Last week I published a blog titled Making the Mobile Promise Come True, which introduced many of you to the concept of mobile-enabled Smarter Process. If you read the post or the white paper by the same name, you realize that this concept is not only changing organizations, it is transforming industries. Hopefully the next questions you asked were “how can I get started” and “where can I learn more”. I plan on answering both of those questions in this post.

How do I get started
While the term mobile-enabled Smarter Process is new, the concept of transforming business processes through mobile technologies has been around for a few years. Although only a select group of organizations have to this point embraced this new form of mobile transformation, we have worked on and seen enough examples to start tracing out some patterns around how to be successful.

To us at IBM, a pattern is similar to a business process flow in concept; each represents a repeatable, proven set of value-producing actions. Each pattern demonstrates how you can realize the value of mobile processes, no matter which industry you inhabit. They are a way to look at your organization and narrow down your focus are to where you may realize return on investment. And while no two organizations are the same and success is never guaranteed, we believe that you have a better shot of driving value, especially if this is your first project, if you leverage the lessons of those who have come before you.

To help you take advantage of that tribal knowledge, we have developed nine patterns grouped under three focus areas: Customer Engagement, Workforce Productivity, and Embracing the Ecosystem of Everything.

Each of these nine patterns are designed to help you overcome some common business challenges and are supported by recommended actions to help provide the value you are looking for.

One of our clients, Stichting Flood Control (SFC), provides a good example of how these patterns can be utilized for process improvement. SFC was interested in implementing a Smarter Levee Management system in order to manage and monitor the levee system responsible for preventing flooding in the Netherlands. Utilizing the Internet of Things pattern, they were able to implement a network of sensor into their levees, providing real-time information about potential weaknesses. This allowed them to develop early flood warning signals that were previously not possible, resulting in improved flood prevention.

Where can I learn more
If you are looking for a place to start your mobile-enabled Smarter Process journey, download the Patterns for Achieving Mobile Success for Organizations whitepaper or visit ibm.com/smarterprocess.  You can also connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter @CSchmitty68.