When Vision isn't Enough
Why proof of concepts matter more than roadmaps right now
A few years ago, “the roadmap” was enough.
A demo.
A vision of what could be.
An art-of-the-possible presentation that assumed momentum, budget, and patience.
That’s not where most teams are now.
Years of software investments.
Long implementations that took more out of teams than expected.
Systems that technically work, but require constant care to keep moving.
So when new ideas show up—new tools, new capabilities, new use cases—the reaction isn’t excitement.
It’s skepticism.
Not because teams don’t believe in the idea.
Because they’ve already lived through the promise.
This is why proof of concepts matter more now than they used to.
Not as a checkbox.
Not as a sales step.
But as a way to reduce risk in an environment where trust has been stretched thin.
A POC says:
Show me, don’t sell me.
It acknowledges something important:
Capacity is limited
Patience is thinner
The cost of being wrong is higher
Teams don’t want to hear how something could work in theory.
They want to see how it works in their system, with their data, under their constraints.
Good POCs don’t aim to impress.
They aim to orient.
They answer practical questions:
Does this reduce or add complexity?
Does it work with the data we actually have?
Does it create clarity or just another thing to maintain?
In a year defined by carrying too much, that distinction matters.
POCs aren’t about acceleration.
They’re about confidence.
They give teams a way to move forward without committing to another long, heavy initiative.
They make progress visible early.
They turn abstract value into something tangible.
And just as importantly, they surface reality fast.
If something won’t work, a good POC reveals that quickly - before it becomes another system you’re responsible for supporting.
This is what “try before you commit” really means right now.
Not hesitation.
Discernment.
In a market shaped by constraint, proof is how teams protect their future capacity.
Because the goal isn’t to add what’s possible.
It’s to carry only what actually works.