The doctor walked into the Operating Room with a new tool and said, “I never have tried this in surgery before, but the salesperson assured me that it would make my surgeries much, much better.”

The Shelfware Solution Cycle

Ok. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. But something similar happens with software countless times each day in Corporate America.

It goes something like this:

• A department has an ongoing challenge, finds a possible solution and reaches out to their IT department for ideas on the solution.
• IT finds some competitors for the solution, sets up a series of 60-minute demonstrations and gets some ballpark pricing.
• A combined group of business and IT personnel prefer one product’s demo over another and the pricing seems to fit their budget. They purchase the software.
• It turns out the salesperson and demo were indeed awesome and the deployment goes OK, but the software doesn’t work very well for the business users and what they need to do to get their jobs done. Use of the software is eventually abandoned. It becomes shelfware.
• Three or four years later, the process repeats with new salespeople, new shiny software and, of course, an amazing demo. The shelfware long forgotten, new software is purchased in an attempt to really solve the problem.

Einstein said “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” So why do we continue to buy software the same way and hope for better outcomes?

Breaking the Cycle Requires New Thinking

Having worked with and for software companies for over 25 years, I have seen this cycle play out time and time again. But it really does not have to be this way. There is an opportunity for a better approach that almost universally delivers better outcomes. It does not reward the well-rehearsed salesperson nor the flashy software demonstration. It does not need carefully curated references nor nicely crafted use cases with similar businesses. This opportunity to break the Shelfware Solution Cycle leverages the Proof-of-Concept Project (POC). But as Henry Ford said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work”.

It’s true. While POCs create an opportunity for better outcomes, they require work from both the buyer and the seller. In my experience many buyers and sellers do not use POCs because they perceive it will take more time and resources and they are unsure of how to use them effectively or efficiently. It may take some work upfront, but POCs pay huge dividends downstream and virtually eliminate shelfware.

Demos Sell Futures, POCs Deliver Data

The Proof-of-Concept approach is built around gathering data about potential solutions and making decisions based on the data. It stands in stark contrast to the software demo which attempts to show a masterfully painted picture of a Utopian future, if only their software was purchased. POCs use the scientific method to test the hypothesis that a solution might work and provide comparative data for scrutiny. 

How do well considered POCs work? It’s actually pretty simple.

1. Determine how to measure solution success: Is it speed or process improvements? Is it cost or error reduction? Or maybe it is simply improving customer experience. All these can be measured and baked into the POC.
2. Create the POC Model:  How best can the hypothesis be tested? What sample data is required as an input?  What output data can be normalized for comparison? How will multiple products be compared fairly? How long will the POC run?

There’s a bit more to it, but that’s the gist.

The Joy of a Well-Constructed POC

At BRYJ, our business model is built on helping customers execute proof of concept projects as a part of their solution purchase. We believe that customers should be armed with the data they need to make a well-informed decision and use that data to be confident in fully implementing their solution. We hate shelfware. You should too. We all have the opportunity to break the Shelfware Solution Cycle, but it takes deliberate planning, execution and perhaps the guidance of a trusted partner like BRYJ.

Talk to us about your Solution Needs

Our team at BRYJ has decades of experience helping organizations solve process problems with process transformation software. Our POC-First model leverages data to assure measurable success.  If you would like to discuss your process challenges and how our team might help, please reach out to mike@bryjinc.com or join our email list on our connect page.