Business Agility
Strategies for Gaining
Competitive Advantage through Mobile Business Solutions,
Achieving Enterprise Value
through the Strategic Use of Mobile and Wireless Technologies
M-Business is your chance to
achieve unprecedented agility throughout your organization and to deliver extraordinary
value to customers, wherever and when-ever they want it. In Business Agility, Nicholas D.
Evans shows you exactly how to transform the promise of M-Business into profitable
reality.
Drawing on lessons learned by
leading M-Business implementers in many industries, Evans walks through every stage of the
successful M-Business initiative: design, process models, architecture, and, above all,
execution. Along the way, he helps you identify your best M-Business opportunities for
employees, partners, and customers; clear away key process and technology obstacles; and
avoid the pitfalls of M-Business technology selection.
Whether you're an executive,
entrepreneur, strategic planner, technical decision-maker, architect, developer, or
consultant, Business Agility delivers your action plan for M-Business success.
- Combining
process agility with technical agility: the next business revolution
A
complete strategic roadmap for profiting from M-Business technologies
- Designing
and architecting a winning M-Business
Transform
your goals into a working framework that's flexible enough to change
- Selecting
the right M-Business applications
Evaluating
business intelligence, sales and field force automation, CRM, supply chain tools, and
other key M-Business solutions
- Real
case studies, real metrics: delivering on the promise of M-Business
From
eBay to Office Depot, hospitality to hardware: how leading companies are profiting right
now
- M-Business:
the long view
Previewing
tomorrow's devices, networks, standards, and applications-and preparing for them
Advance raves for Business
Agility...
"The promise is that
new wireless technologies can have a profound and dramatic effect on business-from general
productivity increases to improved customer satisfaction. By providing both a
comprehensive overview as well as citing and detailing specific implemented examples, this
book will assist us all in closing the gap between that promise and current reality."
Paul Reddick Vice President of Business Development Sprint PCS
"Business Agility is
insightful in illustrating why wireless technologies and mobile communications will be
major catalysts in driving the next generation of business transformation."David
DickinsonVice President E-Business Nokia
"Business agility
has never been more paramount in succeeding in today's dramatically dynamic business
environment. Wireless systems are becoming a very real way to tackle the task of getting
the information you need, in the form you need it, where you need it, and when you need it
to actually use it and drive results. Presenting companies that consistently push the
envelope of technology in the hospitality industry, this book goes in depth with case
studies on specific wireless business management systems. It illustrates new, exciting
ways to grow a business, enhance customer relationships and think beyond the norm for
possibilities and opportunities in the wireless world." Curtis NelsonPresident
and CEO Carlson Hospitality Worldwide
"A great handbook
for CEOs and business executives who are looking to enhance enterprise value through
mobile business technologies." John GoffPresident and CEO Crescent Real Estate
Equities Company
"Nick Evans gives
businesses looking to exploit the huge potential of mobile and wireless systems a great
primer on the key issues they'll need to consider in developing their business strategy.
This book is a great first step in 'mobilizing' your business." Galen Gruman
Editor M-Business magazine
"The timing couldn't
be better for this book. The treatise of business cases contained in the book offer
invaluable lessons for entrepreneurs and software companies plan-ning their mobile
business strategy around the enterprise. The competencies detailed offer a key source of
competitive advantage." Robert J. Miles, Ph.D.General Partner Vortex Partners
"Few experts are as
equipped as Nick Evans to distill the business value behind wireless technology. Besides
being a slick and sexy technology, wireless has to make sense for your business. Evans
uses real-life examples to show how businesses of all kinds can make the leap-and bring
about bottom-line results." David Joachim Senior Managing Editor Internet Week
"This book is what
any leader of a company needs to be successful in M-Business. The great thing about
Business Agility is that Nick Evans writes not only as an industry expert but also as an
experienced practitioner. It is very rare to find a body of work that combines theory and
insight with practical advice and real-world examples of success to create a tool that can
actually be used. I will definitely use it as my road map and guide as we go
forward." Joe Lacik Vice President, Information Systems Aviall
Author Bio
Nicholas D. Evans is a
Director within the Emerging Technology Practice of one of the world's leading
professional services organizations. He focuses on the delivery of Wireless Internet
consulting engagements such as wireless strategy, architecture, and implementation.
Mr. Evans is an
industry-recognized E-Business consultant, speaker, and author. He has a regular
M-Business column published in Internet Week reaching over 275,000 readers and has written
for numerous other computer industry magazines. He is the author of several books on web
technology, including titles from Microsoft Press and Powersoft Press. He is frequently
quoted in the industry press and has been featured in thought leadership sections
alongside Peppers & Rogers and the Patricia Seybold Group.
Mr. Evans was formerly the
National Technical Director for E-Business at PricewaterhouseCoopers within their Global
Software Solutions Center. In this role, he was responsible for selling and delivering
engagements to major PwC clients nationally. Mr. Evans co-founded the National Internet
Practice for Coopers & Lybrand in 1997.
Mr. Evans' clients have
included 3M, AT&T, Abbott Labs, American Airlines, American Family Insurance, Best
Buy, BP Amoco, Compaq, Conoco, First USA, Intel, Kodak, Major League Baseball, Schering
Plough, SunTrust Bank, Texaco, Van Waters and Rogers, and many others.
Mr. Evans holds a B.Sc.
(Hons) and M.Sc. from Southampton University in England. He is a frequent advisor to the
venture capital community and serves on several advisory boards.
Table of
Contents
CONTENTS
1. Introduction.
Formula for Business Agility.
Principles of Business Agility. Principle 1: The Digital Economy Demands Business Agility.
Principle 2: Business Agility Involves Shaping Technology Around Ourselves. Principle 3:
Business Agility is Achieved Via M-Business. Principle 4: Every Business Will Become an
M-Business. Principle 5: M-Business Will Drive Both Business and Technical Transformation.
Principle 6: Industry Convergence Creates New Threats and Opportunities. Action Items for
Business Agility. Step 1: Make M-Business Part of Your Business Strategy. Step 2: Make the
IT Department a Strategic Partner. Step 3: Pursue a Holistic M-Business Strategy. Step 4:
Exploit and Defend Your Position in the New M-Business Value Chain. Step 5: Design
Business Processes to Take Advantage of M-Business. Step 6: Design Technical Architectures
to Take Advantage of M-Business. Step 7: Design for Rapid Change in Process and
Technology. Step 8: Focus on User Acceptance and Training. Step 9: Measure the Results of
M-Business Initiatives.
2. The M-Business Evolution.
Global Trends. Searching for
the Killer Application. Evolution to 3G Networks. Applications by Region. Drivers and
Barriers to Adoption. Barriers to Adoption. Regulatory Environment. Telecom Environment.
Wireless Data Services. M-Commerce Services. Wireless Application Service Provider
Platforms. IT Environment. Wireless Internet Value Chain. Value Chain for Enterprise
Wireless Data. Value Chain for Consumer Wireless Data. Key Applications. Wireless
Enablement of Employees. Wireless Enablement of Customers. Wireless Enablement of Partners
and Suppliers.
3. Design of an M-Business.
M-Business Flexibility. The
Dynamic Value Proposition. M-Business for Employees. Tradeoff Between Enterprise Standards
and User Roles. Focus on User Adoption and Long-Term Management. M-Business for Customers.
A New Time-Slice for Customer Loyalty. Context- and Location-Specific Loyalty.
Preference-Driven Commerce. Wireless Advertising. M-Business for Partners. Alliance Value
Chain. Alliance Life Cycle.
4. Process Models and Applications for M-Business Agility.
Process Models for M-Business
Agility. M-Business Opens New Process Possibilities. Using M-Business to Improve Existing
Processes. Applications for M-Business Agility. Executive Dashboard and Business
Intelligence. Sales Force Automation. Field Force Automation. Customer Relationship
Management. M-Business CRM for Customers. Increasing Complexity of Customer Interactions.
Providing Intelligent Customer Service. M-Business CRM for Employees. Supply Chain
Management. "Wireless" Versus "Mobile" Applications in the Supply Chain.
5. Industry Examples.
Communications and Content.
High Tech. Consumer and Industrial Products. Public Services. Health Care. Financial
Services.
6. M-Business Strategic Roadmap.
Business and Technology
Assessment. As-Is Environment. To-Be Environment. Identification of Target Opportunities.
Prioritization of Initiatives. Business Case Development. Project Plan Development. Return
on Investment. Calculating the Return on Investment. Additional Costs. Additional Cost
Savings. Qualitative Benefits. Net Present Value. Determining the Discount Rate.
7. M-Business Architectural Frameworks.
The Case for Technical
Agility. Business Process Discovery. M-Business Technical Architecture. Reference
Architecture. Architectural Principles. Enterprise Architecture. Sales Force Automation
Example. Carrier and Wireless Application. Service Provider Architecture. Wireless
Application Service Provider Architecture. Carrier Architecture.
8. M-Business Technologies and Implementation.
M-Business Technologies.
Convergence of Wireless Middleware, Application Servers, and Enterprise. Application
Integration. Software Vendors Are Approaching M-Business from Many Different Angles.
Wireless Middleware Platforms. Considerations When Choosing Wireless Middleware Platforms.
M-Commerce Applications. M-Commerce Transaction Example. Considerations When Choosing
M-Commerce Platforms. M-Business Implementation. Implementation Strategies.
9. Future Trends.
General Themes Toward
Business Agility. Networks. Devices. Wearable Devices. Smart Phones. Standards.
Applications.
280 pages