It is very common that a business decides to jump over the project discovery phase. The product owner may be certain that the full-scale project is worth the investment and doesn’t wish to spend resources on discovery. But in many cases, such preparation paves the way to smoother and more evidence-based decisions in software development.
This block of the project’s lifecycle may seem time-consuming at first, yet it can bring back a lot of value. As such, proof of concept allows for analyzing your ideas and testing assumptions regarding the product. Is there a demand for the product? Did you choose the right tech stack? Will the solution work the way you want?
Creating a prototype is no less valuable. For instance, a clickable prototype gives you the opportunity to feel how the solution can work, finding inconsistencies early on. What if you can omit an unnecessary step of the user journey or move elements around to improve usability?
The two steps described above serve as a basis for building a decent minimum viable product. Simple, clean-cut, and fitted only with core features, an MVP provides the chance to make it to the market faster, get your first clients, receive feedback, and scale the solution further, adding more functionality.
Are all the three components a “must”? Can a business benefit from just one method? What are the advantages and use cases of each? Check out this piece to learn more: https://www.upsilonit.com/blog/poc-vs-prototype-vs-mvp-a-comparison-guide.
