Editing Proof of concept (section)

=== {{anchor|InSoftware}} Software development===
In [[software development]], the term 'proof of concept' often characterizes several distinct processes with different objectives and participant roles: vendor business roles may utilize a proof of concept to establish whether a system satisfies some aspect of the purpose it was designed for. Once a vendor is satisfied, a prototype is developed which is then used to seek funding or to demonstrate to prospective customers.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

The US General Services Administration has a checklist for defining an Agile software proof of concept, which includes clear definitions of the problem, pre-POC input required, and output criteria (including success criteria).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Agile Investment - Proof Of Concept (PoC) Checklist — Tech at GSA |url=https://tech.gsa.gov/guides/agile_investment_proof-of-concept_phase_checklist/ |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=tech.gsa.gov}}</ref>

The key benefits of the proof of concept in software development are:<ref>{{cite web |title=How to build a PoC for business idea |url = https://y-sbm.com/blog/poc-for-business-idea |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200923153159/https://y-sbm.com/blog/poc-for-business-idea |url-status = usurped |archive-date = September 23, 2020 |website = YSBM Group: Custom software development |publisher = YSBM Group |access-date = 17 October 2020 }}</ref>

*The possibility to choose the best technology stack for the software (application or web platform)
*A higher probability of investors' interest in the future software product
*The ability to simplify and improve the ease of testing and validating ideas for the software's functionality
*Receiving valuable feedback of a target audience (users) even before building a full-scope system
*Onboarding first clients before an official software release

A '[[steel thread]]' is technical proof of concept that touches all of the technologies in a solution. By contrast, a 'proof of technology' aims to determine the solution to some technical problem (such as how two systems might integrate) or to demonstrate that a given configuration can achieve a certain throughput. No business users need be involved in a proof of technology.

A [[Software prototyping|pilot]] project refers to an initial roll-out of a system into production, targeting a limited scope of the intended final solution. The scope may be limited by the number of users who can access the system, the business processes affected, the business partners involved, or other restrictions as appropriate to the domain. The purpose of a pilot project is to test, often in a production environment.

[[Tech demo]]s are designed as proof of concept for the development of [[video game]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://unity.com/how-to/beginner/game-development-terms|title=Game development terms |publisher=[[Unity Technologies]]|accessdate=June 26, 2023}}</ref> They can demonstrate graphical or gameplay capabilities crucial for particular games.