SME product development

Project Brief

Company X is a SME providing food products to the catering trade. In order to help ensure a competitive level of service the company is considering the suitability of creating an app for their customers to use. However, the development of an app is outside the company’s specialism and will require an investment of scarce resources. Therefore, the company is looking for a consultant to undertake a scoping study to help determine the requirements of the project.

Background
In the current business environment mobile devices have become the focal point in a range of sectors such as Hotels & Restaurants, Travel & Holiday Providers, Ticketing Sites, Banks & Financial Institutions, etc. These companies have found mobile apps to be a great way to increase both sales and visibility for their respective businesses.
Key Facts:
• People are spending more time online today in comparison to any other media
• Time spent per day on mobile phones has increased about 575% in just 3 years
• About 62% of the world population can change their mind about the brand, if the brand provides opportunities for mobile access, mobile apps or purchase goods and services via smartphone.
• About 80% of the time spent on mobile phones is spent using apps
• Mobile Apps provide a user experience which ‘Responsive Websites’ are unable to offer.
• ‘Internet of Things’ devices are mobile apps centric (business2community.com, 2015)
“Therefore, mobile apps are becoming the dominating form of digital interaction, and customers / consumers in today’s world are on the move and using mobile application platforms to get there. Also, whether they use mobile phones, tablets, Smartphone, they have all the information they require and that’s why mobile apps are extremely essential in today’s business environment”.

“Mobile apps are not just for the B2C Market. Apple’s iOS is becoming the most popular platform for enterprise app development – with 53.2% of developers picking iOS for corporate app development compared to 37.4% of developers standing behind Android. RIM’s BlackBerry, the old guard of enterprise mobility, came in a distant fourth behind Windows Phone with only 2% of developers supporting it”. (Acromobile.com, 2013)

“Thanks to the consumerization of information technology and the app store phenomenon Enterprise Mobile Applications are moving away from clunky form driven screens. Business-to-Enterprise (B2E) apps are now expected to provide polished and guided business process with zero learning curve. This of course is a mixed blessing. On one hand there is more up front work in mobile projects to “get it right”. On the other hand when successful there are many benefits to change management, training, process conformity, and increased throughput”. (Acromobile.com, 2013)
Many small businesses have developed their own dedicated mobile app as a way of harnessing the potential of modern digital communications. Seven core advantages can be realised if companies utilise mobile apps effectively:
1. Be Visible to Customers at All Times
2. Create a Direct Marketing Channel
3. Provide Value to Your Customers
4. Build Brand and Recognition
5. Improve Customer Engagement
6. Stand Out From the Competition
7. Cultivate Customer Loyalty (Forbes,com, 2014)

Client Requirement

The client is looking for consultants to provide a report bid outlining how they would produce a study that outlines the following:

A scoping study to determine the necessary requirements of developing a business app for the Company X.

Project Timescale
The duration of the project is 6 Months.

Deliverable
Consultants need to produce a 6,000 word report outlining the main objectives of the study and the methods that would be employed – following the structure provided. In addition, an ‘A3 Report’ summarising the approach to this project needs to be provided.