Buyer guide

Diagnostic vs PoC Guide

A PoC asks whether AI can do something. The diagnostic asks whether this workflow should be deployed, what it will cost, and what KPI it will move.

How to use this

Use this guide when stakeholders ask why Agentra charges for the diagnostic instead of building a free PoC.

PoC vs diagnostic vs deployment

Question	Throwaway PoC	Workflow Deployment Assessment	45-Day Deployment Pod
Primary question	Can AI do this in a demo?	Should this workflow be deployed?	Can this workflow go live safely?
Output	Demo code	10-12 page decision document	Production workflow
Owner	Usually unclear	Named business owner required	Owner and AgentOps/client handoff
KPI	Often absent	Estimated and baselined	Tracked after launch
Governance	Deferred	Approval and exception paths designed	Approval paths configured
Commercial role	Often free	Paid and credited within 60 days	Fixed-price deployment

What the Workflow Deployment Assessment contains

Current-state workflow map across people, tools, decisions, and exceptions.
ROI estimate tied to time saved, revenue recovered, cost reduced, or risk lowered.
Data, system, access, and security readiness review.
Human approval, exception, audit, and KPI governance design.
Deploy / narrow / reject recommendation.
Fixed-price 45-day Deployment Pod proposal if the workflow qualifies.

How to explain the paid diagnostic

Free discovery is usually a sales pitch. The diagnostic is a named artifact you keep either way. It de-risks a much larger deployment decision and prevents the team from funding the wrong workflow.

Next step

Use the diagnostic when the workflow is real

If the business owner, KPI, and system access are plausible, the diagnostic is the right next step.

See diagnostic Book Workflow Fit Call