Discuss about the Mobile and Executive Computing for Mobile Enterprise System.
The revolution brought about by mobile phones was of immense impact to the traditional ways of doing many business activities especially interaction. Information spread faster and communication became more efficient and instant. The growth of the mobile influence has extended beyond the normal business activities and now includes managing production processes as well as facilitating human resource and much more. It is estimated that within the next decade, more than 50 percent of the business processes will be conducted over mobile phone applications (Gunnarsson 2013). Additionally, the use of smartphones is growing at a rapid rate all over the globe. Precisely, more than 90% of the global population has a smartphone at the moment, a number that is projected to grow and surpass the population (Derbyshire 2017). This growth accompanied by a number of other favorable factors like their mobility, convenience, and small size make mobile business solutions an inevitable alternative to the traditional business process as well as desktop based business solutions.
The implementation of a mobile solution is, however, an expensive and complex process that needs to be evaluated thoroughly to ensure that the investment put in by the acquiring company matches the returns expected from it. This report seeks to explore the implementation process that an implementation manager may explore to come up with a working system. It looks at the different factors that may have an impact on the end functioning of the system. The report uses the experiences gained from several case studies that have implemented such systems. It looks at the problem they solved, the benefits these systems brought to their respective companies, the cost factor of the system, dependents of the success of the system and the platforms used and the factors that affected the choice of those platforms.
One of the biggest tasks for the implementation management team is to ensure that the ultimate benefits of any system will be of a higher value than its cost. To determine this, the management team will have to evaluate the different platforms that may be used, the technologies used, the emerging technology used, vital backup procedures, maintenance of the system and how long will the technology used to create the system will exist in the foreseeable future (Jacobs 2006).
The cost factor of a mobile enterprising system, like that of a regular automated system, is subject to a number of costs that may not only involve the initial costs but also recurrent costs that might be required to run and maintain the system. Estimation of the right amount of cost is viable to carry out an effective cost-benefit analysis. The estimated cost of implementing and running may vary depending on a specific firm’s needs. To accurately estimate the costs that may be involved, costs are divided into different categories such as initial cost, recurring cost, wireless infrastructure costs, training costs and additional costs (Jacobs 2006). It is necessary to break these costs further down into smaller even smaller groups to increase the accuracy of the estimates to the real costs. For instance, the initial costs can be broken down into the cost for hardware, software, wiring system, mount installation and other peripheral devices that could be used. The software development cost will as well vary depending on the expected complexity of the application. Similarly, the recurring costs such as maintenance contracts, training for technology support, software upgrades and any necessary replicable should be put into consideration.
On the benefits side of the cost-benefit analysis, it is essential to evaluate the benefits that systems, if successfully implemented, will bring to the firm. Factors such as the current workload, the congestion associated with the workload, the effectiveness of the system in easing management, resource allocation and supervision, reduction in the current cost and improvement in quality are crucial in helping in the analysis of potential benefits (Jacobs 2006). However, since there is no definite measure of the impact that the system may have on the company, the company must take the burden of carrying out an extensive benefits analysis to ensure that the benefits are not overstated in relation to the costs (Sabine & Andrea 2014). Understanding the key components of the implementation process are crucial to the success of the process is a great way of having an effective cost-benefit analysis.
The key components of an implementation of a mobile enterprise system can be included in a three-step process that forms up the implementation process; reach, act and transform (Gunnarsson 2013). Each step has some designated components that are required to be taken care of.
In the reach stage, the main components are communication and productivity tools. These ensure that the customer using the app can be reached anytime, anywhere. These components may include main needs of the business, the staff section of the app, the type of device to be used and system requirements and are the main focus at this stage (Gunnarsson 2013). The designing bit comes in as well with a focus on user experience and the security of the application during accessing of content by the customer.
In the second stage, the management team should make sure users of the application can access service through a simple authorization and allow input in real time from a remote location. The key components at this stage are security authorization and acknowledgment. The management may decide to test the components by allowing internal people to use and give feedback on the operations of the application. The main focus should be the emphasis on the application’s usability and how consistent it is when in operation. The retrieval of information both online and offline should be also a priority.
The last stage is transformation. The key components involved at this stage are re-reengineering of the core process, automation of routines and certainty of flexibility to the customer. The management may compare their progress to that of other players ahead of them in the industry. A perfect scenario may be developed and shared with experts to identify ways in which the progress can be bettered further. The system may be strategized more to find ways in which it can be streamlined to solving more than the immediate problems by incorporating Artificial Intelligence. Carrying out a poll from the executive and users, both customers and staff may help to identify areas of improvement.
The biggest driving force behind mobility of business solutions is the technology used. A study conducted to determine the major factors holding back mobility in many companies found out that the number one inhibitor of mobile embracement was the design system (Gunnarsson 2013). From the three currently popular systems, Software Configuration Management (SCM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM), the study also found that the most desirable design was CRM (Gunnarsson 2013). The choice of technology depends much on the internal process of the business in question and the status of its inter-organizational coordination. For instance, in a case study of a wood processing firm, the firm uses RFID in the manufacturing process to identify and track the logs as they are processed (Salo 2012). In this, the choice of the system would depend on the type of the business that the firm intents or already entails in. Alternatively, the choice of the technology to be employed may be depended on the interaction of the different departments within the organization. In addition, there is a factor on the impact of the inter-organizational connection. In some instances, the connection may be strong and thus require that the involved departments use a technology that will allow smooth transaction or communication between the different them, For example, an insurance company agent may use the same platform as a customer to initiate the claim process instantly at the point of accident (Salo 2012). There are many factors that may affect the choice of a company’s technology, the company, therefore, must be able to identify all the factors that are involved and ensure each point is factored during the decision process. An all-inclusive decision process is likely to reduce the problems of restructuring in future. Even with a perfect choice for the right technology, the success of the implementation process depends on other equally important factors.
Factors that drive the success of the implementation process, just like the other factors discussed before, may as well differ from one project to another. However, there are factors that can be seen as defining factors to the success of the implementation. These include end-to-end solution, mobility built-in, and industry excellence (Gunnarsson 2013). These factors are discussed in detail below.
It refers to the development of the business solution from scratch, starting from the front-end to the back end without using any templets throughout the process. Garrison (2013) notes that a hands-on development from scratch will ensure a seamless transition from one step to another. This will allow any inhibitors or potential errors to be identified in the early stages.
The second success factor is the mobility built-in factor. The success of the project depends very much on the focus and the goal of the implementation management team. A focus on the technological constraints is likely to fail because it does not focus on the very problem it tries to solve (Gunnarsson 2013). Gunnarsson (2013) also notes that if much investment and focus is put into the technical aspect of the system, it puts constraints on the management in future in case newer technologies that are better come up.
The third success factor that may affect the success of the implementation is focused on the excellence of the system in the industry. Users of the application will definitely want a service that is as close as to the natural if not better. It is the role of the management team to ensure that the application developed is an excellent application and solves the problem it is designed to solve. The application may be tested to meet excellence on the basis of its design, the speed, the bugs and the simplicity of using it to the end user.
From the success factors, it can be seen that the most important bit of the implementation process is not necessarily, as much as it may be important, the technical bit but the design bit. It is necessary to ensure that the design, therefore, meets the standards of the industry. The focus should be on the ability of the system to be usable to the end user without the need for an intensive training.
There are a number of platforms used to facilitate mobile systems. These may include the Apple’s iOS, Blackberry, and Android (Salo 2012). The choice for Blackberry is limited since most of the apps are customized to the device. The choice between iOS and Android is determined by the platform with the most customers or potential customers. However, it is advisable to provide an application for all the available platform to ensure that the customers have a wide choice in regard to the platform they want to use.
Conclusion
The implementation process of a mobile system is as complex as the implementation of the desktop enterprise system. However, its nobility makes it a favorable choice due to its mobility and capabilities of allowing users to access services at their own convenience. With the complexity involved and the high costs of implementing the system, the implementation process must be undertaken with care to avoid any mistakes. This report has explored the process of implementation focusing on the several factors that entail the successful implementation of a mobile enterprising system. Although the report tries to include all the aspects of the process, it may not have covered every step that there is and there should not be taken as exclusive.
Gunnarsson, M 2013, ‘The Business Benefits of Enterprise Mobile Solution’, IFS.
Jacobs, M 2006, ‘Mobile Computing Technologies’, IT Department, Illinois State Police, Illnois.
Sabine , B & Andrea, B 2014, ‘e-Ecosystems : living bits and things : 27th Bled eConference, 4th Living Bits and Things Conference’, in The 27th Bled eConference “eEcosystems”, Moderna Organizacija, Kranj.
Salo, J 2012, ‘The role of mobile technology in a buyer-supplier relationship: a case study from the steel industry’, The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol 27, no. 7, pp. 554-563.
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