Business Agility

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.

Foreword.


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.



Conclusion.


Notes and References.


Index.