2. Copyright SkyGiraffe 2015 skygiraffe.com
Table Of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Strategy
3. Administration
4. Technical
5. Security
6. Building the Apps
7. Workshop Results/Next Steps
8. Customer Case Study
9. Mobile App scenarios
10. Conclusion
11. Resources
A. Workshop Prep List
B. Workshop Checklist
C. Use-cases
3. Introduction
Welcome to the SkyGiraffe MVPA™ Workshop Booklet. This guide will
help you work through the questions you need to answer in order to
build, deploy and manage production mobile applications at scale.
SkyGiraffe has developed an exclusive Minimum Viable Production
App (MVPA™) Workshop for enterprises seeking to accelerate their
mobility strategy. This workshop was inspired by design thinking and
lean startup concepts. The workshop focuses on testing mobile use
case hypotheses with minimal resources. The goal of the workshop
is to accelerate learning, reduce costly development cycles, and get
production mobile apps into the hands of users as soon as possible.
SkyGiraffe offers half-day and full-day workshops available on site
for clients.
Each employee in your company has to do different things with
diverse sets of data. Today, they might be able to do those things
on their desktops, however, if you can empower them to do it
anywhere, it improves their world.
The traditional approach to mobile app development is prohibitive.
Building just 1 application through the process of development,
design, integration, deployment, and adjustment could take months
and easily run over budget. What about 10 applications? What about
100 or even 1,000? The current methodology does not scale to
the enterprise.
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When thinking about mobility, it is critical to keep in mind the core
business goals:
• Mobility is all about the end user getting value. It is more
important to get an app to a user for feedback than to build
the perfect app out of the gate. Iterate with user feedback
and usage analytics.
• Business units want to see apps quickly. 6 Months is too long
for the business to wait. Getting feedback and updating after
another 6 months is even worse.
• Avoid spending massive amounts of time and money on
building 1-2 applications with no future mobile strategy.
• Avoid moving or consolidating your data when you do not
need to.
• Stick to your security and architecture standards to
mitigate risk.
• Adopt a plan that scales for all of your future
mobility requirements
Seeking answers to the questions in this booklet will give you
a comprehensive understanding of your mobility requirements,
helping you plan your strategy for mobile apps at scale.
This booklet will also introduce you to the SkyGiraffe MVPA
Workshop and it’s proven success model. You can use the resources
in this booklet to plan and execute a workshop in your enterprise
environment.
5. Strategy
In order to set the stage for a successful adoption
of mobile applications, it is crucial to define a mobile
strategy. Answering the following questions will help
you think through and visualize the future of your
mobile portfolio.
Who owns mobile strategy or mobility inside your organization?
• What dedicated resources do they have?
• What resources do they need to request?
What are your immediate mobility needs?
• What is the critical business benefit leading to enterprise
wide buy-in?
• What are your mid to long term mobility needs?
How do you plan to scale mobile apps for all your users?
Do you have a BYOD policy?
• Who is responsible for updating the BYOD plan and
communications as the marketplace evolves with new
handsets, plans and device management capabilities?
Which kind of devices do you need to support?
• Do the apps also need to be optimized for tablets?
• Do they need to be accessible from the Desktop/Web?
How do you plan to maintain your mobile apps going forward?
• Will you centrally manage all of the apps?
• Will the Business Units have ownership of the apps?
• Who manages access?
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Administration
Understanding the roles of every person involved at
an early stage is paramount to success. Establishing
timelines, budgets, and responsibilities is the best
chance for a smoothly run process.
Who are the stakeholders involved in:
• Defining use cases.
• Getting access to data.
• Building the apps.
• Purchasing/Budget – buy a platform? Hire developers?
Assign internal resources?
• Administrating users?
Which departments want mobile apps? What are your top 5
app requests?
Is there a budget for mobile application development & deployment?
What is the expected timeline for deployed mobile applications?
What is your plan for mobile devices?
• Do you plan to buy new devices for employees?
• Do you plan to upgrade or replace current devices?
• BYOD?
Who is the project manager for each mobile app dev. project?
• Does he/she have the necessary resources to
build momentum?
Do you have a process defined for making a decision?
Is there a solid mitigation strategy against large data cost overruns
for your mobile carriers?
• Do you have capping agreements with the mobile carriers,
and do the business departments clearly understand who
pays for these overruns?
7. Technical
GENERAL
In order to get the ball rolling with mobile app
development, there are important technical questions
to answer. Once answered, you will understand
the what, where, who, when, why and how of your
mobility portfolio.
Do you require data encryption on the device for some or all of
your apps?
Are you using cloud?
Which cloud? If not, do you plan to use and what is your migration
plan for mobility?
Is it connected to your on-premises network?
If so, how?
How many mobile users do you need to support?
Do you have devices in the field?
• How many devices do you support?
Will you need a white label solution?
Have you adopted an information abstraction policy?
• Such as integration layer/SOA/OData/API facade?
Do you need your apps to work offline? If so, do all of your apps
require offline data?
Read offline? Write offline?
Is native functionality important for your applications?
• GPS, camera, push notifications, contacts, SMS, emails?
Do you need apps that write back?
What write-back functions do you need to perform?
Will you need the user to send back picture, audio or video files?
Do your mobile apps require workflow?
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BACKEND SYSTEMS
The fundamental problem with mobile app dev today
is an over focus on front-end development where the
focus should be on successfully integrating with your
backend systems. Establishing which data sources you
would like to use for your mobile apps and how you will
get access is critical.
What are the first 5-10 systems you are trying to mobilize?
• Who owns and manages those systems?
• What is the data access methodology for each? DB, Web
Service etc.
• What are the underlying databases?
Which CRM systems(s) do you use?
Which ERP systems(s) do you use?
Which HR system(s) do you use?
Which BPM systems(s) do you use?
Which ECM systems(s) do you use?
What systems are being upgraded in the next 3 years?
• When you upgrade systems, how do you ensure the mobile
apps are maintained?
What systems are being migrated from in the next 3 years?
What cloud applications are you using/planning to use in the
next 3 years?
Who manages the upgrade to new OS versions on mobile devices?
9. Security
It is important to have the InfoSec team(s) dedicated
to enterprise mobility involved in the process at an
early stage. During the workshop, InfoSec can directly
interact with SkyGiraffe to discuss architecture and
security requirements. Because mobility presents new
risks while devices are outside the network, SkyGiraffe
understands the importance of satisfying and adhering
to all security policies. Meeting with InfoSec to discuss
specifics around security is essential to a successful
implementation.
MDM
MDM deployments can be complicated, time consuming
and can delay your mobile app projects. MDM should
absolutely be a key priority in your mobile strategy.
Do you require MDM for all deployed mobile apps?
Do you use MDM today? Which one?
What functions does your deployment support?
• Remote Install?
• Remote Wipe?
• SSO with AD?
• Per App VPN?
Is your MDM fully deployed?
• If so, how many apps have you deployed?
Will you use MDM to manage your device inventory?
Do you require physical tracking (location) of devices?
Do you require MDM for software distribution?
How will you prevent data loss when a mobile device is damaged
or stolen?
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ARCHITECTURE
It is imperative to find a mobile solution in alignment with
your enterprise architecture structure today and in the
future. Although the cloud is the future, many enterprises
are years away from putting mission critical systems into
a cloud environment. But employees need to access
those systems from mobile devices today, which entails
the necessity of a flexible architecture.
Do you store any mission critical data in the cloud today?
Which cloud provider(s) do you use?
Will you require a fully on-premises solution?
Do you have a plan to move on premise systems into the cloud?
What are the timelines of those projects?
AUTHENTICATION
Understanding how your users will authenticate to
systems of record is imperative.
What is your primary authentication system?
• Active Directory?
• Ping?
• Okta?
Do you use or plan to use SSO with any cloud apps
(SFDC, ServiceNow, Workday, etc.)?
• Are you AD Federated in cloud?
Do you use or plan to use OAuth?
Do you require two-factor authentication?
11. AUTHORIZATION
Your mobility plans will need to adhere to your enterprise
security policies. Mobility introduces a completely new
security issue: devices are typically outside the network.
This complexity means a new dimension of access and
device management is required.
How do you determine levels of access of data to employees?
What are your encryption requirements for data at rest and
in transit?
Do you allow data to be stored on the device?
How do you manage access across systems?
How do you manage and administer security protocols?
• What happens when an employee’s device is lost or stolen?
• How do you assign permissions and roles?
• What happens when your user forgets their password?
• Is there a lockout for a certain amount of incorrect
password attempts?
• Do you need to maintain an audit trail of corporate data
copied to and from mobile devices?
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Building The Apps
Building successful mobile apps can be defined in 2
major steps: (1) understanding where the data comes
from and how to access it, and (2) understanding how
the user wants to visualize and consume that data.
ORGANIZING DATA
What systems are you trying to access for the each specific app?
Who manages access to each of those systems?
• Do you have the credentials required to access the data?
Do you know where the data is hosted?
Who owns that data for each backend system?
Do you have the proper queries defined for the apps?
Do you have stored procedures, web services, BAPI’s, or other
business logic defined?
APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
What is the business use-case for the app?
Who are the users (groups) for your mobile apps?
Have you interviewed the users to discover which data is relevant?
• Do you know the data the user needs to access to do
their job?
Do you understand the user’s typical workflow?
Do you have resources dedicated to building these apps?
Have you chosen a mobile development platform or framework?
13. DEPLOYMENT
Who will train users how to use the apps?
What are the requirements of your deployment architecture?
• In the cloud?
• Hybrid?
• Fully on premises?
Will the mobile user VPN into the system?
How do you manage permissions and roles?
How do you maintain the apps when the OS is upgraded?
How do you maintain the apps when the backend is upgraded?
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Workshop Results/
Next Steps
Once you have completed the workshop, you will have
real production mobile applications ready to extend
to users in the field. There will be a set of internal
processes to go through involving InfoSec, legal, and
other internal organizations. The goal is to get the mobile
apps in the hands of users for them to test and iterate as
soon as possible.
HERE IS A LIST OF SUGGESTED NEXT STEPS:
1. Work with InfoSec to satisfy security requirements.
2. Socialize the apps within the organization to build momentum
and further app requirements.
3. Work with legal to satisfy legal requirements.
4. Work with the additional organizations to satisfy requirements
as necessary.
5. Review and follow the internal processes for moving from test
systems to production.
6. Test the SkyGiraffe app in your MDM environment for the
mobile operating systems to be supported.
7. Iterate and fine tune the apps created in the workshop.
8. Establish expertise with the SkyGiraffe Studio to build and
deploy more apps.
15. After the workshop, SkyGiraffe will work with you to ensure you
have everything you need in order to satisfy internal processes. The
following are further levels of support:
• Email support
• Tickets can be opened by emailing: support@skygiraffe.com
• SkyGiraffe Professional Services
• SkyGiraffe can provide professional services to support
development on data sets, deployment management etc.
• SLA
• Depending on the agreement, SkyGiraffe provides different
levels of SLA
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The customer needed a solution that allows employees to interact
with hundreds of backend systems at different times
Case Study: Large
Global Coffee Chain
The customer is a large global coffee chain with
employees and stores all over the world. They have
prospered because of strong customer service and
an emphasis on technological innovation. Although
the organization is a leader in consumer facing mobile
applications, they required a solution to help them scale
the number of operational apps they needed to deliver
to their workforce that interact with many different
backend systems. Like all enterprises, the organization
have backend systems that span SAP, Oracle, Microsoft,
and many others.
Responding to this need, the company brought in
SkyGiraffe to conduct a 2 day MVPA™ Workshop. At the
end of the workshop, the customer teams & SkyGiraffe
had built 15 production mobile apps that read and write
from SAP, Oracle and Siebel CRM.
CUSTOMER SUCCESS OVERVIEW
17. “Using the SkyGiraffe platform, we successfully built 9
mobile apps that read and write back to our Oracle ERP
EBS inventory system in 2 days.”
Senior Analyst, IT Master Data Management
for different needs. They also needed to adhere to their enterprise
security policies, which required an on-premises deployment, which
is future proof when they adopt enterprise cloud.
The company gathered 5 separate business system teams spanning
SAP, Oracle and Siebel. The teams prepared a list of user scenarios
(mobile micro-moments)
and connected their data
to the SkyGiraffe servers
that were installed behind
the company firewall. The
SkyGiraffe team came on site for 2 days and worked with the teams
to build 15 operational mobile apps connected to backend systems.
Including:
• Inventory lookup with maps to see available or on-hand inventory
by product in specific locations.
• Barcode scanning to see details about an item’s grouping, location,
weight & dimensions as well as the ability to reorder.
• Employee directory searchable by employee ID number, name, or
department and visibility into an internal org-chart.
• Partner lookups to see a list of suppliers and business
classifications.
• Customer dashboards with drill downs into “customers near me”
and specific customer opportunities & orders.
• Manager notifications based on their login details enabling them to
approve, reject or transfer tasks.
• Order capturing & searching by an Item ID and barcode scanner.
• Promotion notifications with the ability to approve or reject new
customer promotions.
“It took me two hours to develop
two apps”
Application Development Lead, SAP
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“SkyGiraffe is a flexible software that allowed me to
quickly build apps, see what I’ve created on my iPhone,
and then edit instantly. This was the best workshop I’ve
been a part of!”
Senior Systems Analyst, Oracle ERP EBS
The apps used test data for the workshop, but are real, production
mobile apps that can
be easily exported
to production
environments and
distributed by the
enterprise’s MDM solution. Additionally, although the company has
standardized on iOS, users can also access the apps with Android,
Windows, and desktop devices.
To conclude the workshop, the teams demonstrated the apps for
their corporate leadership including SVPs, VPs, and directors. Armed
with the SkyGiraffe platform, the teams will be able to build dozens
more applications to support the workforce without having to write
any front-end code.
• Camera
• Barcode/QR Scanning
• Push Notifications
• Texting/Email messaging
• Native maps for navigation
• High speed screen-to-screen UX
• Screenshots with annotative capabilities
“At a high level SkyGiraffe can
connect to any backend database”
Vice President, Global Technology
The apps utilized native device features including:
19. Mobile App Scenarios
EMPLOYEE DIRECTORY
An Employee Directory is one
of the most useful apps for
any enterprise. Easily connect
to any LDAP or HR system to
view employee details such
as reporting hierarchy, job
title, contact info and optional
employee photos.
CUSTOMER 360
Provide sales reps with a
dashboard of customer key
performance indicators (KPIs).
Easily drill into more details,
accessing data from multiple
backend systems.
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MY SALES
Allow sales reps to graphically
view current and historic customer
sales and targets. Quickly and
easily drill into more details and
view raw data from the sales
data warehouse and cloud CRM
systems.
TIME OFF REQUEST
Simplify HR resource management
by allowing any employee to
request time off and view their
work calendar graphically.
Requests are submitted to
appropriate manager for approval.
Employees can also share time-off
schedules with co-workers.
21. CUSTOMERS NEAR ME
Allow sales reps or service
technicians to quickly map and
locate customers in a specified
area. Access native features for
GPS navigation, phone calls, text
messaging and contact details.
MY WORK ORDERS
Allows field service technicians
to quickly access key work order
detail. Drill into more details and
provide read-write access to
backend systems so technicians
can update status while on-the-go.
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PARTS LOOK UP
Perform lookups to any ERP or
legacy inventory system to quickly
search and graphically view
items in a list. The device camera
can also be utilized for barcode
scanning enabling item entry and
lookup.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Quickly and easily view detailed
descriptions and optional
visualizations of inventory items.
Keep track of live inventory levels
from backend ERP or logistics
systems.
23. Conclusion
There are many approaches to solving mobility, but ultimately you
need to focus on a solution that meets the needs of the enterprise:
Speed and Scale
SkyGiraffe enables you to mobilize your workforce with the apps
they need faster than ever before by enabling access to all of your
backend systems via an end-to-end enterprise mobility platform.
Rapidly create and deploy enterprise mobile apps in minutes that
connect to any data source or enterprise application.
• For example: Give field sales a 360-degree view of their
customer with data across Salesforce, SQL Server, and Oracle
in 1 application.
Adapts to your enterprise functions and how it is organized
(authentication, authorization, and architecture).
• For example, integrating to MDM, Active Directory, OAuth,
SSO with SAAS vendors and administering security protocols
straight from the platform.
Deliver unlimited mobile apps to meet the needs of your workforce.
• Get apps in the hands of your workforce quickly to use! Then
provide feedback, and iterate changes without having to
write code.
Provides a flexible architecture that allows you to deploy on
premises, in the cloud, or both.
• Whether you are pure cloud or fully on premises, SkyGiraffe
has a deployment model that meets the requirements of your
business – and allows you to adapt as your business evolves.
Speeds the creation, deployment and maintenance of mobile native
apps across any device by delivering end-to-end connectivity from
data source to mobile device.
• SkyGiraffe connects to your on-prem and cloud enterprise
data & applications enabling you to rapidly deploy fully native
apps for iOS, Android, Windows, and desktop devices.
25. Workshop
Preparation List
WORKSHOP LOGISTICS
• What are the dates of the workshop?
• Have the necessary teams been notified and made available?
• Has space/rooms for the 2 days been booked?
• Has the wifi connectivity for the workshop been established and
will SkyGiraffe have access?
• Are there proper devices to test the mobile apps during the
workshop?
SKYGIRAFFE ENVIRONMENT
• Has the architecture deployment model for the workshop been
confirmed? (on-prem, hybrid, cloud).
• Have the necessary VM’s been setup to install SkyGiraffe?
• Have the SkyGiraffe servers been installed on the VM’s?
• Has the SkyGiraffe mobile app (app store or white label) been
downloaded on the team’s devices?
BACKEND SYSTEMS
• Have the source systems for the workshop been identified?
• How will we connect to each system? (direct connection or through
abstraction layer e.g. REST, OData, SOAP).
• Who are the system administrators for each system?
• Who are the developers building apps for each system?
• If data wrappers are required, have they been written?
• Have the source systems been connected to the SkyGiraffe
Studio?
• Has a simple sample app been deployed in SkyGiraffe Studio to
test the connection?
26. MOBILE APPLICATIONS
• What are use-cases targeted for the workshop?
• Have SkyGiraffe app templates been filled out per app?
• Who are the subject matter experts for each app?
• What is the user flow per app and how does the user expect to
consume the data?
• Have the queries for the apps been written?
• For the apps that write-back, has the business logic been defined?
(Stored procedures, BAPIs, web methods, or other business logic).
SECURITY
• Do the VMs with SGIS & SGDS have the proper ports open to have
the workshop? (network access, push notifications, etc.).
• Has an authentication method for the workshop been confirmed?
(HTTP, HTTPS, OAuth, SSO).
• Will MDM be a part of the workshop?
• Have the relevant InfoSec teams been notified of the workshop
and made available for a meeting?
27. SUCCESS CRITERIA
• Has the success criteria for results of the workshop been
established?
• Have meetings with leadership been scheduled to show the
workshop results?
• Is there a plan to socialize the created apps within my
organization?
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Dates of the workshop: _____________________________________.
The teams relevant for the workshop have confirmed attendance.
Room(s) are booked for the duration of the workshop: ______________
________________________________________________________.
Wifi connectivity has been sorted out: SkyGiraffe has access?
iPhones, iPads or Android phones are available to use during the
workshop & can access the SGDS.
The deployment model for the workshop has been confirmed.
On-Premises
Hybrid
Cloud
VMs have been setup:
SkyGiraffe Integration Server (SGIS).
SDIS has been installed.
SkyGiraffe Distribution Server (SGDS) (may be same as SGIS).
SGDS has been installed.
Latest Version of SkyGiraffe has been updated prior to workshop.
The SkyGiraffe mobile app has been installed on the devices that will be
used for the workshop & has been tested with access to SGDS.
Workshop Checklist
WORKSHOP LOGISTICS
SKYGIRAFFE ENVIRONMENT
29. How many backend systems are we connecting to?___________.
What are the systems? _________________________________.
Identified each system’s admin.
Per Backend Data Source:
How are we connecting to it? ie. direct connection or through
abstraction layer e.g. REST, OData, SOAP.
Who is the admin for it?
Who is the developer building apps?
Has the datasource been added to SGIS?
Built a basic app and deployed to check?
★ Per mobile app, please fill in the App Building Template
BACKEND SYSTEMS
MOBILE APPLICATIONS
30. The VM with SGIS installed has the proper ports opened for network
access .
The VM with SGDS installed has the proper ports opened for network
access.
If we have decided push notifications will be a part of the workshop, the
VMs have the proper ports opened.
All other ports that are required to be opened have been opened for the
workshop.
Google maps API has been established and working.
The authentication method for the workshop has been established: _____
_________________________________________________________.
We have confirmed that MDM will be a part of the workshop or not.
The relevant InfoSec teams have been notified of the workshop.
The relevant InfoSec teams have confirmed a time to meet with SkyGiraffe
during the workshop: _________________.
The success criteria for the workshop has been established.
The executives who should see the workshop results have been identified.
A time has been confirmed to show the workshop results to leadership:
__________________________________________________________.
There is a plan to socialize the created apps within the organization.
SECURITY
SUCCESS CRITERIA
31. Use-cases/Micro-moments
Mobile apps improve workforce productivity across the enterprise.
Here are examples of the apps businesses deploy using the
SkyGiraffe platform.
Inspections
• Perform and submit inspections
• Take picture in the field
• Look up GPS info
• Access online forms
• View in-progress, overdue, and
completed tasks
Deliveries
• Track shipments
• Review order and delivery details
• Report damaged, late, and
problematic items
• Push notifications on status changes
Inventory
• Look up inventory
• Barcode scan inventory
• Order inventory
• Check order status
• Report damaged goods
Operations
Customer 360
• View customer contact info
• Call Center History
• Track orders
• Look at a map to find
customers nearby and open
opportunities
• View customer sales performance
metrics
• Search customers by industry,
opportunity, recent activity, etc.
• Push notifications for larger than
average orders placed
• Push notifications when a customer
ticket is opened or closed
Sales Ops
• View pricing
• View product lines
• Submit proposals
• Generate quotes
• Log calls and meetings
• Create tasks
• Dynamic SMS/email messaging for
customer birthdays and holidays
• View dashboard of KPIs
• View problem reporting
Sales
Call center history
32. Timesheets
• Submit timesheets
• Approve timesheets
Time off
• Submit time off requests
• Approve time off requests
Shift management
• Request shift change
• Approve shift change
• Check staff attendance
• Clock into a shift with manager
notifications
• Clock out of a shift with manager
notifications
Recruiting
• View candidates
• Notify candidates
• Schedule interviews
• List job opening
Employee directory
• Look up contant info
• View org chart details
• Dynamic SMS/email messaging
Human
Resources
Finance
• Approve wires
• Reject wires
• Approve credit increases
• View debtors/creditors
• Push notifications of credit limit,
bank balances, customer credit lines
• Track purchase orders
Executive
• Sales dashboard
• Compare revenue targets through
different channels and regions
• Access to operational metrics
• Push notifications for KPIs
• Prepopulated messaging to
managers
• View problem reporting
Management
Copyright SkyGiraffe 2015 skygiraffe.com
33. IT
Help Desk
• Log an IT ticket
• IT ticket notification
• Close IT ticket
• Access to IT knowledge base
Admin
• Help Desk
• Log an IT ticket
• IT ticket notification
• Close IT ticket
• Access to IT knowledge base admin
• Notifications for disaster/recovery
• Resource and asset tracking
• Restart server
• View AD logs
• Reset password
• Number of ingoing emails
• Number of outgoing emails
• View server utilization
• View user lockouts
Marketing
Campaign management
• Start/pause campaigns
• Approve budget increase/IO
• Campaign dashboard
Marketing operations
• Campaign dashboard
• Marketing KPIs
• Access marketing collateral
• View marketing calendar