Mobile business processes – mobilizing the enterprise

The use and importance of information technology (IT) in enterprises have changed fundamentally within the recent decades. Isolated usage of IT on an operational level has been replaced by industry solutions and complex ERP systems, which enable the electronically mapping of the entire supply chain. A critical problem occurs, if special business processes (or parts of it) are executed mobile and therefore cannot be supported entirely by stationary IT. In addition to the mobility of employees two further categories have to be considered: the mobility of any kind of devices like vehicles, machines or specialized tools and the mobility of items like goods, parts and materials, no matter whether this concerns single or packaging units.

This matter is regarded as highly relevant by companies. Already in 2001 an ICD study named the integration of mobile workplaces as the most important matter in IT for 46% of the US American and 34% of the European companies. Following an analysis of Meta Group more than 75% of knowledge workers will spend more than 25% of their working time mobile within the next two years. Nevertheless it has to be stated, that the view of practitioners is often reduced to single applications like e-mail, PIM or accounting systems. However, a comprehensive consideration of all business processes has been rarely seen.

To use the new potentials of mobile solutions, business process reengineering (BPR) is indispensable. For this purpose the “mobility-m” was developed for the analysis and design of mobile business processes. The “mobility-m” is a framework for the representation of interconnections and interactions between technological and economical aspects of the mobility of business processes.

The challenge here is the efficient introduction of a matured technology in an existing mobile business process. A strategy for the introduction of mobile integrated business processes is still lacking in many companies. This should include an analysis of the potentials on an industry or corporate level. To gain profitability rating systems as well as a precise evaluation of cost, success factors and security are necessary. Additionally, usability aspects should be considered as an important factor during the design of mobile solutions.