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POC Success Criteria Template

Generate a structured POC success criteria document with measurable outcomes, timeline, stakeholder responsibilities, and decision framework

Instructions

POC Success Criteria Template

Generate a structured proof-of-concept success criteria document from discovery call data. The document defines what will be tested, how success is measured, who is responsible, and what happens after the POC concludes.

When to Use

After a discovery call when the deal has entered the Aligned stage and both parties agree a POC is the right next step. This fundamental produces the document; the drill layer handles the workflow around it (stakeholder review, sign-off, kickoff scheduling).

Instructions

1. Gather inputs from CRM

Pull the following from the deal record in Attio (or your CRM):

  • Discovery call notes or transcript (from Fireflies)
  • Prospect's stated pain points and use cases
  • Prospect's current workflow or competing solution
  • Stakeholders identified (champion, economic buyer, technical evaluator)
  • Deal size and urgency signals
  • Industry and company size

2. Generate the success criteria document

Call the Anthropic Messages API to generate a structured document:

POST https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages
Headers:
  x-api-key: {ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}
  anthropic-version: 2023-06-01
  content-type: application/json

Body:
{
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
  "max_tokens": 2000,
  "messages": [{
    "role": "user",
    "content": "Generate a POC success criteria document from this context.\n\nProspect: {company_name}, {industry}, {company_size} employees\nChampion: {champion_name}, {champion_title}\nPain points: {pain_points}\nUse cases to validate: {use_cases}\nCurrent solution: {current_solution}\nDeal size: {deal_value}\n\nReturn a JSON object with this structure:\n{\n  \"poc_title\": \"POC: {company_name} - {primary_use_case}\",\n  \"duration_days\": <7|14|21 based on complexity>,\n  \"success_criteria\": [\n    {\n      \"criterion\": \"<specific measurable outcome>\",\n      \"metric\": \"<how to measure>\",\n      \"target\": \"<specific threshold>\",\n      \"priority\": \"must-have|nice-to-have\"\n    }\n  ],\n  \"milestones\": [\n    {\n      \"name\": \"<milestone name>\",\n      \"day\": <target day number>,\n      \"deliverable\": \"<what is produced>\",\n      \"owner\": \"prospect|vendor|both\"\n    }\n  ],\n  \"stakeholder_responsibilities\": {\n    \"prospect\": [\"<action items>\"],\n    \"vendor\": [\"<action items>\"]\n  },\n  \"decision_framework\": {\n    \"pass_criteria\": \"<what must be true to proceed>\",\n    \"fail_criteria\": \"<what would cause a no-go>\",\n    \"decision_date\": \"<date relative to POC end>\",\n    \"decision_maker\": \"<role/name>\"\n  },\n  \"support_model\": {\n    \"check_in_cadence\": \"<frequency>\",\n    \"support_channel\": \"<slack/email/intercom>\",\n    \"escalation_path\": \"<who to contact for blockers>\"\n  }\n}\n\nRules:\n- Every success criterion must be objectively measurable (no subjective language)\n- Include 3-5 must-have criteria and 1-2 nice-to-have\n- Milestones should be evenly distributed across the POC duration\n- First milestone must be achievable within 48 hours (quick win)\n- Decision framework must include a specific date and named decision maker"
  }]
}

3. Validate the output

Parse the JSON response. Verify:

  • At least 3 must-have success criteria exist
  • Each criterion has a measurable target (contains a number or binary yes/no)
  • Milestones cover the full POC duration (first within 48 hours, last before final day)
  • Decision date is within 5 business days of POC end
  • Both prospect and vendor have at least 2 responsibilities

If validation fails, re-prompt Claude with the specific missing elements.

4. Store the document

Write the success criteria document to the deal record:

  • Store the full JSON as an Attio note on the deal
  • Set custom attributes: poc_duration_days, poc_start_date, poc_decision_date, poc_criteria_count

Error Handling

  • Insufficient context: If discovery notes are too thin to generate specific criteria, return a warning and ask the agent to schedule a brief scoping call before generating the document.
  • Overly broad criteria: If Claude generates criteria like "prospect is satisfied," reject and re-prompt with explicit instruction to use measurable targets.
  • Missing stakeholders: If no decision maker is identified, flag this as a blocker the deal owner must resolve before POC kickoff.

Output

A structured JSON document containing POC success criteria, milestones, stakeholder responsibilities, and decision framework, stored as a note on the Attio deal record.