Up to 90% of software products end up being useless after they hit the market. This could be avoided if more companies created Proof of Concept—either on their own or with an IT outsourcing partner. Here’s why it improves effectiveness.
Up to 90% of software products end up being useless after they hit the market. This could be avoided if more companies created Proof of Concept—either on their own or with an IT outsourcing partner. Here’s why it improves effectiveness.
Verify Your Ideas Before Spending Millions
Most projects fail not because of bad code, but due to flawed assumptions. Building a full-scale product based solely on your belief in success is the most expensive method of learning humility. This is where you should use a Proof of Concept (PoC).
PoC is a quick and low-cost test of your hypothesis. It will tell you whether technology X can handle large amounts of data or if integration with the bank’s API is possible within the estimated time frame. Answering these questions with PoC development will cost you a fraction of what you would pay for a full development cycle.
Instead of burning millions on building a gigantic and non-functional product, lay the foundation and check if the ground beneath it is stable. If the PoC shows an error – congratulations, you’ve just saved a lot of money.
Outsource PoC to External Development Team
Why do you need an IT outsourcing company when you have a team of developers? Your in-house engineers are undoubtedly excellent, but they are usually overloaded with maintaining existing systems or developing your core business. Assigning them to a PoC risks harming other projects.
An external outsourcing team brings three key values:
- A fresh perspective
- Extensive knowledge
- High speed of task completion
An external partner operates in a model focused on a specific result rather than on the process. Their only task is to prove or dismiss your concept within a few weeks.
Why Are PoC and IT Outsourcing a Perfect Combo?
Combining PoC with outsourcing provides a safety net that is lacking in the traditional in-house model. It is a symbiosis that isolates risk within the company. When you build a PoC with the help of external experts, you aren’t changing your own infrastructure and the priorities of your entire IT department for an uncertain idea.
Preparing a PoC by an IT outsourcing company lets you test innovations in stealth mode. You can develop revolutionary software alongside your company’s main business profile, using the experience of a partner who has seen hundreds of similar implementations in other industries. It’s a transfer of knowledge and employees, where you only pay when you need it.
How do PoC and Outsourcing Increase Flexibility?
The key to success in IT lies not in sticking to a plan, but in the ability to change it as needed. Outsourcing gives you scalability on demand. If your PoC becomes a success, you can rapidly expand your external team to deliver the MVP before your competitors start building the same thing.
If the experiment proves that the idea doesn’t make sense, you can end the collaboration overnight, without painful layoffs and team reorganization. Such operational flexibility transforms the IT department from a cost center into a center of innovation in the eyes of management.
Conclusion
Failures in software projects are part of the job. However, wasting money on unproven ideas doesn’t have to be the norm. Proof of Concept, developed by an external team, is a strategic move that lets you make mistakes cheaply and quietly. This way, when you decide to devote all your human and financial resources, you can be sure you’re heading in the right direction.
