How to make your Big Data Proof of Concept a success

By GovInsider

A best practice guide on running a proof of concept in six weeks.

The Silicon Valley mantra ‘fail fast, fail often’ shows the importance of starting small, testing often and growing incrementally. It can apply as much to government setting out ambitious plans to become smart cities or smart nations.


A guide by Informatica shares lessons for government agencies to run a big data proof of concept (POC) in six weeks. This approach allows officials to prove the value of their projects and manage their growth.


Big data projects often fail due to a “lack of alignment” with senior management. It’s crucial to make them active participants in the project, the report advises.


It’s crucial to pick the right big data use case for your POC. It should be limited as much as possible to a specific business unit, executive, team and data source.


The more tightly focused your big data project is, the more likely it is to succeed, Informatica says. Next, the report shows what metrics you can use to measure the big data project’s success. This includes agility, transparency, productivity and efficiency.


It also provides a useful big data POC checklist and solution architecture to guide you through building the 3 pillars of big data management: Big Data Integration, Big Data Quality (and Governance), and Big Data Security.


Download the full guide to learn more from Informatica on running successful Big Data projects.