How to kickstart a proof-of-concept IT project

Step 1: Define the need for the new application or tool

First, decide what the new tool or application will need to do, and why it requires a proof-of-concept IT project in the first place. Typically, there is a business need to streamline operations or increase reliability through the creation of an application or tool. For example, the business might request a new, automated time-keeping application to replace a manual system that is error-prone and slow.

This first step is critical: Without clearly defining the purpose of a new tool or app, a project becomes time-consuming and costly.

Step 2: Determine project stakeholders

Stakeholders are the individuals directly affected -- either negatively or positively -- by the proof-of-concept IT project.

Stakeholders are the individuals directly affected -- either negatively or positively -- by the proof-of-concept IT project.

The identification of stakeholders goes hand-in-hand with step one above, as IT staff must communicate with these stakeholders to understand the need for the project -- i.e., to address any shortcomings of an existing app or tool. To revisit the earlier example of the time-keeping system, stakeholders might include the finance department, organizational employees and system administrators. IT doesn't need to speak with every single stakeholder in the organization -- but it can't hurt.

Step 3: Map out application or tool requirements

After determining why the project is necessary and who it affects, define its requirements and necessary resources. These might be technology-specific requirements, such as certain databases, runtime environments or server architectures. Make a rough estimate, then further define and evolve requirements as the proof-of-concept IT project progresses.

With the time-keeping application example, requirements might include:

• employee-entered timecards;
• automated approval processes;
• automatic calculations of leave; and
• an export to the accounting system for automated check processing.

In addition to technical requirements, there might be business or staff requirements for the proof of concept, such as specific personnel or departments that must be involved. In the case of our time-keeping application, these might be the people involved in the approval process.

Step 4: Design a prototype

The next step in a proof-of-concept IT project is to build a prototype to understand what a viable product might look like. It takes a significant investment to create a widely used production application, so it's best to start with a prototype on which IT can iterate.

Again, to revisit the time-keeping application example, a prototype could include:

• A low-code tool to experiment with the app's front end and user experience;
• A user login system that uses SAML authentication and assigns users to the correct role, such as standard user or administrator;
• A timecard entry screen that enables users to enter seven days of numeric values for a given week;
• An automated email sent to the user's supervisor for approval;
• The ability for the supervisor to approve the entry, or adjust the hours as necessary; and
• The ability to generate and export a CSV for the finance department that can be loaded into an accounting program to generate checks.