Characterizing Proof-of-Concept Practices using the lens of Context Engineering.

Abstract

In this study, a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) context is acknowledged as an activity system with a set of practices performed by diverse practitioners, aiming to produce knowledge about performance of the technological artifacts under study. Ten PoC practices were identified through content analysis of narratives and observations, supported by the lens of Context Engineering (CE) from Information Systems (IS). CE introduces a framework of problems that help to understand the relevance of context as a fundamental factor in PoC, emphasizing the importance and need for reflection in action, for PoC practitioners. These practices are characterized as a cycle of knowledge production in the PoC context. The authors also identify the hermeneutic character of PoC activities, indicating a need to understand the whole activity system in relation to its constituent parts, while finding the meaning of the parts in the whole PoC context.