Why a Proof of Concept always pays off for RTLS projects 

Let’s say you’re looking for a reliable indoor/outdoor asset tracking solution to help you find your vehicles faster in the workshop or in the field. You approach Favendo and in a few meetings we jointly define your requirements, get to know your tracking environment, and play through different options with different technologies. You decide on a technology and you’re ready to roll out the whole project.  That’s when we say “wait, we’ll do a PoC first!”. But why do it at all? 

Of course, we could make it easy for ourselves and you and, based on our experience, easily put together and sell you a complete hardware and software solution for your use case from the drawing board. You would have taken a big, speedy step in digitizing your business and we could put a check mark in Salesforce at “Closed – Won” and “Done”. So then why our recommendation to always do a proof of concept first? We’re not only doing you a favor, but us as well, because there’s more to a successful RTLS project than “Download” – “Install” – “Launch”.  

What is the Proof of Concept? 

The proof of concept is a core element for successful project management and ensures that the risks of a decision – in our case, for example, for an asset tracking system based on BLE/GPS – are minimized. And, of course, it’s also about seeing how the RTLS system fits with the current process and where the system and/or process need to be optimized.

Because let’s be honest: Real Time Location Services and what can be achieved with them in terms of process optimization and efficiency is still pretty uncharted territory for many companies. It is well known that without digitization, companies in many industries will have a hard time in the future, but how do you implement digitization projects in such a way that they are a win-win situation for everyone involved and, of course, also for the budget? You can find out what questions you will face when you start planning an RTLS system together with us in our various Implementation Guides.

This theoretical side of project planning is complemented by the proof of concept. Because site or architectural plans can be as detailed as you like, in practice environmental conditions are always unique. Each use case is also different, and the way users interact with the system is even more so.  

A PoC can therefore be used to validate critical requirements for installation and application, while at the same time this procedure is also an important element of change management. After all, the earlier the practical users are involved in the implementation of a new, unknown system, the higher their acceptance. In addition, it is always more effective to be able to communicate within a project team about concrete things than about abstract models. With a proof of concept, the dependencies of different applications and the functionality of interfaces can be demonstrated. This project phase is also ideally suited for testing additional features or use cases and therefore extending the original project or, in case of doubt, omitting components that are not required.  

As a rule, a proof of concept runs for 3 months. After that, the license for the software can also be extended by agreement, if this is desired. The hardware used in the PoC can of course be reused later for the actual project. This way you kill two birds with one stone. 

Have you been thinking about how to digitalize certain processes for some time and are perhaps looking for a suitable positioning technology? Then contact us and together we will find out which solution fits your application. We are confident that we can convince you and everyone involved in the project of the performance of our asset tracking system with a proof of concept. We look forward to hearing from you!  

---