What is Rapid PoC & Feasibility Testing?
Proof of Concept (PoC) and feasibility testing refer to creating small-scale experiments or prototypes to prove an idea’s potential and work out viability questions before full-scale development. A PoC is essentially an initial test of an idea or method to show its potential in real-world settings. It typically happens early in the ideation phase – before extensive design or coding – and involves building a minimal version of the product or feature just to see if it could work. The purpose of a PoC is to validate key assumptions and show that a new product or feature can succeed; it also serves as a tool for discovering unforeseen risks or challenges in the concept.
It’s important to distinguish a PoC from other stages of product development. A PoC is not about polish or scaling – it’s about answering yes/no questions like “Will this technology perform as expected?” or “Will users actually do X when prompted?”. Unlike a full prototype (which demonstrates exactly how the product will work) or a minimum viable product (which is a basic version of the product released to users), a PoC is often just a scrappy mock-up or exercise to prove feasibility. If the PoC fails – e.g. the core idea isn’t technically possible or the target users show no interest – you’ve learned that before pouring resources into a full build. If it succeeds, you gain the confidence to proceed and a clearer direction for next steps.
Spiking is a term from agile development closely related to rapid PoC testing. In agile, a “spike” is a time-boxed research or experimentation task aimed at answering a specific question or reducing uncertainty before committing to implementation. The goal of a spike is learning, not delivering a shippable feature. For example, if your team faces an unfamiliar technology, an unclear requirement, or a high-risk architectural challenge, you might schedule a spike: a short, focused experiment to investigate the unknown. As agile coaches describe it, “A Spike in Agile is a time-boxed research activity used to explore an idea, investigate a problem, or validate a technical approach before committing to development. The goal is learning, not delivering a working feature.”
