Regardless of where you are in the mobile development lifecycle, having a mobile strategy is key to success. Most enterprises recognize the need for a strategy but aren’t sure what it actually looks like, so we’ve put together the five most frequently asked questions about an enterprise mobile strategy.
- Why do I need a mobile strategy?
Mobile is more than just creating one app for one type of device and calling it a day. Mobile means understanding how the technology landscape has transformed to reach users everywhere. If you’re not planning mobile on a strategic level, then you’re risking low adoption, high cost, fragmented technology, poor user experience, security breaches, performance issues, and increased maintenance costs across any and all mobile initiatives.
- Is a mobile strategy expensive?
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Implementing a mobile strategy will save you money. You’re more likely to have cost overruns without a strategy because, inevitably, at least one part of the process won’t be accounted for. Mobile strategies plan for what types of people, processes and technology are used, helping to foresee the challenges that come up. For example, without planning up front, you could be building your app for one platform when really you need a cross-platform app, or maybe you’re hiring developers who are skilled with iOS, but your 5-year plan includes more Android solutions. Without a strategy you may not be able to see that far into the future, which undermines goals and damages the long-term return on mobile.
- How time-intensive is creating a mobile strategy?
Creating a mobile strategy typically takes three to four weeks of moderate to intense planning. By doing so, you’re saving time down the road. Without a strategy, you won’t be able to accurately plan for hiring needs, bandwidth of staff, or budgeting, all of which have significant impacts on time-to-market.
- How do I get buy-in from other departments?
We recommend bringing in a trusted partner for a strategy assessment to help get buy-in from other departments. Maybe your IT group doesn’t want to switch technologies, or marketing is only concerned with feature sets. Asking the tough questions like, “how do we hire to support multiple mobile initiatives – can our team realistically handle five apps?” makes the value of a mobile strategy apparent to each department.
- Is a mobile strategy really necessary if I have just one app or if I’ve already developed several?
Yes. Odds are, you won’t always have just one app. Eventually, you will implement additional mobile solutions, so it’s important to plan how they’ll all work together to achieve goals. And if you already have several apps, a mobile strategy will help you reassess and account for the performance, maintenance costs, enhancements, and ROI of each solution. Creating a cohesive strategy for each app to fit together is what makes mobile an impactful solution across an enterprise.
Interested in learning more? Check out the guide below for details on how to create a successful mobile strategy.
