CIOs with mobility initiatives should narrow their focus to a selection of business processes for better return on investment (ROI), according to global IT consulting firm Bluewolf.

Many Australian businesses with mobility initiatives have struggled to achieve a strong ROI. Nearly half of 120 Australian executives surveyed in a recent Accenture report reported a less than 50 per cent ROI on mobility projects.

That was in spite of the fact that 30 per cent of the Australian organisations planned to spend $32 million in the next two years on mobile capabilities, more than any other country except for the United States.

Many companies may not be seeing ROI on mobility because they have taken an unfocused approach, Patrick Bulacz, CTO of APAC for Bluewolf, told CIO Australia. (Tweet this)

“They just try and boil the ocean. They try to cut off too many processes in a particular app and they try and release it,” he said. “What we find is, when that application ages, it doesn’t have any innovation and there’s no feedback from the users as to what features they want.”

Focusing on about three business processes is likely to yield more immediate ROI and efficiencies, he said. More features can be added later, as needed, he said.

A good mobility strategy starts with knowing what kind of devices will be provided and how to control them, Bulacz said.

“It starts off with the device, goes onto the application strategy and thirdly it’s really about consolidating the backend – making sure all the data is accessible in some way, shape or form.”

Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) “is the first step in engaging mobile adoption in your organisation,” he said. “If they’re willing to bring in their own devices, you should embrace that.”

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