Mobile-First enterprise
solutions are the growing trend for organisations looking to maximise return from
existing resource. Many CIOs are carefully polishing their strategic plans to deliver
efficiencies to their business by providing small targeted mobile solutions
from an every growing library of apps.
But it isn't as simple as
creating a new team from the existing IT division and redistributing job
titles. Mobile solutions development is
different and isn't for everyone. Here is a simple guide to the most important
factors to consider when setting up your team.
1. Recruitment
Pick team members that have
the ability and passion to thrive in a fast-moving, agile and customer-facing
environment. There is no time for detailed documentation with many mobile
projects, ambiguity is the norm, as is the ability to interpret often vague
user stories and translate in to creative solutions. Developers need to work
hand-in-hand with clients, there is no room for a large team of business and
system analysts. In the new agile programming world there is often no project
manager, development teams are self-managing. This is not a comfortable
environment for an engineer steeped in the traditions of legacy IT support and
development.
2. Funding
Mobile apps can often be
identified, scoped, coded and delivered in a matter of days. Even complex apps
can be deployed with only a couple of months of development. There is no time
to accommodate a detailed ROI-style review of the cost benefits of funding such
projects. The admin will strangle the team and prevent benefits from being
delivered in a timely manner. The Mobile Solutions team needs to be funded as
part of an OpEx budget. The team needs to be trusted by the business and have
the flexibility to pick projects that deliver the most business benefits the
quickest, without involving budget committees and threatening fast response
times.
3. Focus on real customer needs
Mobile-first teams are developing
solutions that target specific customer needs. They must focus on what clients
want and need, not just what IT can offer. Old-style legacy systems often drive
the processes and functions used in the business. Here is a chance to change
things and provide solutions that much better match what the business needs.
Mobile devices come with a plethora of new tools, coloured hi-res displays,
cameras, GPS capture and touch screen manipulation. The best solutions will use
these to enhance the user experience. Be wary of falling in to the trap of
limiting functionality because the ‘backend cannot support it’, look for
creative ways to deliver the user benefits beyond these legacy restrictions.
4. Multiple device support
Mobile devices are ubiquitous.
There is an enormous range of devices available in the market, both commercial
and consumer devices. They are also upgraded and replaced at an ever increasing
rate. Be careful of standardising on any one device. This is especially true if taking advantage of
cheaper consumer devices, though often more powerful and feature-rich, they can
become obsolete in a very short time. There is no point deploying a complex
mobile solution that only works on a specific high-end consumer device if the
manufacturer plans to replace and withdraw support after only a short period. Consider safe-guarding solutions by using hybrid
programming techniques and code that enables easier porting to different
devices.
5. Cloud-based platforms
If this is your first foray in
to developing a portfolio of mobile solutions then chances are details will be
scarce with regard the likely take-up and use of potential apps in your
organisation. Estimating the demand and subsequent load on IT infrastructure
will be challenging and could derail initial rollouts. Avoid some of this uncertainty
by looking to utilise cloud-based platforms that are easily re-configured to
managing fluctuating loads. Many of these have been developed with a
mobile-first strategy in mind, typically they incorporate up-to-date technologies
and they continue the OpEx funding model already adopted by the development
team (making it easier for the business to pay only for the service it uses).
Finally, there is a lot of
hype around using mobile solutions for driving enterprise efficiencies. Don't
be put off. Not least because a lot of what you are hearing is true!
Good luck.
