Charles Fiery, Market Solutions Architect at Excella, joined host John Gilroy of Federal Tech Podcast to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way federal agencies approach innovation. The conversation explored moving beyond traditional presentation methods to create interactive demonstrations that help agencies validate concepts quickly and cost-effectively.
Beyond Static Presentations
PowerPoint has been around since 1987, serving as a cornerstone for millions of presentations across all industries. While these static presentations have their place, Charles explained that they don't always generate the kind of feedback needed for effective innovation in today's fast-paced technology environment. That's where rapid prototyping, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), comes in.
"We can create an idea and actually demo it. We can create these lightweight proofs of concept very quickly [to] let people see and touch the idea. When people can interact with something tangible, even if it's basic, they can quickly provide impactful feedback than they would with a traditional build, schedule, and show approach."
John compared it to his teaching experience at Georgetown, noting that students are much more engaged when they can participate in discussions rather than passively watching presentations. The same principle applies to federal stakeholders – they're more likely to give meaningful input when they can see and interact with a working example.
What is Rapid Prototyping and How It Works
Rapid prototyping is the process of quickly building lightweight, working demonstrations of software solutions. Instead of spending months developing detailed requirements and full applications, teams can create basic versions in hours or days to test ideas and get feedback.
At Excella, this process uses entirely synthetic data to protect sensitive information. "The phrase that pays here is rapid concept validation," Charles explained. "You have to walk in and say this is a concept validation [using] all synthetic data, just to show how [the solution] would work."
Delving further, Charles shares how the team at Excella approaches consistency during rapid prototyping. He notes that there are established workflows that include consistent product requirement documents, style guides, and other standardized components to train the large language models (LLMs). Another rule for the team is to use the same open-source technology stack that would be used in the production environment, enabling prototypes to accurately represent what the final system could look like.
Charles emphasized the dramatic time compression possible with this approach: "We might be able to do in an afternoon what would have taken months before."
Navigating Federal Requirements
Working with federal agencies means dealing with unique constraints around security, compliance, and mission requirements. Charles stressed that successful rapid prototyping must account for these realities from the beginning.
"It's not just about building things that seem impressive and cool. It's about making substantive, meaningful impact."
The team works closely with program staff to understand what's actually feasible within federal constraints and whether existing Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products might already solve the problem.
This consultative approach means sometimes recommending existing FedRAMP-approved solutions instead of building custom applications. The goal is always to provide the most value for the mission, not to create impressive technology for its own sake.
The Cost Advantage
One of the most compelling aspects of rapid prototyping is the cost savings. Traditional development approaches require significant upfront investment, making changes expensive and feedback harder to incorporate.
Charles compared rapid prototyping to cloud computing's disposability model.
"It's okay if your prototype doesn't work out in two hours because you don't have a lot of sunk costs in it. We can refine our prompting, we can do it again."
This low-cost approach reduces the pressure on stakeholders to accept inadequate solutions simply because changing them would be too expensive. When feedback is less costly to implement, decision-makers can be more honest about what they need.
Substance Over Dazzle
While AI continues to generate excitement and hype, Charles emphasized the importance of focusing on practical value rather than impressive demonstrations. The federal sector has seen plenty of flashy AI demos that don't translate into meaningful mission improvements.
"AI is now part of the larger toolkit that we've always used," Charles explained. "The dazzle and the hype would have you believe AI is an all-encompassing, one-stop shop." However, AI really shines and delivers value when it's used to accelerate incremental improvement overtime.
This approach treats AI-enabled rapid prototyping as one tool among many, integrated with proven methods like human-centered design and sound system architecture. The goal is to use AI to accelerate existing best practices rather than replace them entirely.
Looking Ahead
Excella is currently using these rapid prototyping methods primarily for internal projects while building comfort with the approach across program teams. Charles expects this methodology to become more widely adopted across federal agencies due to its efficiency and cost benefits.
"I can only imagine that [we have] to continue moving this way, if only [for] the savings value," he said. The approach offers promise to address systemic issues common across multiple agencies and for demonstrating capabilities in proposal responses.
As federal agencies face pressure to do more with limited resources, rapid prototyping provides a path to innovation that's both practical and cost-effective – moving beyond the PowerPoint to deliver real solutions that serve the mission.
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