For the past three years, we’ve been studying how the consumerization of IT has been impacting enterprises, including government. As Unisys’ third annual Consumerization of IT research study indicates, the growth of mobile device use in government and the private sector continues – with 44% of workers now using smartphones at work. That’s a 300% increase from three years ago, according to Forrester Consulting, which conducted the study for Unisys.

Tablets, which were rarely used at all two years ago, are now increasingly becoming the computing device of choice for many in today’s workforce. Driven by the adoption of new end user mobile technologies, government agencies are beginning to create innovative new ways of conducting business.

Unfortunately, as CIOs know all too well, this road to a mobile business model has more than a few potholes. Establishing a clear vision, building a lean strategy, incorporating the right technologies, and achieving business improvements often cost way too much and accomplish way too little.

Enter the “enterprise rescuer.” Evidence surfacing across the industry is showing that CIOs who are making notable differences in mobilizing their organizations are incorporating a holistic approach that addresses what I call the five pillars of a mobile enterprise [see graphic below].

Each of these pillars comprises a critical aspect of organizational change needed for an optimized result. Major points of these pillars include:

1. Organization and People: This pillar focuses on the culture of an agency and openness of employees to change. For example, it wouldn’t have been unusual for some federal employees in the 1980s to spend 70% of their time in the field, interfacing with clients. With the advent of computers, these same employees became dramatically more office bound – in the field only 30% of the time. This required a culture change at many agencies as employees gradually moved to this new office-based way of conducting government business.

Now, utilizing a mobility program, an agency’s goal could be to return those employees to the field by giving them useful mobile devices that allow them to enter data and share information remotely. Focusing on “on the spot,” “in the field” and “in real time” greatly enhances the time employees need to interact face-to-face with citizens that rely on their government services. But it also requires a culture that accepts new ways of doing business.

2. Policies and Governance: This pillar concentrates on what is necessary to move the organization away from outdated and restrictive models, who has the responsibilities of leading that move, and how the changes will be managed through deployment and operations. In some cases, outdated policies that inhibit useful adoption of mobility must be changed. These policies might include: not allowing employees to use their own devices, requiring employees to report to the office every day, requirements to record vast amounts of data regularly, or a policy that forbids Wi-Fi in an office. All these policies need to be addressed thoroughly before a mobility model can be considered.

From a governance perspective, the entire enterprise must be invested in the strategy, with a set of leaders who understand the importance of mobility and know what levels of funding and resources are needed to deliver a successful program.

3. Business Processes: If an agency’s goal is to move employees to the customer site, processes associated with being “at the right location” and “in real time” must be leveraged. For example, I’m reminded of a recent experience when my car was damaged in hail storm. I saw firsthand how my insurance company had dramatically maximized the efficiency of claim agents in the field by using a mobile strategy. My insurance adjuster came to my home with a mobile device, which he used to take multiple pictures of my damaged car and measure the damage. The information was then transmitted to the company’s data processing system, which soon came back with a printout on how much they would pay to repair the car. I signed the printout on the spot, and a check was immediately generated for the body shop.

By reengineering its business processes to take advantage of mobile technology, the insurance company improved my customer experience and made its agent more efficient. There’s no reason this can’t be applied to government operations.

4. Technology: The focus here is to ensure the organization has the appropriate hardware, software and support services in place. Agencies need to address questions such as:

• How do you engage business and IT to deliver a “ship ready” mobile app in 4-16 weeks?
• How do you deliver a drop-box tool efficiently, securely and cost-effectively?
• How do you implement strong authentication, single sign-on and access controls?
• How do you start improving your critical infrastructure when funds for this may not exist?

5. Performance Management: A holistic, enterprise-wide goal focusing on “are we making progress?” also is essential. How do you know that on day one, day 90 and at your project’s end that your mobility goals are being achieved? Key performance indicators must be established for areas such as customer satisfaction, employee productivity, cost reduction per service and other metrics.

Most experts agree that mobile devices and applications present a goldmine of opportunity for organizations to make their employees more productive and their clients happier. By focusing on these five pillars, government agencies can help to ensure that their mobility strategies are well-defined and likely to achieve their goals.

Owen Unangst, a former associate CIO at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is director of enterprise mobile computing for Unisys Federal Systems.