Maximize mobile application ROI

Introduction

This post continues a three part series on maximizing ROI for mobile applications. Part 1 explained why mobile application development is so difficult and introduced three common deployment approaches.  Part 2 discussed the pros and cons of each technique.  This post provides specific tips to help enterprises maximize their mobile application return on investment (ROI).

Tips to maximize ROI

1. Describe the use cases before you develop the application – Who are the users? How will they use the applications?  How will the applications integrate with existing business processes? Review these use cases with the users and with developers.  Be sure to follow the use case guidelines during application development.
2. Define metrics for success – Define the metrics you will use to measure success. There may be different metrics for different groups (e.g., users, management, IT staff, security staff). For example, user metrics may include graphical user interface response time whereas management metrics may include user satisfaction ratings.
3. Carefully identify which applications must be mobilized – What applications are most important?  Start with applications that have a large positive business impact.  For example, for a package delivery company the most important application may be a package tracking application whereas for a mobile sales force, a customer relationship management (CRM) application may be the best choice.
4. Walk before you run – Deploy a limited pilot to a set of proactive users on a few mobile devices.  Actively solicit feedback, admit when you’ve made mistakes, and correct them.  Expand your pilot when you achieve the previously defined success metrics.
5. Integrate security up front – Device theft/loss and data leakage are huge problems. Be sure to design security into the application at the beginning of the project. Ensure that sensitive data is encrypted at rest and while in transit.  Limit mobile data access to only essential information.  Note that security for some mobile device platforms (e.g., Apple iPhone) may not be as strong as that for other platforms (e.g., RIM BlackBerry).
6. Think about which development approach is best for you – For example, a mobile middleware approach may be the best choice if you need to deploy rich mobile applications across a diverse set of mobile phones.  Alternatively, a thick client approach may be the best choice if your application deployment will be limited to a particular mobile phone (e.g., BlackBerry).  Lastly a thin client approach may be appropriate if your enterprise applications are already web-based and you want to deploy mobile applications across a diverse set of mobile phones.
7. Integrate management up front – Think about issues such as who has control over application installation, removal, and updates – the user or the IT staff?  Also, will you be able to remotely reset a device?  Consider whether the application should maintain logging and auditing information.
8. Think about compliance regulations – There are numerous regulations such as the Payment Card Industry – Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the European Data Protection Directive that place specific regulatory requirements on enterprises.  Be sure that your mobile application adheres to these regulations.
9. Adhere to standards – Most mobile application development environments have some sort of standards setting body or user community that defines development best practices.  Be sure to get plugged into these organizations and follow their best practice recommendations (e.g., JavaFX Best Practices and Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group).

Conclusion

This three part series reviewed the most common approaches to mobile application development. The thin client approach uses a mobile browser to access a server resident enterprise application. The thick client approach is built upon full-featured, smartphone-resident software.  Finally, the mobile middleware approach uses an abstraction layer that sits between the native mobile phone hardware/software and the enterprise application.  Each has their challenges and benefits. However, by following the tips outlined in this post, enterprises can maximize their mobile application development ROI.

This blog post was originally written by me and published on www.searchmobilecomputing.com. It is posted here with permission from TechTaget.