IBM Center for Applied Insights Study. Presented by Susanne Hupfer, IBM InterConnect, Las Vegas, Feb. 2016. Mobile is the new normal, and it enables enterprises to interact and engage with customers and employees in novel ways. But as mobile apps take center stage, development teams face enormous pressure, having to continually adapt to changing mobile technologies and user expectations. How do some development projects deliver great applications—meeting expectations, on time and on budget—when most don’t? According to an IBM Center for Applied Insights study involving 585 mobile development professionals, the secret lies in having both the right team and the right approach: • Strong team with the right expertise • Flexibility through cloud-based platforms and APIs • Collaboration across the ecosystem • Innovation through analytics

1. What It Takes for Mobile
Development Projects to Succeed
An IBM Center for Applied Insights Study
Susanne Hupfer

2. Mobile application development study
1
We surveyed 585 mobile-focused
developers and development
managers from nine countries*
to better understand their
approach to mobile application
development.
* U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, India, Japan, China, Russia, Brazil
Source: IBM Center for Applied Insights, Star qualities: What it takes for mobile development projects to succeed
For more info, visit: ibm.com/ibmcai/mobiledev

3. 2
Only 1/3 of mobile application
development projects are successful --
fully achieving budget, schedule, and
project objectives.
What’s their secret?

4. 3
Does not appear to be related to
• Programming languages
• OS platform choice
• Native vs. web vs. hybrid approach
• Size of development teams
What are successful projects doing differently?
The secret to success

5. 4
Successful projects have a different team and approach
Platforms set
the stage
for flexibility
Leverage platforms that use
cloud services and APIs
Two-thirds use cloud APIs to
assemble the application.
Collaboration
keeps the
production on track
Developers collaborate
continuously with the business,
designers, testers, IT Ops and end
users.
Nearly two-thirds collaborate
closely with business
stakeholders.
User analytics
inspires the
next act
Find inspiration in usage
analytics, not just direct
feedback
58% more likely to cite
usage analytics as a top
source of inspiration for
mobile app innovation.
rightapproachrightteam
Experience and expertise for a strong cast
Successful project teams have greater mobile development experience, and are more likely to have the
development expertise and specialized business/industry expertise needed

6. Experience and expertise make for a strong cast
Successful
projects
All others
Successful
projects vs.
all others
27%
26%
Inadequate staffing to meet objectives -31%
-30%
39%
37%Lack of development expertise
Major challenges faced
23% 32%Lack of specialized business or industry expertise -28%
Successful projects are 30% more likely to have at least
one developer with more than 5 years of mobile
development experience
Successful projects are more likely to be adequately staffed, with the right
development and specialized business expertise

7. Platforms set the stage for flexibility
Successful projects are more likely to leverage
platforms that use cloud services and APIs
Successful
projects
All others
67%
53%
46%
31%
Cloud APIs for application assembly
Mobile application development platforms (MADPs)
Cloud-based platforms for development
+20%
+31%
+29%
+35%
56%
41%
35%
23%
Mobile Backend as a Service (cloud application
development services)
Due to the flexibility afforded by both cloud and MADPs, successful projects are
33% less likely to report being locked into a particular platform.
A platform approach
Successful
projects vs.
all others

8. Collaboration keeps the production on track
Three-fourths of successful projects collaborate using agile software
development methods.
Successful
projects
All others
Successful
projects vs.
all others
62%
58%
Business stakeholders +29%
+26%
48%
46%End users
Close collaboration throughout with
67%
74%
Quality assurance
IT operations (deploy/support the application)
57%
64%
69% 57%Mobile interaction designers/user experience experts +21%
+18%
+16%
Mobile app developers/managers say the #1 trait for developer
effectiveness is ability to collaborate with non-developers,
such as marketing, communications, tech support

9. User analytics inspires the next act
Two-thirds of successful projects analyze user
behavior closely (20% more likely)
Successful projects are 1.6 times more likely to cite usage analytics as a top source
of inspiration for mobile applications
Successful
projects
All others
Successful
projects vs.
all others
65%
66%
User behavior (app feature usage) +20%
+27%
54%
52%Regularity of application use
Significant analysis of
48% 35%Social media sentiment about the application +37%
Successful projects and others are on par with monitoring direct user feedback (e.g., user reviews and
bug reports), but the successful projects are more likely to analyze indirect user feedback

10. Take your cues from the successful mobile project playbook
• Identify skill gaps and determine how to fill them through
training or partnering.
• Foster a stable team, identifying top developers and
mapping out a career path to keep them.
Build a team of mobile stars Satisfy the need for speed
and flexibility with platforms
• Consider cloud-based platforms and APIs to boost
development speed.
• Use standards-based mobile application development
platforms to avoid vendor lock-in.
Collaborate with the ecosystem
• Identify developers with strong communication and
collaboration skills.
• Provide the right tools and environment to foster
collaboration with designers, testers, IT ops, marketing,
business stakeholders and end users throughout
development.
Keep an analytical eye on your
audience
• Conduct usability testing during development, and use
analytics after launch to identify popular (and unpopular)
features and functions.
• Continually improve the application by incorporating user
feedback and analytical insights.

11. To learn more about the study, please visit
ibm.com/ibmcai/mobiledev

12. Notices and Disclaimers
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