thus help in the process.

But most of the greater advantages are-

1. Identify the most suitable consensus mechanism.  By repeated attempt and failure, one reaches to the best available method to be adopted.
2. Focus on the highest probability of success. The main purpose of Proof of concept is to avoid falling. And to avoid any such accident it is very important to fail in practice rather than the actual main process.
3. If by chance the final product fails, the whole process from an idea to product needs to be re-evaluated which will increase the expense of the overall budget.  Minimal investment is required when we carry out such activities before launching the final product.
4. Focus on critical questions.
5. It saves businesses time and money.
6. Act as a tool to forecast the feasibility of the projects.
7. Identify gaps that will harm their chances of succeeding.
8. Reduction in the overall risk of project failure.
9. The ability for the customer to visualize the look-and-feel of the solution early on.
10. A chance to assess design decisions early in the process.

Let us understand better with an example:

Once ISAIX Technologies, a Canada based company, approached Net Solutions to make a mobile a version of their flagship product Burst that required to be optimized for all main smartphones and tablets (IOS, Android, and BlackBerry), they were not certain whether it would be possible to create the required pinch-zoom functionality using HTML 5, or whether they should get an original mobile app developed.

Since ISAIX Technologies needed a solution that was cross-platform congenial, It was more inclined to recommend a solution that avoided costs for ISAIX without negotiating on the user experience.

So the idea behind developing a POC was to generate and test the capability about which we were unknown. We weren’t sure whether HTML 5 could give technical feasibility to build pinch-zoom functionality, which was crucial to the user experience.

Once the POC was developed and were successful in fulfilling pinch-zoom functionality, It was clear that the product could be developed using HTML 5, which is a cross-platform answer, as its frontend technology, and it was sure that it was recommendable building the whole product based on HTML-5.

DISADVANTAGES:

Proof of the concept has rarely been challenged for not being useful. But like every good thing, there is some bad side to it. Though the project detail provides descriptive information for the project development, there could be still chances to get varied from the project flow which may give different outcomes.

Proof of the concept sometimes appears as a barrier. It can limit your creativity as it imposes some guidelines to be followed. It adds another level of scrutiny. Moreover, to conduct such activities, funds are required which is another indirect expense. To carry out this pre-prototype experiment it takes a lot of time as well. And time is money, so rather than giving POC so much value, one can filter the process with almost the same effectiveness by only going through the Prototype stage.

CONCLUSION

A Proof of Concept (POC) is meant to provide hands-on experience with a product, technology or business model and how it operates when it is introduced or exposed to our own existing environment. The main goal of a POC is to collect knowledge and defects in our idea.

It is a term with various definitions in different areas. POC in software development defines distinct processes with different objectives and associate roles. POC may also refer to partial solutions including a small number of users acting in industry roles to establish whether a system meets certain requirements. The overall objective of POC is to find solutions to technical glitches, such as how systems can be integrated or throughput can be accomplished through an assigned configuration.

In the business world, POC is how start-ups prove that a product is financially viable. POC involves thorough research and review and is presented as a single package to concerned parties. It includes the examination of the revenue model, in which corporations show calculated revenue from products and services, and indicate development cost, long-term financial projections and how much the service expenses to manage and market. It is an excellent way for a business to assess itself internally and at proposed acquisitions and schemes.

Takeaway

Now as we have all the knowledge and information about proof of concept, you must appreciate its importance. Proof of concept is essential in so many different areas and it is the vital step towards the progress that scientists, engineers, corporates are making daily. So if you have any idea or concept which you think has the potential to create an impact make sure you consider the vital part which you have learned in this article about proof of concept.