EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW
MOBILE APP LIFECYCLE
Design and Development
As enterprises invest in developing or externally sourcing mobile apps, they are finding the need to integrate this process into the overall software development and release lifecycle. This report is the first in a two-part series on the lifecycle of developing and managing mobile apps in the enterprise, which examines the approaches and processes related to design, development, testing, performance and distribution.
KEY FINDINGS
• The increasing use of tablets for productivity rather than just content consumption, as evident from a recent 451 Research ChangeWave survey, shows that demand for mobile productivity apps is on the rise in the enterprise. At the same time, more enterprises are deploying apps in the cloud. There is a correlation here as traditional enterprise IT is coming to terms with new ways of building and deploying software. We see a convergence of Web practices with core enterprise development.
• The application development lifecycle is the foundation for the development of any kind of application software. However, app development for mobile devices is not entirely covered within the traditional lifecycle model, except for things like version control.
• While enterprises look at smartphone app development as a refresh of their software, they should also look at accompanying practices like agile software development as a refresh of their age-old software development practices.
• With the pre-canned capabilities of various tools available for design and development of mobile apps, it is possible to leapfrog certain steps in the development lifecycle. Hence, app development must avoid redundant activities and allow greater reusability for lower management overheads and shortened delivery time frames.
TITLE
Mobile App Lifecycle: Design and Development
ANALYST
Vishal Jain, Analyst – Mobile Services
RELEASE DATE
December 2012
LENGTH
33 pages
ABOUT THIS REPORT
Mobile application development activity is accelerating within enterprises, and with this shift comes the need to better manage these development processes. As end-user expec-tations build and usage increasingly shifts from other channels to mobile devices, there is a need to tie in the mobile app delivery method and experience with overall enter-prise standards, tools and processes. This is a challenge because there is currently no well-defined mobile app development approach or standards.
This report examines some of the app development lifecycle models for building, testing and integrating mobile apps for enterprise employees, partners and consumers. It considers various application types based on business complexity, hosting models and integration with existing back-end sources – and it concludes with a TCO guideline and model around these development approaches. This report is the first in a two-part series on the lifecycle of developing, deploying and managing mobile apps in the enterprise.
EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION 1: EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW 1
1.1 KEY FINDINGS . . . 1
1.2 REPORT RATIONALE. . . 2
1.3 METHODOLOGY AND RESPONDENT DETAILS . . . 2
SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION 4 2.1 CLASSIC MODEL FOR APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE . . . 4
2.2 ENTERPRISE JOURNEY WITH MOBILE SERVICES AND APPLICATIONS . . . 4
2.3 TRILOGY OF MOBILE DEVICES, APPS AND THE CLOUD. . . 5
Figure 1: Current Corporate Tablet Usage, November 2012 . . . . 6
Figure 2: Corporate Cloud Computing Trends, November 2012 . . . . 7
2.4 IMPACT OF MOBILE APPS ON DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT LIFECYCLE . . . 7
SECTION 3: ENTERPRISE MOBILITY ECOSYSTEM 9 3.1 COMPONENTS OF MOBILITY DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT . . . 9
Figure 3: Mobility Apps Ecosystem . . . .10
3.2 MOBILE APP IMPLEMENTATION APPROACHES. . . . 10
Figure 4: Smartphone App-Enablement Options and Decisions . . . . 11
Figure 5: App Implementation Type Matrix . . . .12
3.3 APP DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES AND TOOLING . . . . 12
Figure 6: Software Development Lifecycle Activities . . . .13
3.3.1 Development Workbench . . . .13
3.3.2 Real-Time Testing and Debugging . . . .14
3.3.3 Hosting Models for Development and Deployment . . . .14
3.3.4 Integration Methods . . . .15
SECTION 4: A BLUEPRINT FOR ENTERPRISE APP DEVELOPMENT AND DISTRIBUTION 16 4.1 APP DEVELOPMENT OR PROCUREMENT WITHIN ENTERPRISES . . . . . 16
4.2 MATURITY LEVELS OF APP DEVELOPMENT . . . . 17
SECTION 5: LIFECYCLE IMPLEMENTATION MODELS AROUND
APP DEVELOPMENT 22
5.1 WATERFALL-BASED DEVELOPMENT . . . . 22
5.2 RAPID APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT . . . . 22
5.3 OEM OR PLATFORM VENDOR SPECIFICATIONS . . . . 23
5.4 HYBRID APP DEVELOPMENT PROCESS . . . . 23
SECTION 6: IMPLEMENTATION CASE STUDIES: THE IMPACT ON APP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH LIFECYCLE AND TOOLING CHANGES 24 6.1 AVIVA – TECHNICAL GUIDELINES FOR APP DEVELOPMENT . . . . 24
6.2 BARCLAYS – ORGANIZATION RESTRUCTURING FOR APP DEVELOPMENT . . . . 24
6.3 HOTELS.COM – APP DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE SHIFT. . . . 25
6.4 NORWEGIAN RAIL – DEVELOPMENT TOOL SELECTION . . . . 25
6.5 UBS – APP SOURCING AND DEVELOPMENT MODEL . . . . 25
SECTION 7: PLATFORM AND TOOLING VENDORS FOR MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE 27 7.1 OEM APP DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE TOOLS . . . . 27
7.2 MIDDLEWARE-BASED TOOLS FOR APP DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE IN THE ENTERPRISE . . . . 28
7.3 APP TESTING TOOLS . . . . 30
7.4 ALM VENDORS AND SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS . . . . 31
SECTION 8: EVALUATING A DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR MOBILE APPS 32 8.1 LOOKING AHEAD . . . . 33
EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW
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