The Law of Mobility for Mobile Handheld PDAs and Mobile Software

The Law of Mobility states that the value of any product or service increases with its mobility. Improvements typically realized from a mobile solution include a reduction of paper, streamlining of non-value added and redundant processes, an increase in overall productivity, elimination of manual processes, reduced labor costs and overtime, and increased quality and reliability of information. ~Russell McGuire, The Power of Mobility

Russell McGuire has provided us with a concise description of the value of mobile software applications for use on mobile handheld PDAs. Here are 39 detailed reasons to mobilize your business.

Mobilizing business processes enables you to gain visibility into work done in the field, helps to ensure quality work, enables you to reduce administrative work and invoice for field services quicker.

- Kevin Benedict

Chain of Custody with MobileDataforce's Mobile Handheld PDA Software Solutions

Our professional services team has just completed a very powerful mobile software application for, use on handheld PDAs, that provides a "chain-of-custody" solution for delivering medicine primarily to African and South American locations. The specific application that we just delivered tracks the delivery of AIDs medicine from the warehouse to the clinic.

One of the big challenges faced by organizations providing medicine to remote areas, is to make sure that the medicine purchased and shipped actually arrives at the designated location. The application we just delivered includes functionality that validates that the medicine, in the appropriate quantities, arrives at 8 specific locations along the shipping route and is confirmed with digital signatures from valid signers.

The distance, environmental challenges and lack of infrastructure often mean that mobile software solutions are the best option for tracking supplies around the world. MobileDataforce is working on many such solutions today.

MobileDataforce Hires Mike Freeman as VP of Sales

MobileDataforce Hires Mobility Expert Mike Freeman to Accelerate Success in Worldwide Sales of Mobile Software Solutions

Noted Speaker, Sales Leader and Visionary Business Executive Joins MobileDataforce as VP of Sales...learn more

We are growing very fast here at MobileDataforce and we are attracting some very good industry talent to our management team. Mike Freeman, former VP of Enterprise Sales at Palm Inc, will bring a huge amount of talent and expertise to our team.

Welcome Mike!!!

Interesting New Projects

It is never dull here at MobileDataforce. Every day has its own set of interesting new projects. Here are some of the latest business processes and projects we are reviewing or mobilizing:

• Time sheets
• Pet vaccination tracking
• Tracking medicine shipping to Africa
• Concrete testing
• Government housing inspection projects
• Subway system switch inspections
• Tracking condom distribution to clinics
• Beverage distribution and promotion system
• Clinical studies on sever spinal injuries
• Electronic Patient diaries for Hemophiliac patients
• ATM repair and maintenance
• Heating ventilation and air condition work orders
• Electric company's work order system
• Oxygen delivery
• Propane delivery
• Medical supply delivery
• Much more...

MobileDataforce's PointSync Mobility Platform is used by companies around the world to mobilize a wide variety of business processes.

Inspection Data Requires Visibility and Handheld PDAs Can Help

I was in the Benelux working with a large Fortune 1000 company on a global inspection project involving over 500 inspectors. One of the motivations for the project was to ensure that the inspection data that was collected was synchronized from the mobile handheld computers directly to a database that could be viewed and analyzed by management in near real time. Previously, when inspections were completed on paper forms - the paper forms were simply filed in a cabinet. The only forms reviewed by management were those with a very, very bad scores. That meant nearly all the collected data was trapped on a paper form and stuffed in a dark file cabinet unavailable for easy viewing, distribution and analysis. The problem with not viewing the data that is collected is that trends and patterns can not be recognized and corrected in advance. There was a lot of money spent collecting inspection data that could not be acted upon in a preventative manner.

This week's bridge collapse in Minneapolis brought the Benelux example to mind. Seems there had been many inspections, but obviously the data was not being viewed by the right parties in a manner that would motivate preventative action.

Auto & Equipment Auctions and Mobile Handheld PDA Inspection Solutions

MobileDataforce has been working on projects in Europe, North America and in Australia/New Zealand that involve inspecting and appraising automobiles and other equipment for auctions and resale. Think about the environment that these activities take place in - mines, construction sites, storage lots, homes, auto dealerships, etc. These environments require one to collect a great deal of data in the field.

Handheld PDAs and mobile inspection software with wireless synchronization back to an enterprise database application in the office provides a huge amount of value. Let's discuss some of it here:

1. Standardized inspection forms on handheld computers can ensure inspections are complete, uniform, accurate and readable.
2. Business rules included in the mobile handheld inspection applications can validate that the information is accurate. For example scanning a VIN number on a vehicle can automatically fill out much of the vehicle information automatically and ensure the inspection data matches the vehicle description.
3. Real time wireless synchronization means the inspection data can be immediately displayed on a website.
4. Digital camera integration with your handheld computer can attach photos to your inspection data for immediate display on a website
5. Wireless dispatch means your inspectors can be sent information on where they need to go for their next inspection
6. In some cases valuation data can be pre-loaded into the handheld computer and aligned with the data collected from the inspection to provide a near real-time appraisal in the field.

Reporting from the UK - Mobile Automotive Solutions for PDAs, Handhelds and Smartphones

I am in Newcastle, UK this week on assignment. Our team here in Newcastle are experts in the automotive industry. They have many years experience working with mobile PDAs, handhelds and Smartphone solutions for vehicle auctions, automobile dealerships, automobile lease return applications and more. Today they demonstrated their mobile PDA solutions to a large automobile dealership with locations across Ireland.

The mobile solution they were demonstrating included a valuation component. A person could scan a VIN code and the description of the car would pop-up and auto fill the the electronic inspection form on the handheld PDA. The dealership would then inspect the car for damage and the final value of the car would be computed from the valuation database and the inspection.

This solution is used for automotive auctions, auto dealers, insurance and automotive lease return companies.

Re-engineering Business Processes with Handheld PDA Solutions

MobileDataforce's professional services teams are working on dozens of mobile software projects globally at any given time. As a result, we have gained through experience in-depth knowledge about how mobile solutions can change companies, their business processes and the way they think. Let's discuss a few of the things we have seen and learned:

1. Companies rarely understand the full extent of the changes mobile software solutions will bring to their organization
2. Most mobile software projects start small and have a very limited user base and business focus
3. As the users begin to test and adopt the new mobile software solutions, they most often expand the project as they quickly recognize the efficiencies that can be gained by using mobile software solutions that are tied into corporate database applications
4. There is usually some point about 80% through the mobile software development project when there is a loud "AHA!" that echos the halls of our clients' offices - they get it. They can see beyond their immediate project to the potential of mobility
5. Mobility is a process - a company may start with mobile phones, then move on to email syncing & SMS, then full bi-directional synchronization of corporate data to mobile handheld computers and specialized mobile software applications
6. Companies may start with mobilizing their field service technicians, but rapidly expand to mobile CRM, mobile shipping and inventory status, mobile asset management, quality assurance inspections and reporting, real-time mobile business analytics for the management team, route accounting and proof of delivery for the truck (or lorry) drivers. The more the company learns, the more they realize the benefits of mobile data solutions
7. If a company has started down the path to mobilizing their operations and business processes, but have chosen to hardcode or custom program each of these processes as separate projects - they will quickly realize their error in not starting with a full mobile software platform
8. The mobile software platform - is a server based product that supports a standardized way of designing, developing and deploying multiple mobile software projects in a manner that is easily learned and supported by IT
9. Once the mobile software platform (the PointSync Mobility Platform is one option) is in place, all IT developers, consultants and technical support personnel can be trained on the same platform and method for efficiencies and speed of development
10. The mobile software platform supports the design, development, deployment, support, version control of applications, publishing of applications to mobile devices, data security configurations, database integrations and much more

The key concept in this process is to start with a mobile software platform - this enables you to build up and support large numbers of mobilized business processes and projects in the same efficient manner. If a company chooses to custom build every project from scratch, the efficiencies of development and support will never be realized.

Handheld PDA Solutions for First Responders and Mobile Business Processes on the Server Side

I have written several times about the benefits of automating business processes on mobile handheld devices, so this time I am going to focus on automating business processes once the data is synchronized from the handheld device in the field to the server in the office.

Last week I visited Patron Systems in Boulder, Colorado. They are a software company focused on law enforcement and public safety. They have sophisticated business processes built into their mobile law enforcement applications that include real-time queries to multiple disparate databases to auto-fill eforms on laptops. Once the data is collected on the law enforcement form, it can be synchronized and routed to a police supervisor for review. It stays in a "work que" until the supervisor either approves or rejects it. If rejected it is returned to the original officer for editing and correction or if approved gets sent to the record management system for storage.

This is an example of how data collected in the field can activate an automated business process/workflow back at the office. The data is routed to a specific location, and a specific person/position to review, make a decision and then act upon. Once there is an item in the work que, the person is notified that there is an action required. This is an important concept - the person does not have to remember, or look things up, they are notified there is work to do. This is "automating" a business processes. If the eform is rejected as incomplete it will be sent back to the original author's "work que" and the officer will be notified. Again the significance of this step is that the workflow/business process will notify an officer in the field that there is additional work required.

The above example of an automated business process demonstrates the ability to start a process/workflow in the field, move the process to the office and then back to the field. This is a "mobile and automated" business process. The more you can define and automate "best practices" the higher quality and better your products and services will be.

Workflows can be automated by using mobile software platforms that are integrated with a central database server. Business rules, triggers and other methodologies and tools can be used to automate your processes on the database.

Automotive Services and Asset Management on Handheld PDAs

MobileDataforce has designed and delivered some of the most advanced automotive solutions for handheld computers that you will find anywhere. This image shows you an inspection form that allows the handheld computer user to identify any repairs or maintenance that needs to be completed on the interior of a vehicle that was returned from a lease contract.

Once the inspection is completed the cost of the maintenance or repair can be factored into the final contract settlement. The repair work can also be scheduled and dispatched as well. This is just one example of the multitude of automotive applications we have developed and delivered around the world.

Additional blog articles on mobile applications for the automobile industry can be found here:

http://www.mobiledataforce.com/ceoblog/2006/11/automobile-lease-return-applications.html

http://www.mobiledataforce.com/ceoblog/2006/11/automobile-work-order-solution-for.html