Project Management for Mobile Apps

Ensure Success with the
Right Mobile App Delivery
HOW TO

2How to Ensure Success with the Right Mobile App Delivery
Executive Summary.
Mobile app delivery has unique considerations that cannot be addressed
by utilizing a generic digital delivery framework. To build, manage, and
maintain mobile apps requires specific processes and skill sets layered
into a traditional Agile-based project approach to ensure success. With
Gartner stating that “many organizations are asking what skills and
tools to adopt to successfully deliver mobile apps,” it is critical that
organizations build their understanding in this area.
There are four key elements that an organization must include in their iterative approach to
app delivery:
The Gartner 2017 strategic planning assumption that “by 2022, 70% of software interactions
in enterprises will occur on mobile devices” underscores the need for organizations to continue
targeted mobile. Understanding the unique nature of mobile apps, when compared to other
technical development projects, is paramount to successful mobile app development management.
For example, there is shorter end-to-end development life cycle per version; however, expectations
remain high for each release. With clear strategic goals for mobile, applying the key components
outlined in this white paper to mobile app projects will help the implementation of that vision.
Choosing the right path and technology.
Assembling the right team.
Applying the right approach.
Employing the right long-term vision and deployment success.
1
2
3
4

Choosing the right path
and technology.
CHAPTER 1

Choosing the right path and
technology.
Chapter 1
Making preliminary decisions regarding the technical direction for the
mobile development sets the stage for the subsequent choices made
throughout the project. An initial Discovery phase to dive into the
strategy, user needs, and overarching project goals will help determine
the appropriate technical approach needed. The following are elements to
consider when analyzing the path forward.
MOBILE WEB VS MOBILE APP
There are several means through which an organization can provide access to information on a
mobile device, with the primary two being a mobile (or responsive) website or a mobile app.
A mobile website is browser-based content, specifically sized for delivery on a mobile device. It
inherently has broader accessibility and compatibility, as it is not device-specific and does not
require downloads. Sticking to a traditional web-based approach will often allow for reuse of
existing processes, procedures, and staff. While the web is typically utilized for attraction of users,
mobile web is used for transaction.
Attraction Transaction Retention
WEB
MOBILE
WEB
APP

Chapter 1: Choosing the right path and technology
Rather than rendering from a browser, a mobile app is an application that is downloaded and
installed on the device. This can provide the ability for continued use when offline, enhanced
personalization /user targeting, better performance, and greater access to the phone’s native
functionality, such as the camera and push notifications. Deciding to build a mobile app will allow
the organization to take advantage of these enhancements. Mobile apps are used for retention and
engagement of users.
CROSS-PLATFORM VS
NATIVE
Once a mobile app decision is made, the next
step is to determine whether to utilize a cross-
platform technology or to build the apps native.
Cross-platform apps utilize a single codebase to
access multiple native frameworks. Front-end languages, such as JavaScript and HTML, are often
used to build these apps. The cross-platform app is built once and deployed on multiple operating
systems, which typically decreases development costs and timeline. However, there are often
limitations in technology, loading time, and concessions made regarding user interface.
Native apps are developed for a specific operating system, typically iOS or Android. Different
technologies are used for each OS (such as Objective-C and Swift for iOS and Java for Android), so
a separate app must be built for each target platform. While this tends to mean two teams running
in parallel and thus higher development costs, the benefits include the ability to fully access native
services and features, faster response times, greater app store visibility, and inherent native
interface elements.
Individual app needs and circumstances, along with budgetary considerations, typically drive this
decision.
OTHER TECHNICAL DRIVERS
Additional technical implications must be identified and addressed to ensure that the app will
function as expected. Gartner shares that “[m]any organizations also struggle with the complexities
of mobile app integration with enterprise data, as well as offline data synchronization and scalability
issues.” Ensuring a mobile architecture with business-driven API framework, along with security,
authentication, and connectivity needs, is clearly defined up front will allow for appropriate planning
and implementation details to be addressed.

CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2
Knowledge, experience in the correct technologies, and overlapping
competencies are crucial elements when pulling your project team
together. Gartner states that “one of the top priority issues in enterprise
mobility identified in the annual Gartner CIO survey is the lack of
guidance to help identify and source the required roles and skills needed
to create mobile apps.” Below are the key resource needs for a mobile app
project.
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
The product manager must have a product-owner mentality, thus representing the business/client
and their needs. This role is part project planner, part client advocate. The person in this role must
understand the strategic roadmap, plan the releases, ensure the app is well built, and monitor
success. Depending on the size and structure of the organization, this role may be combined
or separated from project management. Understanding of and experience with mobile-app
complexities and general knowledge of the technologies is expected.

Chapter 2: Assembling the right team
USER EXPERIENCE AND DESIGN
While noted here together, User Experience (UX) and User Design (UI) are often separate,
overlapping resources on a project, with the main goal of understanding the audience and how
they will use the app. This understanding allows these team members to design an app that meets
the user’s needs, while capitalizing on mobile strengths and minimizing limitations inherent to
mobile devices, such as small screen size and variable connectivity. It is paramount that an app is
well designed, with clear and intuitive screens. A design should be consistent with organizational
branding, yet distinct from the competition.
Mobile app design is not one-size-fits-all. It is not a generic, ported from desktop, responsive
web displayed on a mobile device experience. iPhone users expect an iPhone-centric experience
in their apps and Android users expect an Android-based experience. Understanding the design
principles of Material Design for Android (https://material.io/guidelines) and Human Interface
Guidelines for iOS (https://developer.apple.com/design) is a must to meet high expectations for
quality and functionality. Apple’s developer site notes the Human Interface Guidelines provide “in-
depth information and UI resources for designing great apps that integrate seamlessly with Apple
platforms.”
EXAMPLES OF MOBILE UX GOALS
Use mobile device capabilities like
voice recognition, AI, and more
Arrange screen elements for a user’s
hand and finger reach
Minimize typing by providing a
natural navigation experience
Simplify navigation to help users
reach their destinations faster
Consider accessibility compliance for
differently-abled users

TECHNICAL TALENT
A company’s technical talent includes the folks who actually develop the mobile app. As with any
IT development project, an organization must ensure that the development team has the right mix
of experience with the required technologies. Additionally, for mobile apps, ensuring knowledge of
DevOps and release management within the technical team is crucial.
Specific mobile app development needs will vary based on a cross-platform or native approach. A
cross-platform solution will likely require a single team with capabilities like JavaScript and HTML in
order to target multiple operating systems with a single solution. Native solutions will either require
separate teams of developers to work in parallel, or a single team with multiple programming
language capabilities (typically C-based for iOS and Java for Android) that will develop for each
OS in an asynchronous fashion. Additionally, a resource with the ability to meet any back-end
integration needs will be necessary.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
Testing mobile apps requires not just a Quality Assurance background, but clear knowledge in the
specifics of mobile device usage — often across different operating systems — along with end-user
expectations. Responsibility to check and measure that the app meets expectations in terms of
usability, quality, and performance falls squarely on this role. Ensuring the mobile app is validated
across changing network conditions and device differences, on the actual devices, is also critical.
Chapter 2: Assembling the right team
JS
SWIFT C#
HTML JAVA

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3
Feature update expectations from end users drive the need for continuous
improvement. Establishing a clear project cadence and feedback loop
is necessary to allow for rapid identification, development, testing, and
deployment of features — a necessity in the mobile app landscape.
DISCOVERY
As noted above in Choosing the Right Path and Technology, an initial Discovery phase to dive into
the strategy, user needs, and overarching project goals will help lay the groundwork for the project.
This initial idea generation and prioritization effort allows the team to hone both the project
direction and approach. Taking time to map ideas back to the priorities driving the business helps
reduce focus on unnecessary apps or functionality. With limited cycles available for each release, it
is prudent to ensure there is a roadmap to document where the focused efforts are most valuable.

AGILE-BASED PROJECT APPROACH
As stated in the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Agile Practice Guide, “customer satisfaction
increases with early and continuous delivery of valuable products.” Agile-based techniques are
often used to deliver technical projects, but Gartner notes that Agile processes are a requirement
for mobile apps due to the “rapid pace of change in the mobile market ... putting pressure on
development and operations teams to adopt rapid development, as well as deployment practices.”
There are many approaches under the Agile umbrella, and as noted in the PMI Agile Practice
Guide, “Agile teams rarely limit their practices to one agile approach.” The following combination is
recommended to help increase the effectiveness of the team:
• Scrum for planning and monitoring through use of a product backlog and daily scrum — along
with sprint planning, demos, and retrospectives
• Kanban board for visualizing and monitoring the flow of work
• The continuous integration and automated testing of eXtreme Programming (XP)
The ultimate goal in combining these techniques is to allow for quick iteration of the typical “Define,
Design, Develop, Test, Deploy” cycle to maximize the value delivered.
DEVOPS
Continuous improvement means the team must have a means for continuous integration and
continuous delivery. Central to this process is improving the collaboration between operations
and development. Utilizing technology and tools to automate source code management, build
management, testing, and deployment will minimize human intervention and maximize speed. This is
crucial with shorter development cycles and increased need for multiple deployments.
Chapter 3: Applying the right approach

TESTING
Thorough testing is critical to quality in all digital projects, but there is additional complexity with
testing mobile apps. First, the QA process happens simultaneously with the app development
process. According to PMI’s Agile Practice Guide, “in order to navigate changes, agile methods call
for frequent quality and review steps built in throughout the project rather than toward the end
of the project.” Also, there is typically a portfolio of devices to be supported and tested — multiple
operating systems with multiple OS versions supported, along with multiple device types for each.
This greatly compounds the efforts needed to ensure minimal defects, such as glitches and lag time,
in the final product. The use of automated testing can help run tests on devices concurrently, and can
be utilized to increase quality through enhanced depth and scope of tests. However, supplementing
with automation typically requires additional technical expertise and does not eliminate the need
for manual testing.
Chapter 3: Applying the right approach
DEVELOPERS
SOURCE
CODE REPO
BUILD
SERVER UAT
Commit
Code -
Detect Changes Test Passes
Test
Fails

Employing the right long-term
vision and deployment success.
CHAPTER 4

Employing the right long-term
vision and deployment success.
Chapter 4
Ensuring long-term success involves both making your app available for
consumption and providing an experience that keeps the user returning.
Analysis of data provides insight to strategic planning, and allows future
iterations to continue aligning with the long-term vision of where the app
should be.
DEPLOYMENT
To have your app consumed publicly, it has to be placed in a device-specific store, such as Apple’s
App Store or Google’s Play Store. So while many organizations have stringent deployment policies
and procedures for their systems, deploying a public app requires that the app go through Apple
and Google’s submission process and criteria for deployment. These are not areas where an
executive within the organization can provide an exception to get something pushed through. App
store submission will require detailed app information in addition to the applicable IPA or APK file.
Additionally, the Apple process typically takes two to three days from submission to deployment —
assuming the app is approved — which must be accounted for when planning. As Gartner states, “All
mobile apps teams require at least one person who understands how to deploy apps, through public
app stores or private mechanisms.”
Additionally, there is an equivalent to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for mobile, called App Store
Optimization. This process involves auditing the name, description, icon, and keywords used to
describe the app. This helps with the placement of the app within the store. The frequency of which
the app is updated and the feedback on the app also play into its placement. Additionally, having a
keyword in the name and an effective description helps with getting downloads.

Chapter 4: Employing the right long term vision and deployment success
DRIVING FUTURE FEATURES
Once a mobile app is published, there is still work to be done. Gathering and analyzing feedback is
fundamental in order to maximize the value of a mobile app. Whether user feedback comes in the
form of app store reviews or from mobile app analytics, information must be gathered, analyzed, and
applied to ensure long-term success.
The ability to provide feedback in the app store is unique to mobile apps. App store feedback provides
insight into the quality and user experience of a mobile app, as shared directly from the end user. This
information is clearly visible for all consumers and can have significant impacts on user perception
and adoption. These ratings are often the driver for continuous monitoring and enhancement
delivery, in order to incorporate quick resolution to issues and provide needed enhancements.
Analytics also provide a key mechanism for measuring the success of a mobile app. They can be
used to measure indicators from user engagement and retention to performance and even to in-app
revenue. This data can also confirm assumptions that were made throughout the life cycle of the app.
However, Gartner notes that “enterprises still struggle to understand how to use mobile app analytics
tools to significantly improve the adoption and performance of apps.” The inconsistent gathering and
usage of analytics data that can be obtained from mobile apps limits the ability to “quickly address
app quality issues and pursue future enhancements to features and functions,” according to Gartner
Analytics can also be used to determine where future functional needs should be focused. Gartner
notes that organizations “should use comprehensive mobile app analytics to achieve continuous
iteration and improvement to maintain relevant and compelling app experiences.” If the appropriate
data collection capabilities are placed into the app, they will provide a “critical real-time feedback
loop of contextual app usage insights.”
ONGOING RELEASES, MAINTENANCE, AND SUPPORT
Even if your business case does not require recurring functional enhancement updates, apps need
testing and updates to ensure they continue to function. Both reactive changes and preventative
maintenance will be needed. End users expect a bug-free experience, so ongoing maintenance
to address issues is critical. Organizations must also ensure the app continues to function on the
newest phones, with the latest operating systems, which typically release major updates annually.

Conclusion, References,
About the Author, and
About Shockoe.
APPENDIX

Conclusion.
From a project perspective, mobile app delivery represents an extension
of the typical implementation. In addition to the standard time, budget,
and resource constraints, there are considerations around technology,
staffing, and process that must be addressed. Success is built around an
iterative process that allows for continuous monitoring, feedback, and
improvements to ensure long-term adoption.
DISCOVER & PLAN
DEFINE & DESIGN
DEVELOP & DESIGN
DEVOPS & TEST
FEEDBACK & ANALYSIS
DEPLOY & MONITOR
With the right oversight and knowledge, companies can ensure that their mobile app teams augment
their activities to choose the right path and technology, assemble the right team, apply the right
approach, and employ the right long-term vision.

About the author.
MISTY SMITH
Director of Mobile Delivery
With 20 years in the technology industry developing and managing
projects, Misty Smith is the Director of Mobile Delivery at Shockoe.
Tech-savvy and flexible under ever-changing demands, she helps
companies crack the complexities in today’s technical landscape.
In her current role, Misty provides the direction for project
management methodologies and delivery, expectation setting, and effective communication with all
levels of stakeholders, and is accountable for overall quality and success of program management —
in addition to fostering growth and mentoring amongst her peers. Seeing projects from concept to
completion, she is an innovative process builder who has the perspective to understand what clients
require and how to drive teams toward success.
In her spare time, Misty is a sports mom and statistics nut. As the mother of three boys, she is often
found at the scoring table or in the press box, to help channel her competitive spirit and (as her
husband says) to keep her out of trouble in the stands. When not at a sporting event or chasing after
a perpetually active toddler, she is an avid reader whose annual goal for the last several years is to
average at least two books per week.
Add Misty on LinkedIn
REFERENCES:
• Predicts 2017: Mobile Apps and Their Development (Gartner)
• How to Build a Successful Mobile App Development Team (Gartner)
• Material Design for Android
• Human Interface Guidelines for iOS
• Agile Practice Guide (Project Management Institute and Agile Alliance)

Shockoe is a leader in the development of advanced
mobile applications focused on increasing sales,
end-user experiences, and employee productivity.
Since our founding in 2010, our strong focus on today’s mobile consumer
and end user has helped us grow into a global consulting firm with a unique
combination of mobile strategy, experience design, development, and
integration. Our products range from mobile apps for the consumer to
apps for the enterprise, and more recently apps that integrate emerging
technologies such as IOT and Augmented Reality. One thing that all of our
products have in common is that they deliver excellent user experiences
and adhere to the best practices in security and reliability.
FIND US ON

Project Management for Mobile Apps

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