Answer first
Write the decision rule before building the PoC. The team should know what result means proceed, what result requires redesign, and what risk or cost means stop.
NIST's Generative AI Profile describes risk management across the lifecycle, including evaluation, human oversight, monitoring, and incident handling. A PoC should test these operating conditions as well as output quality.
A PoC decision sheet
Keep the scorecard small enough to review after every test round, but broad enough to expose operational failure.
| Area | Example measure | Decision question |
|---|---|---|
| Business value | Minutes saved or additional qualified cases | Is the gain material at realistic volume? |
| Output quality | Pass rate and reviewer edits on representative tasks | Does quality meet the use-case threshold? |
| Risk | Unsupported answers, access violations, or missed escalation | Can controls contain the observed failures? |
| Adoption | Completion rate and operator feedback | Does the workflow fit real work? |
| Economics | Per-case run cost plus review time | Is the total cost acceptable at scale? |
End with one of three explicit decisions
Proceed only when the evidence meets the agreed thresholds and an owner accepts the operating controls. Redesign when the value remains plausible but the workflow, data, or review process needs another test. Stop when the use case lacks material value, manageable risk, or realistic ownership.
Record the rejected assumptions as well as the successful cases. That record prevents the implementation decision from being based only on a polished demonstration.
Check whether the theme is ready for PoC design
The AI theme diagnostic identifies missing inputs before the team commits to a PoC.