5 ways your mobile teams will change in 2016 and what you can do about it.
Today, a successful enterprise has to live up to a certain digital innovation image. Else, it would soon be out of business. Consumers and employees alike have high expectation from mobile apps and this truly can be your differentiator. The future is going to see the steep increase in the use of wearables and connected devices and mobility is the foundation for these capabilities. Enterprises are challenged to adopt the changing landscape of mobile technology. Here are 5 ways your mobile teams are going to change this year and what you can do about it.
1. Mobile center of excellence team is no longer optional:Until now, you might have had a lean mobile team. You might have pulled an ad-hoc team together to develop something fast. Both approaches are no longer sustainable since you would need a solid, consistent and high-quality team to meet your business goals of A. boosting revenue B. increasing employee productivity and C. beating competition.
2. Consumers and employees demand mobility:It is 2016 and if you haven’t yet looked at apps for your employees, you must do so now. A cellular phone has become as ubiquitous as a daily shower and any reasoning of unavailability of apps for employees would be a key factor in retaining that talent. It showcases the culture of your company in poor light and might lead to huge attrition rates. Consumer apps on the other hand might have to be re-evaluated against the business goals and revamped with newer technology initiatives.
3. The number of mobile apps are increasing:Mobile apps are quicker and more-targeted in their function than desktop applications. Hence, they produce accelerated and better results in Operations. But how do you deal with the multitude of desktop applications that you currently have? This can be overwhelming if you do not look at the business functions and combine into a single app versus one-to-one mapping of desktop applications to the mobile screen.
4. Be Agile or be left behind:Traditional waterfall techniques and large requirements documents fail in the mobile world. Mobile is a visual medium and the UI drives the integration, orchestration as well as security of the data. Hence fast, iterative cycles (Agile) are best for development of the mobile apps. The development and testing would be an ongoing activity where there are continuous deployment cycles. Minor releases with business value will give you the edge to be successful with both your customers as well as your employees. 5. Prioritize mobilization of your business: Until now, your apps might have catered to the customers for the highest selling goods or services. Sales or field service engineers might have also had access to certain apps. But now, the time is right to take a look across other business functions. It is time to ponder about the employees who access it and whether it is CRM/ERP or supply chain applications. The key is in prioritizing these requirements and not porting them onto the mobile device directly. The best apps are those that are intuitive but add complex functionality from multiple data sources.
The good news is that you have help on the way…
While the complexity of building mobile apps has gone up, the ability to execute has become relatively easier. With our experience of engaging with such teams, you can confidently build a successful enterprise mobile team. P.S. – This * free * webinar will show you the ‘5 easy steps to establish a successful enterprise mobile team in 4 weeks’. Anyone who signs up is guaranteed the recording too. So, even if you can't attend, it's worth taking the time to learn what you can be doing right now to adapt your mobile team to a successful and sustainable enterprise mobile Center of Excellence.