As technology evolves and customer expectations soar, companies must adapt and experiment to uncover new growth opportunities. But how do organisations effectively balance experimentation with the inherent risks it poses?
To dig deeper into this topic, Developer caught up with Dave Longman, Head of Delivery at software development specialists Headforwards, to get his insights on cultivating a culture of innovation and the pivotal role of Proof of Concepts (PoCs) in the journey.
Why experimentation is critical for growth
“In order to compete and stay relevant in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, all businesses need to innovate,” Longman begins.
He highlights a Deloitte survey where 57% of CEOs plan to embed new technologies into their business models to fuel growth. However, innovation comes with its own set of challenges.
Furthermore, according to the 2025 Gartner CIO and Technology Executive Survey, only 48% of digital initiatives meet or exceed their business outcome targets. Longman emphasises the importance of creating an environment conducive to experimentation to improve these odds.
“Knowing how to create an effective environment for experimentation and innovation can be pivotal to success or failure. Those organisations that approach digital initiatives in the right way will be the ones to achieve successful outcomes.”
Once a business adopts the mindset of an innovator, Longman notes, changes at the development level are critical to enabling ideas to progress “rapidly from concept to creation.”
The reality of failure in innovation
While innovation drives transformation, Longman acknowledges the elephant in the room: failure. However, he stresses that failure should not be feared. On the contrary, it’s part and parcel of genuine innovation.
“If you’re not failing, you’re probably not innovating enough, perhaps not looking at how to test the boundaries,” Longman says.
Shifting to an experimental mindset helps teams view failure not as a crushing setback, but as a valuable signal.
“Having that experimental focus forces you to reassess and see failure as a good thing and a key indicator to stop progressing a project.”
How PoCs advance the innovation process
A critical tool for fostering this culture of experimentation is the PoC.
“A PoC is a short test conducted to clarify uncertainty, usually in the first phase of software delivery,” Longman explains. “The value of it is to inform your decision-making for the next phase of work.”
Designed to answer a single, specific question, PoCs are inherently temporary or “throw-away” artifacts—not the first step of production code. For instance, a PoC might test whether a software stack can handle a required load or whether a new user interface is intuitive.
“Where PoCs – or more specifically, the ‘fail fast’ approach – can really help is in mitigating financial risk exposure,” Longman says.
“This means that it can enable you to more quickly identify that something is not going to work in the way you wanted it to, or give the return you expected, so that you can stop working on it quickly.”
Ensuring a successful PoC
So what separates a successful PoC from one that goes awry? Longman points to three essential attributes:
- Clarity of purpose: “Having success clearly defined is essential. This means being really clear about the key criteria and the point of the PoC,” Longman emphasises. For example, if a rough prototype gathers positive feedback from a majority of test users, it can serve as validation to move forward with higher-fidelity development.
- Singular focus: Attempting to answer too many questions simultaneously is a common pitfall. “The rule of thumb is to answer a single question with one piece of PoC work,” he advises. Keeping the scope small and focused ensures efficiency and reduces risk.
- Discipline in execution: “Sometimes a PoC can turn into the product before you’ve realised it,” Longman warns. “If you’re starting out just trying to prove or disprove something technical, then go into it with that intention and don’t accidentally fall into that becoming the production code.”
Even the best PoCs can fall victim to common mistakes if teams aren’t careful. Longman notes that a major challenge is knowing when a PoC is complete.
“If you have delivered enough to answer your original hypothesis, or to know enough to confirm that the idea isn’t viable, you should stop either way.”
Another pitfall is inadvertently allowing PoC code, which is typically rapid and rough, to sneak into production.
“It’s not worth worrying about the quality of the code or spending vast amounts of time adding comprehensive testing into code which will be thrown away anyway,” Longman explains.
Creating a culture of experimentation
To sustain experimentation across a business, Longman shares a few best practices:
- Enable open access to tools: “Shifting the balance towards more open access to tooling and information creates a world where data is easily available to non-IT teams to experiment with,” Longman advises. Application API layers should be considered “first-class citizens” in system architecture to foster long-term innovation.
- Prioritise security without hindering innovation: While enablement is essential, security cannot take a back seat. “Automated scanning to check where data resides will be essential if we have more free access to our data.”
- Encourage a scientific mindset: “Truly experimenting means starting a development culture of openly discussing current projects and work that you’re trying to prove or disprove,” Longman says. Collaboration and openly discussing uncertainties help teams innovate better and faster.
For Longman, the PoC process is less about the specifics of execution and more about fostering a shift in thinking.
“The takeaway is to start thinking about how you approach experiments, be clear about what you are trying to understand and change for the business, and to build up your knowledge to focus on that,” he advises.
By adopting a collaborative, data-driven, and curiosity-fueled approach, organisations stand a better chance of creating the conditions under which transformational innovation can thrive.
“Once an organisation becomes more of an experimenter, they will build up a more accessible and curious data-driven development environment that powers meaningful decisions to happen. This is how ‘magical’ and truly game-changing innovation occurs.”
(Photo by Talha Hassan)
See also: Cloud and automation propel future of development environments
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