Companies around the globe are looking for ways to do more with less. Many recognize that their mobile workforce is being managed inefficiently and extending business process automation to mobile field workers is becoming a priority. The following 12 steps identify how you can get started automating and mobilizing these business processes.
Step 1 – Understand the ROI/Scope of the Project and Plan Ahead
What are some of the key challenges with a mobile software development project? Many companies don’t put enough thought into what they need, and what the anticipated ROI will be. Others don’t assign and schedule testing resources. Some finish the development but have no deployment strategy. Still others buy incompatible handheld PDAs before they start development and find out they don’t meet the requirements of the field user. The results of these deficiencies are project scope creep, cost overruns, missed deadlines and dissatisfied end users.
Step 2 – Build a Team and Include the Field User
Make sure the members of your team have the right roles and responsibilities to help the mobility project succeed. Mobile solutions usually tie into other corporate IT assets and business processes, therefore impact other IT departments, DBA's and other business units. In addition, at least one representative field worker should be included on the project team to provide valuable “real-world” insight.
Step 3 – Select the Right Mobile Solution and Advisers
Performing successful data synchronization from mobile computing devices can be a challenging and complex task. There are many variables that can determine the success of a mobile development project. Make sure you have experienced mobility experts to advise you and select a proven mobile middleware solution as the foundation for your solution.
Step 4 – Know Your Target Users and Their Environment
During the planning and scoping phase of your mobile project, take the time to experience the working environment of your field workers and observe the business processes in action. Focus on how the information is collected and exchanged between the office and the mobile workers. These observations can significantly impact the design, development and deployment of a successful project! Evaluate the physical environment of the work. How do moist, cold and dirty environments impact the mobile devices? How does low light or bright sunlight affect visibility of the screen? Can workers read the small text on the PDA screen, or does the text need to be larger?
Step 5 – Decide Who will Develop the Mobile Solution
Do you have an IT department with software developers that are available for a new development project? Do they have experience developing custom mobile software solutions? Are they knowledgeable with mobile data synchronization issues? Will they be able to dedicate the time to finishing the application in the necessary time frame? Do you have the risk tolerance for letting an inexperienced internal development team attempt the project, or is the ROI sufficient to justify contracting with mobility experts to develop the custom application?
Step 6 – Do You Start with a Mobile Software Platform or Build from Scratch?
Do you start developing your mobile software project with a blank computer screen, or do you start with a template app and build functionality to it? Again, your success is heavily reliant on your expertise in custom mobile application design and development. If you have experience developing mobile software applications, then using a packaged application is less important. If you don’t have experience and are working with a limited budget and time frame, then it is crucial that you select a mobile application development solution to expedite the project.
Step 7 – Understand How to Re-Engineer Business Processes for Mobility
Mobile solutions can provide bar code scanning, digital images, GPS, RFID, data synchronization, enterprise database queries, integration with inventory, scheduling, work order, accounting and many other enterprise software applications. How will these capabilities change the way the field user works? Most mobile applications are are subset of what's used in the office. Be thoughtful in not extending too much of your business process to the mobile device.
Step 8 – Build in Phases
Most successful projects involve a series of phased implementations. Each phase can be developed, tested and implemented in an orderly manner. Once a phase is deployed and proven, additional phases can be layered on top that include more features and added complexity. Remember, the more data requirements that you add the more data you must synchronize, and the longer each synchronization session will take. Only synchronize data that your remote users require in the field. Be aware that most mobile devices don’t have the same CPU power or memory as a PC/laptop, so understand the performance of your application on mobile devices before designing the solution.
Step 9 – Evaluate Your Hardware and Connectivity Needs
The term “mobile devices” can have many different interpretations. Today, laptops, tablets, ruggedized handheld devices and Smartphones are all identified with this term. When determining the best mobile device for your project, you'll want to consider screen size, data storage, security, physical working environment, expandability and battery performance. If you plan to read RFID tags or scan barcodes, additional research should be done to make sure the device can, or can be upgraded to perform the task.
How do you connect your mobile device to your enterprise database applications? You have many options including cradle, cellular, WiFi and satellite in remote locations. The method(s) you choose will be affected by how often your mobile workers need to send/receive data. How much data will be transmitted and will they always have connectivity. Study each option, your working environment and consult your mobility partner to make the best selections.
Step 10 – Deploy, Evaluate and Improve
Once you have completed the first phase of your mobile solution and you are ready to deploy in the real world, roll out your solution to a group of trusted and motivated field users. Define a specific period of time to evaluate the solution, document the results and identify any required changes and improvements. The result of this evaluation should be an improved mobile solution that is ready for a wider deployment.
Step 11 – Set and Enforce Hardware and Security Policies
Mobile devices are small computers with the ability to store sensitive corporate data, communicate this data over the Internet and even catch viruses. You must clearly communicate how mobile devices are to be used and for what purpose. Establish and publish guidelines for using mobile devices.
Step 12 – Provide Full Support for Mobile Users
Mobile devices are guaranteed to break. What is your plan for keeping a mobile worker productive and communicating business critical information when their mobile device ceases to function or gets misplaced? These are inevitable issues that are best planned for in advance. Have a plan and a documented back up process.
For more information on MobileDataforce's PointSync Mobility Platform please visit our website, email us or call us at USA 208-384-1200.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
iPhone Development Services in Idaho
MobileDataForce was one of early adopters to partner with Apple and begin iPhone application development. Our extensive mobility experience provided the insight to recognize that the iPhone platform was going to take the market by storm. We started by releasing several games and novelty applications, and then started combining that expertise with our extensive business solutions knowledge. Since then we’ve been diligently working with our clients to deliver valuable mobile business solutions and engaging, interactive games. Many of the applications developed with our clients have become instant favorites with some being downloaded more than a million times.
Our talented software development team has expertise in iPhone SDK, Cocoa Touch, Objective C, Xcode IDE, Soap and Ruby. And with iPhone development, it's not just about developing the application; we also have
extensive experience navigating Apple's strict development guidelines
which are key to getting an application released into the AppStore.
As Apple continues to drive the market with new hardware capabilities and software features, we're making it our business to stay astride the iPhone market to ensure we can deliver the highest value and widest feature offering to our clients. Feel free to engage us at any time in your project cycle. Whether you have an amazing idea you'd like to run buy a team that's successfully pushed over 30 applications to the AppStore or you have an application that’s been developed and is caught up in what can be an uncomfortably long Apple approval process. We’ve been through the entire process enough times, we can assist you at any point.
Our talented software development team has expertise in iPhone SDK, Cocoa Touch, Objective C, Xcode IDE, Soap and Ruby. And with iPhone development, it's not just about developing the application; we also have
extensive experience navigating Apple's strict development guidelines
which are key to getting an application released into the AppStore.
As Apple continues to drive the market with new hardware capabilities and software features, we're making it our business to stay astride the iPhone market to ensure we can deliver the highest value and widest feature offering to our clients. Feel free to engage us at any time in your project cycle. Whether you have an amazing idea you'd like to run buy a team that's successfully pushed over 30 applications to the AppStore or you have an application that’s been developed and is caught up in what can be an uncomfortably long Apple approval process. We’ve been through the entire process enough times, we can assist you at any point.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Mobile Inspection Sofware for Electrical Utilities
Sho-Me Power owns 1,663 miles of transmission line, and is responsible for inspection and maintenance of the transmission line. Sho-Me power works directly with power suppliers to help transmit power to rural areas. Sho-Me Power provides services for 131 customer delivery points in 125 distribution and transmission substations.
Sho-Me Power used paper forms to perform inspections of transmission lines in rural areas, which resulted in many challenges. Inspections were performed twice per year, once in the fall and again in the spring, transmission line poles and pole attachments were inspected for damage. Areas surrounding the transmission line were also inspected for overgrown trees and undergrowth to determine trimming needs if necessary. Many inspections were done during poor weather conditions which made it difficult to collect data, juggle necessary paperwork, and caused lost or smudged paperwork because of weather conditions. The paper forms were also time consuming to fill out, hard to collect from the field inspectors (as forms were often lost or misplaced), and required office personnel to re-enter data at the home office.
“It took a long time to fill out all of the paperwork in the field, and we ended up with so much paper that it was almost impossible to use all of the information we spent so much time collecting,” said Andy Meyers, GIS administrator at Sho-Me Power. “We knew we needed a better system for collecting and organizing our data.”
MobileDataforce worked closely with Sho-Me Power to integrate all necessary field inspection forms into one enterprise class mobility software application. The application allowed the field inspectors to sort inspections by region, completed structures, and uncompleted structures. All inspections were time stamped to keep record of when the inspection was completed, which allowed for Sho-Me Power to provide proof of inspection and track results for future inspections. The data collected was integrated into small world GIS.
Sho-Me Power selected a Trimble Recon handheld device, equipped with a GPS receiver for data collection. The mobile application utilized the GPS receivers to specifically identify the location of utility poles. This gave Sho-Me Power greater asset visibility, and made it easier for field inspectors to locate transmission poles in rural areas.
By using a mobile application rather than paper forms, Sho-Me Power was able to:
MobileDataforce is a global leader in the development of enterprise class and business critical software solutions. MobileDataforce software can be used on most mobile handheld computers including Smart Phones, Tablet PCs, PDAs, and laptops. MobileDataforce has offices in Europe, North America, and Australia to support our ever expanding customer base and sales channels. Privately held, MobileDataforce has been mobilizing business solutions since 2000.
Conclusion:Through the use of the PointSync mobility platform Sho-Me Power was able to save time and money. Sho-Me Power was also able to gain greater visibility of assets and inspection points, and track them by GPS location.
“This system is saving us at every step in the process. We’re saving time in the field collecting information and just as much time back in the office processing it,” Meyers said. “The hours we used to spend collating paper alone is a huge savings to us, and time that can now be spent on other, more productive work.”
MobileDataforce has assisted many organizations around the world design, develop, and deploy mobile applications for field data collection. For additional information please visit our website at www.mobiledataforce.com
Sho-Me Power used paper forms to perform inspections of transmission lines in rural areas, which resulted in many challenges. Inspections were performed twice per year, once in the fall and again in the spring, transmission line poles and pole attachments were inspected for damage. Areas surrounding the transmission line were also inspected for overgrown trees and undergrowth to determine trimming needs if necessary. Many inspections were done during poor weather conditions which made it difficult to collect data, juggle necessary paperwork, and caused lost or smudged paperwork because of weather conditions. The paper forms were also time consuming to fill out, hard to collect from the field inspectors (as forms were often lost or misplaced), and required office personnel to re-enter data at the home office.
“It took a long time to fill out all of the paperwork in the field, and we ended up with so much paper that it was almost impossible to use all of the information we spent so much time collecting,” said Andy Meyers, GIS administrator at Sho-Me Power. “We knew we needed a better system for collecting and organizing our data.”
MobileDataforce worked closely with Sho-Me Power to integrate all necessary field inspection forms into one enterprise class mobility software application. The application allowed the field inspectors to sort inspections by region, completed structures, and uncompleted structures. All inspections were time stamped to keep record of when the inspection was completed, which allowed for Sho-Me Power to provide proof of inspection and track results for future inspections. The data collected was integrated into small world GIS.
Sho-Me Power selected a Trimble Recon handheld device, equipped with a GPS receiver for data collection. The mobile application utilized the GPS receivers to specifically identify the location of utility poles. This gave Sho-Me Power greater asset visibility, and made it easier for field inspectors to locate transmission poles in rural areas.
By using a mobile application rather than paper forms, Sho-Me Power was able to:
- Save administrative data entry time
- Increase asset visibility
- Wirelessly synchronize from the field
- Save fuel costs and driving time delivering paper forms
- Provide near real-time visibility to inspections in the field
- Ensure data accuracy through the use of data validation features· Save inspection time with easy to use software
MobileDataforce is a global leader in the development of enterprise class and business critical software solutions. MobileDataforce software can be used on most mobile handheld computers including Smart Phones, Tablet PCs, PDAs, and laptops. MobileDataforce has offices in Europe, North America, and Australia to support our ever expanding customer base and sales channels. Privately held, MobileDataforce has been mobilizing business solutions since 2000.
Conclusion:Through the use of the PointSync mobility platform Sho-Me Power was able to save time and money. Sho-Me Power was also able to gain greater visibility of assets and inspection points, and track them by GPS location.
“This system is saving us at every step in the process. We’re saving time in the field collecting information and just as much time back in the office processing it,” Meyers said. “The hours we used to spend collating paper alone is a huge savings to us, and time that can now be spent on other, more productive work.”
MobileDataforce has assisted many organizations around the world design, develop, and deploy mobile applications for field data collection. For additional information please visit our website at www.mobiledataforce.com
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