#agile consulting

[raphael-moutot-blog]

When Creativity Took Over Our Webinar…

In May, my former colleague and now friend, Mauro, had the opportunity to co-host the monthly event of the PMI Institute, Vietnam Chapter.

The event's format was quite unique, it was divided into two parts:

The first part, led by organizers Phil and Tran Anh, introduced agile concepts.

The second part was an open discussion between Mauro and me titled "How Marketing Can Leverage Agility" (based on our experience merging the two domains).

Phil aimed to spark creativity with an engaging activity:

"Draw, draw, draw! A shape in 6 steps. Keep drawing!"

Phil instructed participants to draw a spaceship, ice cream cone, house, hedgehog, fox, cat, coffee cup, and bear – all within 15-20 seconds each! It was definitely a fast-paced challenge.

While participants were expected to draw on paper and share their creations at the end, some discovered a way to utilize Zoom's drawing feature, allowing them to draw directly on the main screen! Unexpected, to say the least! ^^

While humorous and surprisingly creative, this unexpected turn of events caused some stress for the organizers.

Look at these artworks! Colorful, aren't they?

The biggest challenge? No one could figure out how to remove the drawings! Thankfully, with a smile and the participants' help, we managed to adapt to this unforeseen situation – a testament to the importance of being prepared for the unknown! :)

We then moved on to the second part, where we addressed the following questions for the PMI VNC audience:

Context, concepts, and the evolution from traditional project management and marketing to this stage.

Successes and challenges of combining Agile and Marketing.

Case studies or use cases for overcoming challenging situations in Agile.

Predictions and changes in Agile and MarTech for the next decade.

The top 3 takeaways for the audience.

In order to discover more, please let me invite you to access the full recording of the event (clic on the link bellow ):

When Agility Meets marketing: PMI Vietnam Chapter

Webinar Passcode: 0*1yseBK

Although you could already listen to this part in the recording, I still would like to share with your my 3 key takeaways from our webinar to conclude this short article:

1. A Fantastic Learning Community: Everyone involved in making this event a success is fortunate. Presenters have the opportunity to share their expertise, participants gain insights into a potentially unfamiliar field, and everyone benefits from exposure and the chance to connect with new people. This exemplifies a community driven by curiosity, openness, and professionalism.

2. Embrace Change: Things Don't Always Go According to Plan. While staying true to the original objective is important, everyone should be prepared for deviations. Establish mechanisms to handle and anticipate unexpected situations, such as implementing shorter release cycles, adjusting marketing campaigns, or even being prepared for technical difficulties during webinars.

3. Reinvent Your Role: Change is the Only Constant. Equip yourself to adapt to change, continuously learn more. We already leverage various forms of AI to boost productivity. Marketing, Agile, and AI are not separate entities. It's time to get creative and leverage the best aspects of all three (and potentially even more) to excel.

Once again, thanks to Mauro, Phil, Tran Anh and the 41 souls who join this webinar!

[dvtsa46]

Unlocking Success with Agile Consulting

In today's fast-paced business landscape, agile consulting has emerged as a game-changer for organizations striving to stay ahead of the curve. With the rapid evolution of technology and market dynamics, traditional project management approaches often fall short in meeting the demands of modern businesses. This is where agile project management steps in, offering a flexible and adaptive framework that empowers teams to respond effectively to change and deliver value iteratively.

The Rise of Agile Consulting

As businesses recognize the need for agility in their operations, the demand for agile consulting companies has soared. These firms specialize in helping organizations embrace agile methodologies, providing tailored solutions to navigate complex challenges. Whether it's implementing Scrum, Kanban, or other agile frameworks, these consulting firms bring expertise and experience to the table, guiding clients toward sustainable success.

Tailored Agile Consulting Services

At the forefront of the agile consulting realm are companies dedicated to delivering exceptional agile consulting services

. These services encompass a wide range of offerings, including:

Agile Transformation: Guiding organizations through the transition to agile methodologies, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.

Training and Coaching: Equipping teams with the necessary skills and knowledge to adapt and thrive in an agile environment, through targeted training programs and ongoing coaching support.

Process Optimization: Agile consulting  Streamlines workflows and enhances productivity by identifying and eliminating bottlenecks, optimizing processes for maximum efficiency.

Strategic Planning: Aligning agile initiatives with business objectives, developing roadmaps and strategies to drive sustainable growth and innovation.

Change Management: Managing the human side of change, ensuring smooth transitions and stakeholder buy-in throughout the agile journey.

Agile Consulting in South Africa

Agile consulting South Africa is gaining significant traction among forward-thinking organizations. As businesses strive to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions and customer expectations, agile methodologies offer a path to resilience and competitiveness. With a burgeoning ecosystem of agile consulting providers, South African companies have access to world-class expertise and support to embark on their agile journey with confidence.

Navigating Agile Implementation Challenges

While the benefits of agile implementation are undeniable, the path to success is not without its challenges. From cultural resistance to organizational silos, there are numerous obstacles that can hinder the smooth adoption of agile practices. However, with the right guidance and support from experienced agile consulting partners, these challenges can be overcome, paving the way for sustained success and growth.

[benzneconsulting]

Unlock the potential of Agile methodology and gain excellence in your business operations with the seamless assistance of Benzne’s Agile Consulting services. In today’s fast-paced and competitive business landscape, the ability to adapt quickly and efficiently is crucial for success. With Benzne’s expertise in Agile practices, you can navigate this ever-changing environment with utmost ease.

[anuyat]

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, effective application planning is crucial for successful development and delivery. Agile practices have gained immense popularity due to their flexibility, adaptability, and focus on delivering customer value.

In a study by Standish Group, agile projects were found to be 28% less likely to be canceled than traditional waterfall projects. They were also found to be 39% more likely to be delivered on time and on budget.

In this step-by-step guide, we will explore how to plan an application using Agile practices.

Whether you are a project manager, developer, or stakeholder, this guide will provide valuable insights to ensure a streamlined and efficient planning process.

From establishing project goals to creating a prioritized backlog and conducting iterative sprints, we will cover the key elements of Agile planning.

[raffaellopalandri]

Statistical Tools

Daily writing promptWhat was the last thing you searched for online? Why were you looking for it?View all responses Checking which has been my most recent search on Google, I found that I asked for papers, published in the last 5 years, that used a Montecarlo method to check the reliability of a mathematical method to calculate a team’s efficacy. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com I was…

[rskbsl]

AI Consultant in UK: Transforming SMEs with Smart Technologies

AI's impact is beginning to reach SMEs in other parts of the UK. An AI consultant in UK is not limited to use by big technology companies; blog SMEs are adopting these applications and thus, are able to grow smarter, faster and cheaper.

How UK AI Consultants Help SMEs

1. Automating Repetitive Tasks

AI tools such as:

Customer service chatbots

Invoice processing systems

Inventory control systems

Tracking systems

2. Enhancing Marketing with AI

The use of:

Predictive analytics for customer behavior

Intelligent segmentation in email marketing

Automated content generation procedures

is made possible by UK consultants.

3. Improving Decision-Making

Real time analytics is provided by AI Tools.

Consultants put together dashboards displaying KPIs and market trends.

4. Optimizing Operations

AI consultants help in scheduling and managing logistics by:

Assessing and diagnosing operational efficiency gaps.

Providing automation and optimization tools.

Success Stories

One retail SME based in London integrated AI systems and AI recommendations resulted in a 30% increase in sales.

A Birmingham-based logistics firm made use of AI routing tools, which allowed them to cut delivery holdups by 40%.

Conclusion

Even small businesses can benefit from AI. An AI consultant in UK is capable of equipping small and medium-sized enterprises with smart tech that improves productivity, provides business intelligence, and aids in cost reduction—all within financial reach.

[danapharmed1]

Find New Opportunities with Agile Business Management Consulting in Canada

Business landscape of the 21st century, companies face numerous challenges, from the pressures of globalization to the fast-paced advancements in technology. In this environment, traditional business strategies often fall short, necessitating more dynamic, flexible, and responsive approaches. Enter Agile Business Management Consulting—a transformative strategy that has taken the Canadian business world by storm, offering firms a path to adapt swiftly and thrive in a volatile and uncertain landscape.

Understanding Agile Business Management Consulting

Agile Business Management Consulting is an approach borrowed from the software development world, where it revolutionized project management by emphasizing iterative progress, collaboration, and customer feedback. In the context of business management, agile methodologies enable companies to remain adaptable, responsive to market changes, and focused on customer satisfaction. By implementing agile practices, businesses can streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and ultimately drive sustainable growth.

The Rise of Agile Business Management Consulting in Canada

Canada, known for its diverse economy and innovative business environment, has become a fertile ground for the growth of agile methodologies. Companies across the nation are increasingly turning to Agile Business Management Consulting to gain a competitive edge. Business sectors such as healthcare, technology, and finance are particularly benefiting from this shift, leveraging agile strategies to improve service delivery, accelerate product development, and enhance customer experiences.

Dana PharMed Inc., a leader in agile strategy consulting, exemplifies the transformative power of these methodologies within Canada's business landscape. With more than 20 years of experience in strategy consulting across North America and emerging markets, Dana PharMed offers tailored solutions designed to meet the specific challenges of niche industries like MedTech, Life Sciences, and Digital Health. Their commitment to implementing actionable and innovative strategies helps clients move confidently towards achieving their business objectives.

Key Benefits of Agile Business Management Consulting

Enhanced Flexibility and Adaptability: Agile methodologies enable organizations to respond quickly to changing market dynamics and customer needs. This flexibility ensures that businesses remain competitive in fast-evolving industries.

Improved Customer Satisfaction: Agile consulting places a strong emphasis on customer feedback, allowing businesses to tailor their services and products to meet client expectations more effectively. This focus on customer satisfaction can lead to increased loyalty and positive word-of-mouth.

Streamlined Operations: Through constant iteration and feedback, agile methodologies help identify inefficiencies and waste within business processes. By optimizing operations, companies can reduce costs and improve productivity.

Accelerated Time-to-Market: Agile practices promote rapid development and deployment, enabling businesses to bring products and services to market faster. This speed is crucial in industries where first-mover advantage can dictate market share.

Increased Collaboration and Innovation: Agile consulting fosters a culture of collaboration across departments, encouraging the free flow of ideas and driving innovation. This collaborative environment is essential for businesses aiming to stay ahead of the competition.

Implementing Agile Business Management Consulting in Canada

Implementing agile strategies requires a comprehensive understanding of both the methodology and the unique challenges faced by the business. Dana PharMed Inc. approaches each consulting engagement with a focus on the specific needs of their clients. Their services encompass everything from data-driven business analytics to AI-powered marketing strategies, ensuring that every aspect of a company’s operations is optimized for success.

At the heart of Dana PharMed's approach is a commitment to extreme confidentiality and client satisfaction. Their team of dynamic, forward-thinking consultants works collaboratively with businesses to develop solutions that are not only innovative but also grounded in practical applicability. By leveraging the latest technologies and insights, Dana PharMed helps companies achieve long-term recognition, profitability, and competitive advantage.

Why Agile Business Management Consulting is Essential for Canadian Companies

In an era where change is the only constant, Canadian companies that embrace agile methodologies position themselves to navigate uncertainties with agility and confidence. The application of Agile Business Management Consulting allows organizations to not only survive but thrive amidst the complexities of today's business environment. With a strategic partner like Dana PharMed, businesses can unlock their full potential and drive sustainable growth through strategic agility.

Conclusion

As Canadian companies venture into unknown territories in search of growth and innovation, Agile Business Management Consulting emerges as a beacon for adapting to change. Organizations willing to embrace these methodologies will find themselves better equipped to handle the myriad challenges of the modern business world. By choosing partners like Dana PharMed Inc., they gain the insights and tools necessary to transform their operations and achieve unparalleled success in an ever-evolving market.

For companies in Canada seeking to thrive in this new age of business management, Agile Business Management Consulting in Canada is not just an option—it's an imperative. Embrace agility and watch your organization soar to new heights.

[agilebrains]

Training consulting companies in Philadelphia

Discover top training consulting companies in Philadelphia, specializing in customized employee development, leadership training, and organizational effectiveness. Enhance skills, boost productivity, and drive business success through expert-led programs tailored to your needs.

[raphael-moutot-blog]

When HR partners up with Agile to run a Kaizen program

August 2022, The Agile Center of Excellence partnered with Human Resource (incdluing the fantastic Ha Bui) to ensure smooth onboarding and active engagement in the WeKaizen development program.

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Let's first have a look at WeKaizen's missions:

Empowering Employees:  Enhance Kaizen capabilities through Lean Production training, equipping all employees with the essential skills and mindset to drive continuous improvement.

Cultivating a Kaizen Culture:  Promote implemented Kaizen initiatives, fostering instant reward and recognition to incentivize participation and celebrate success

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Let me precise that WeKaizen program is open to all Techcombank employees, encompassing everyone from top managers to regional relationship managers. WeKaizen program encourages participants to identify areas for improvement in internal processes and even discover simple ways to boost employee happiness:

No problem is too small or too big, isn't it?!

Here are the key areas where we provided crucial support:

Kaizen Practice - Collaborative Problem-Solving Teams brainstorm and collaborate to devise solutions (Kaizen) for specific team challenges.

Kaizen Fair - Showcasing Excellence Recognizing and rewarding outstanding individuals and teams with the most impactful Kaizen initiatives.

The HR team actually entrusted our members with their foundational coaching skills to guide participants in refining their ideas and achieving success.

In a coaching point of view, our success hinges on our ability to help participants transform their initial ideas into concrete concepts with actionable plans.

Despite considerable workload pressures facing our team with delivering the bank's core functionalities, the Head of Transformation and the new Head of Agile approached me with this request.

Partnering with my experienced colleague Son Le and the energetic Hien Nhu, they were the perfect fit! Togehter we embarked on this initiative, initially with some reservations about tackling complex problems with diverse groups for next following Saturdays...

The experience proved to be absolutely rewarding and engaging!

While numerous pre-existing canvases (Lean Startup Canvas, Product Canvas, Team Canvas, etc.) existed, I, after thorough research, proposed using a novel canvas tailored to encourage emergent concepts through Design Thinking methodologies.

The Proposed Canvas:

Inspired by a Business Case Canvas and a Product Vision template, here's the structure we suggested for facilitating the exercise:

Why?  Identify the problem/opportunity and the overall vision to address it.

What? Describe the potential solution to tackle the identified issue.

End User? Define the individuals most impacted by the problem or the prime beneficiaries of the solution.

What the Success looks like?  Outline the idealistic impact on users and the market if the solution is implemented.

Success Measurement: Determine the key metrics to gauge success.

Timeline & Milestones: Establish a feasible timeline and key milestones for achieving the desired outcome.

How-To: Define the essential steps to bring the solution to life.

Who's Involved? Identify the necessary team members or profiles required for implementation.

Stakeholders:  Pinpoint sponsors and individuals accountable for the initiative's success.

Resources:  Determine the necessary technical components and procurement needs.

Constraints:  Acknowledge and understand the current limitations.

Risk Assessment: Identify and address potential risks.

Through collaborative refinement sessions with various groups, our team successfully enhanced over 20 Canvases. Additionally, we equipped participants with effective pitching skills to present their ideas within a five-minute timeframe. Remember that the most impactful Canvases will be presented to the bank's divisional heads.

We were excited to witness the continued success of the WeKaizen program and the positive impact it is having on Techcombank!

[dvtsa46]

Mastering Agile Consulting: Elevate Your Project Management Game

Agile Consulting: A Paradigm Shift in Project Management

In today's fast-paced business landscape, agile consulting has emerged as a game-changer for organizations striving to stay ahead of the curve. Unlike traditional project management methodologies, agile offers a flexible and iterative approach that fosters collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement.

Understanding Agile Project Management

Agile project management is built on the principles of transparency, collaboration, and responsiveness. It empowers teams to break down complex projects into manageable increments, known as sprints, allowing for regular feedback and course correction. By prioritizing customer satisfaction and embracing change, agile methodologies enable organizations to deliver high-quality products and services efficiently.

The Role of Agile Consulting Companies

As businesses increasingly recognize the value of agility, the demand for agile consulting companies has surged. These firms specialize in guiding organizations through the transition to agile methodologies, providing expertise, training, and support every step of the way. From initial assessment to implementation and beyond, agile consultants serve as trusted partners in driving organizational transformation.

Unlocking Value with Agile Consulting Services

The benefits of agile consulting services extend far beyond improved project outcomes. By embracing agility, companies can foster a culture of innovation, resilience, and continuous learning. Agile methodologies empower teams to adapt to market changes swiftly, seize new opportunities, and deliver greater value to customers.

Agile Consulting in South Africa: Leading the Digital Transformation

Agile consulting South Africa is reshaping the business landscape, fueling digital transformation and fostering growth. From startups to enterprises, organizations across various industries are turning to agile methodologies to navigate uncertainty, drive innovation, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. With its emphasis on collaboration and adaptability, agile consulting is helping South African businesses thrive in today's dynamic marketplace.

Key Considerations for Agile Implementation

While the benefits of agile are undeniable, successful implementation requires careful planning and execution. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind:

1. Leadership Buy-In

Effective agile implementation begins at the top. Leadership buy-in is essential to foster a culture of agility and support the necessary changes throughout the organization.

2. Training and Education

Investing in training and education is crucial to equip teams with the skills and mindset needed to embrace agile methodologies fully.

3. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Agile thrives on cross-functional collaboration. Encouraging open communication and collaboration across departments is essential to maximize the benefits of agile.

4. Iterative Improvement

Continuous improvement is at the heart of agile. Encourage teams to reflect on their processes regularly and identify opportunities for refinement.

5. Flexibility and Adaptability

Agile is all about embracing change. Encourage teams to remain flexible and adaptable in the face of evolving requirements and market conditions.

[benzneconsulting]

Best Agile Training in India with Benzne- Your Expert Consulting Partner

Agile has gained significant popularity in India in recent years due to its iterative, incremental, and collaborative approach to project management. This flexible and adaptive way of working is based on the principle of continuous improvement, allowing teams to deliver value to their customers quickly and efficiently. If you are seeking the best agile training in India, look no further than Benzne. As a leading agile consulting and training company, Benzne offers a comprehensive range of agile courses and workshops designed to help you learn and apply agile principles and practices. Taught by experienced agile practitioners, these courses provide real-world insights and hands-on exercises to enhance your understanding and proficiency in agile methodologies.

Benzne's agile training in India offers numerous benefits for professionals seeking to excel in Agile. Firstly, you will learn from experienced agile practitioners who bring their practical knowledge and experiences into the training sessions. Secondly, the courses are highly interactive and engaging, allowing you to participate in hands-on exercises and simulations that reinforce your understanding of agile principles and practices.

Additionally, Benzne's agile training courses are accredited by renowned agile certification bodies like the Scrum Alliance and the Project Management Institute (PMI), ensuring that you receive industry-recognized certification upon completion. By partnering with Benzne, you will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully implement Agile in your organization, driving improved business performance and customer satisfaction while fostering a collaborative and empowering work environment.

Top 5 Agile Consulting In India to Help In a Smooth Agile Transformation Journey

If you are considering an agile transformation, it is important to partner with qualified Agile training in India. An experienced Agile consultant can help you develop and implement a customized Agile strategy that is tailored to the specific needs of your organization.

Here are the top 5 Agile consulting in India to help you in a smooth Agile transformation journey:

Benzne- Benzne is a leading and top Agile training company. They offer a wide range of Agile services, including Agile training, Agile coaching, and Agile consulting. Benzne's team of experienced Agile practitioners can help you develop and implement a customized Agile strategy that is tailored to the specific needs of your organization.

LeanAgile- LeanAgile is another leading Agile consulting company in India. They offer a wide range of Agile services, including Agile training, Agile coaching, and Agile transformation consulting. LeanAgile's team of experienced Agile practitioners can help you to implement Agile practices across your entire organization, from the C-suite to the front lines.

AgileWaters- AgileWaters is a leading Agile training and consulting company in India. They offer a wide range of Agile services, including Agile training, Agile coaching, and Agile consulting. AgileWaters' team of experienced Agile practitioners can help you to develop and implement a customized Agile strategy that is tailored to the specific needs of your organization.

Prothoughts Solutions- Prothoughts Solutions is the best Agile consulting company in India. They offer a wide range of Agile services, including Agile training, Agile coaching, and Agile transformation consulting. Prothoughts Solutions' team of experienced Agile practitioners can help you to implement Agile practices across your entire organization, from the C-suite to the front lines.

Prudent- Prudent is an Agile consulting company in India. They offer a wide range of Agile services, including Agile training, Agile coaching, and Agile transformation consulting. Prudent's team of experienced Agile practitioners can help you develop and implement a customized Agile strategy that is tailored to the specific needs of your organization.

Why Choose Benzne as your agile consulting partner?

Benzne is a leading agile consulting and training company in India. They offer a wide range of agile services, including agile training, agile coaching, and agile consulting. Benzne's team of experienced agile practitioners can help you develop and implement a customized agile strategy that is tailored to the specific needs of your organization.

Here are a few reasons why you should choose Benzne as your agile consulting partner:

Experience: Benzne has over 10 years of experience in helping organizations to implement Agile. They have a proven track record of success in helping organizations improve their productivity, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

Expertise: Benzne's team of agile practitioners has expertise in a wide range of industries and sectors. This means that they can tailor their agile solutions to the specific needs of your organization.

Customer focus: Benzne is committed to helping their clients achieve their agile goals. They work closely with their clients to understand their needs and to develop customized solutions that meet those needs.

Value for money: Benzne offers its services at competitive prices. They also offer a variety of discounts and packages to make their services even more affordable.

If you are looking for a qualified and experienced Agile consulting partner, then Benzne is the right choice for you. Benzne can help you to develop and implement a customized agile strategy that will help you to achieve your business goals.

[jcmarchi]

Tactical Steps for a Successful GenAI PoC

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/tactical-steps-for-a-successful-genai-poc/

Tactical Steps for a Successful GenAI PoC

Proof of Concept (PoC) projects are the testing ground for new technology, and Generative AI (GenAI) is no exception. What does success really mean for a GenAI PoC? Simply put, a successful PoC is one that seamlessly transitions into production. The problem is, due to the newness of the technology and its rapid evolution, most GenAI PoCs are primarily focused on technical feasibility and metrics such as accuracy and recall. This narrow focus is one of the primary reasons for why PoCs fail. A McKinsey survey found that while one-quarter of respondents were concerned about accuracy, many struggled just as much with security, explainability, intellectual property (IP) management, and regulatory compliance. Add in common issues like poor data quality, scalability limits, and integration headaches, and it’s easy to see why so many GenAI PoCs fail to move forward.

Beyond the Hype: The Reality of GenAI PoCs

GenAI adoption is clearly on the rise, but the true success rate of PoCs remains unclear. Reports offer varying statistics:

Gartner predicts that by the end of 2025, at least 30% of GenAI projects will be abandoned after the PoC stage, implying that 70% could move into production.

A study by Avanade (cited in RTInsights) found that 41% of GenAI projects remain stuck in PoC.

Deloitte’s January 2025 The State of GenAI in the Enterprise report estimates that only 10-30% of PoCs will scale to production.

A research by IDC (cited in CIO.com) found that, on average, only 5 out of 37 PoCs (13%) make it to production.

With estimates ranging from 10% to 70%, the actual success rate is likely closer to the lower end. This highlights that many organizations struggle to design PoCs with a clear path to scaling. The low success rate can drain resources, dampen enthusiasm, and stall innovation, leading to what’s often called “PoC fatigue,” where teams feel stuck running pilots that never make it to production.

Moving Beyond Wasted Efforts

GenAI is still in the early stages of its adoption cycle, much like cloud computing and traditional AI before it. Cloud computing took 15-18 years to reach widespread adoption, while traditional AI needed 8-10 years and is still growing. Historically, AI adoption has followed a boom-bust cycle in which the initial excitement leads to overinflated expectations, followed by a slowdown when challenges emerge, before eventually stabilizing into mainstream use. If history is any guide, GenAI adoption will have its own ups and downs.

To navigate this cycle effectively, organizations must ensure that every PoC is designed with scalability in mind, avoiding common pitfalls that lead to wasted efforts. Recognizing these challenges, leading technology and consulting firms have developed structured frameworks to help organizations move beyond experimentation and scale their GenAI initiatives successfully.

The goal of this article is to complement these frameworks and strategic efforts by outlining practical, tactical steps that can significantly increase the likelihood of a GenAI PoC moving from testing to real-world impact.

Key Tactical Steps for a Successful GenAI PoC

1. Select a use case with production in mind

First and foremost, choose a use case with a clear path to production. This does not mean conducting a comprehensive, enterprise-wide GenAI Readiness assessment. Instead, assess each use case individually based on factors like data quality, scalability, and integration requirements, and prioritize those with the highest likelihood of reaching production.

A few more key questions to consider while selecting the right use case:

Does my PoC align with long-term business goals?

Can the required data be accessed and used legally?

Are there clear risks that will prevent scaling?

2. Define and align on success metrics before kickoff

One of the biggest reasons PoCs stall is the lack of well-defined metrics for measuring success. Without a strong alignment on goals and ROI expectations, even technically sound PoCs may struggle to gain buy-in for production. Estimating ROI is not easy but here are some recommendations: 

Devise or adopt a framework such as this one. 

Use cost calculators, like this OpenAI API pricing tool and cloud provider calculators to estimate expenses.

Instead of a single target, develop a range-based ROI estimate with probabilities to account for uncertainty.

Here’s an example of how Uber’s QueryGPT team estimated the potential impact of their text-to-SQL GenAI tool.

3. Enable rapid experimentation

Building GenAI apps is all about experimentation requiring constant iteration. When selecting your tech stack, architecture, team, and processes, ensure they support this iterative approach. The choices should enable seamless experimentation, from generating hypotheses and running tests to collecting data, analyzing results, learning and refining. 

Consider hiring small and medium sized services vendors to accelerate experimentation.

Choose benchmarks, evals and evaluation frameworks at the outset ensuring that they align with your use case and objectives.

Use techniques like LLM-as-a-judge or LLM-as-Juries to automate (semi-automate) evaluation.

4. Aim for low-friction solutions

A low-friction solution requires fewer approvals and therefore, faces fewer or no objections to adoption and scaling. The rapid growth of GenAI has led to an explosion of tools, frameworks, and platforms designed to accelerate PoCs and production deployments. However, many of these solutions operate as black boxes requiring rigorous scrutiny from IT, legal, security, and risk management teams. To address these challenges and streamline the process, consider the following recommendations for building a low-friction solution:

Create a dedicated roadmap for approvals: Consider creating a dedicated roadmap for addressing partner-team concerns and obtaining approvals.

Use pre-approved tech stacks: Whenever possible, use tech stacks that are already approved and in use to avoid delays in approval and integration.

Focus on essential tools: Early PoCs typically don’t require model fine-tuning, automated feedback loops, or extensive observability/SRE. Instead, prioritize tools for core tasks like vectorization, embeddings, knowledge retrieval, guardrails, and UI development.

Use low-code/no-code tools with caution: While these tools can accelerate timelines, their black-box nature limits customization and integration capabilities. Use them with caution and consider their long-term implications.

Address security concerns early: Implement techniques such as synthetic data generation, PII data masking, and encryption to address security concerns proactively.

5. Assemble a lean, entrepreneurial team

As with any project, having the right team with the essential skills is critical to success. Beyond technical expertise, your team must also be nimble and entrepreneurial. 

Consider including product managers and subject matter experts (SMEs) to ensure that you are solving the right problem. 

Ensure that you have both full-stack developers and machine learning engineers on the team. 

Avoid hiring specifically for the PoC or borrowing internal resources from higher-priority, long-term projects. Instead, consider hiring small and medium-sized service vendors who can bring in the right talent quickly. 

Embed partners from legal and security from day 1.

6. Prioritize non-functional requirements too

For a successful PoC, it’s crucial to establish clear problem boundaries and a fixed set of functional requirements. However, non-functional requirements should not be overlooked. While the PoC should remain focused within problem boundaries, its architecture must be designed for high performance. More specifically, achieving millisecond latency may not be an immediate necessity, however, the PoC should be capable of seamlessly scaling as beta users expand. Opt for a modular architecture that remains flexible and agnostic to tools.

7. Devise a plan to handle hallucinations

Hallucinations are inevitable with language models. Therefore, guardrails are critical for scaling GenAI solutions responsibly. However, evaluate whether automated guardrails are necessary during the PoC stage and to what extent. Instead of ignoring or over-engineering guardrails, detect when your models hallucinate and flag them to the PoC users.

8. Adopt product and project management best practices

This XKCD illustration applies to PoCs just as it does to production. There is no one-size-fits-all playbook. However, adopting best practices from project and product management can help streamline and achieve progress. 

Use kanban or agile methods for tactical planning and execution.

Document everything.

Hold scrum-of-scrums to collaborate effectively with partner teams.

Keep your stakeholders and leadership informed on progress.

Conclusion

Running a successful GenAI PoC is not just about proving technical feasibility, it’s about evaluating the foundational choices for the long term. By carefully selecting the right use case, aligning on success metrics, enabling rapid experimentation, minimizing friction, assembling the right team, addressing both functional and non-functional requirements, and planning for challenges like hallucinations, organizations can dramatically improve their chances of moving from PoC to production.

That said, the steps outlined above are not exhaustive, and not every recommendation will apply to every use case. Each PoC is unique, and the key to success is adapting these best practices to fit your specific business objectives, technical constraints, and regulatory landscape.

A strong vision and strategy are essential for GenAI adoption, but without the right tactical steps, even the best-laid plans can stall at the PoC stage. Execution is where great ideas either succeed or fail, and having a clear, structured approach ensures that innovation translates into real-world impact.

[raffaellopalandri]

The Indispensable Need for a Solid Strategy in an Agile Environment

I have just written a blog post for Teamprove GmbH about the importance of having a solid strategy in an Agile environment. You can find the blog post following this link:https://www.teamprove.de/blog/the-indispensable-need-for-a-solid-strategy-in-an-agile-environment/