What’s your approach to POCs with software vendors? What factors do you consider when weighing whether to do a POC or pilot?

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Co-Founder in Services (non-Government)3 years ago

Can you elaborate on the different between POC and Pilot in your view? I think some people may look differently

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUPPLY CHAIN in Healthcare and Biotech3 years ago

One of the main reasons we consider a POC is when there’s new technology and we're uncertain if that solution is the right one. A POC provides a testing ground to validate what that technology will do and whether it will prove the ROI or the business case as expected.

The other way we look at POCs is if we have an incumbent solution that we're not happy with. We may use a POC to pilot a potential new solution, especially if we're unsure whether the challenges we're having with the incumbent solution are an industry problem or an issue we’re having with our supplier.

POCs make great opportunities, but we must keep in mind what happens beyond the POC and what are the terms of the POC. For example, if you're going to do a three month POC, how do you disengage? How do you shut it down? How do you ensure the billing gets turned off if there is a charge? What are the decision criteria before you go into the POC? That should be discussed and clarified ahead of time.

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Of the SaaS vendors you engage, what percentage are transparent about where your data will be routed/stored?

<10%5%

11-20%23%

21-30%27%

31-40%10%

41-50%14%

51-60%5%

61-70%6%

71-80%1%

>80%4%