What are the best ways to manage mobile device projects remotely?

Choose Robust MDM Platform: Select reliable MDM software. ? Set Clear Objectives: Define project goals clearly. ? Maintain Regular Communication: Schedule frequent virtual meetings. ? Document Everything: Keep detailed records of plans. ? Remote Training Sessions: Conduct remote training. ? Use Collaboration Tools: Employ project management software. ? Monitor Remotely: Utilize MDM tools for oversight. ? Address Security: Implement data protection measures. ? Offer Remote Support: Provide assistance remotely. ? Stay Flexible: Remain adaptable to changes.

Managing mobile device projects remotely requires a robust MDM platform and effective communication. By implementing these practices, you can effectively manage mobile device projects remotely and ensure successful outcomes for your team and organization.

Here are some key considerations to keep in mind before choosing an MDM tool: - Which device models does it support? Are all existing devices the same models and brands, or are there multiple? Will we be purchasing new models in the future? - Are there any prerequisites we need to be aware of? - Does the tool offer all the features we require? - Is the customer support provided by the vendor reliable and effective? - Does the tool fall within our budget constraints?

Managing mobile device projects remotely requires effective communication, collaboration, and project management tools. Here are some best practices for managing mobile device projects remotely: Use Collaborative Tools: Utilize collaboration platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom for real-time communication, file sharing, and video conferencing to keep the team connected and engaged. Project Management Software: Implement project management tools like Asana, Trello, or Jira to plan, track, and manage tasks, milestones, and deliverables. These tools enable remote teams to stay organized, prioritize work, and monitor progress effectively. Establish Clear Communication Channels: Define communication protocols. Regular Check-ins

A Mobile Device *Project* (vs a mobile device management effort) should: 1) begin with a clear set of achievable and demonstrable goals; 2) be funded; 3) should include members of the IT department and a small test group outside of the IT department for testing; 4) should be backed and verified by looking at similar agency's experiences (if possible); 5) should be endorsed by authoritative agencies like Gartner; 6) should have complete "buy-in" by all levels of management; and lastly 7) delivery dates for milestones during testing and roll-outs should be agreed upon by all stakeholders.

I believe that implementing a mobile device management solution needs the involvement of all stakeholders. This is because such move will affect the entire organization. Concerning timelines, scope and budget constraints, the project implementation of mobile devices management should be divided into different scopes with clear definition of what is expected of each department. Especially, the IT department and Finance department have a crucial responsibility of ensuring the project implementation is successful.

Clarifying project scope, timeline, budget, and quality standards is crucial. Use emails, chats, and project management software to communicate these elements transparently. Setting measurable milestones helps track progress and aligns team and client expectations, preventing confusion and delays. One time at work, we faced significant project delays because of unclear expectations regarding deliverables. After adopting a more structured approach (e.g. SMART Goals Framework), where every sprint's goals and deliverables were clearly defined and communicated through weekly Zoom calls and updated on Confluence, we noticed a marked improvement in project delivery time and team satisfaction.

Defining clear goals and expectations is indeed a crucial factor in managing mobile device projects remotely. Establishing the scope, timeline, budget, quality standards, and deliverables of your project can provide a solid foundation for your team and clients. Regular and transparent communication of these goals and expectations through tools such as email, chat, video conferencing, or project management software can help ensure that everyone is aligned. Setting realistic and measurable milestones and tracking the progress and performance of your project can help prevent confusion, delays, and conflicts. By clearly defining and communicating your goals and expectations, you can foster a collaborative and productive remote work environment.

Agile goes out the window and no amount of planning works without clear goals and locking down requirements to limit a project. Too many times you will see the goal post move in a project with asks for supplemental endeavors mid project.

A simple question to ask here would be what is the end goal of the company/school you are working with. "The school wants to deploy iPads to students and have the teachers manage classrooms and iPads for workflow and all for collaboration between documents" Key points here would be student and teacher devices, apple or Google classroom for workflow and maybe use managed apple IDs for collaborative work. But also be careful not to overload the customer with technical jargon. Keep the system simple and provide many examples of what the end product would look like.

Implementing your mobile device management via agile methodology is very important. The reason is that you cannot roll out this initiative for the entire organization at once. It needs testing, evaluation and feedback from sample users. In my experience, I always advise my customers to create a security group of sample users for their test purposes and adopt an incremental approach in the roll out of mobile device policies.

Adopting agile practices, like Scrum or Kanban, enhances flexibility and collaboration. Break projects into manageable tasks and deliver in short sprints. Utilize tools like backlog and sprint boards for organization, and daily stand-ups for team updates, fostering adaptability and continuous improvement. One thing I've found helpful is to integrate the Scrum framework with remote working tools. Using Trello for sprint boards and daily stand-ups over Microsoft Teams not only kept the team agile but also fostered a sense of community and collaboration, essential for maintaining morale and productivity in a remote setting.

Implementing agile methodologies, such as Scrum or Kanban, can be an effective way to manage mobile device projects remotely. These methodologies are based on iterative and incremental development, where the project is broken down into small, manageable tasks and working software is delivered in short cycles called sprints. Agile methodologies allow for adaptation to changing requirements, feedback, and market conditions, and promote continuous improvement of the product. They also foster collaboration, flexibility, and transparency among team members and clients.

While agile methods can be useful to break down jobs while deploying an MDM solution. The MDM space has become quite straightforward sometimes only ever requiring three forms of tokens a setup URL and an email. Daily meetings and charts to show your progress can lead to micromanaging of your team members. This can be draining for your workforce and customers in the long run. It would be better to provide the members of the deployment section with accurate training guides and setup instructions then once the deployment of say iPads begins work closely with the customer on site physically to show the process of enrolment or have a member of your team hold a workshop or a day visit to show the customer.

To accurately run field testing, especially for enterprise apps, it's critical to use software tools which automate the problem identification process to spot problems proactively as they occur. Too often, field tests rely on human feedback which can be extremely unreliable in its accuracy and timeliness. At the field test stage, it's critical to test the app in the field under "real world" conditions. This is typically where odd problems with mobile carriers, network connections, network clock / timing and other oddities appear, and these bugs can be very challenging to troubleshoot. New tools such as B2M's Elemez support real-time analytics and diagnostics to proactively spot problems as they occur and allow for accurate feedback.

Ensure app quality by conducting comprehensive testing on various devices, platforms, and networks. Employ unit, integration, usability, and security testing methodologies. Gather user feedback through surveys and analytics, and regularly update of apps to fix bugs and enhance performance. During one project, we utilized a mix of Browser Stack for cross-platform testing and Jenkins for continuous integration, which allowed us to catch and fix issues early. This approach significantly improved our app's stability across different devices, leading to a better user experience and fewer post-launch bugs.

Thorough testing of business apps is a crucial aspect of managing mobile device projects remotely. Ensuring that the apps work as intended, meet quality standards, and provide a positive user experience is essential. Testing should be conducted on various devices, platforms, networks, and scenarios using tools such as unit testing, integration testing, functional testing, usability testing, or security testing. Collecting and analyzing user feedback through surveys, reviews, ratings, or analytics can provide valuable insights for improving the apps.

Almost all companies in this space for MDM solutions will have access to a testing environment. If you become a partner of these MDM companies you can open a support dialog between those companies as well to have access to a wider knowledge base Of course the most successful testing is the real world testing. You can test deployment on dummy devices all day but it will never simulate the issues that would come on site. Factors such as network and filtering, anti virus and WiFi accessibility may require bespoke solutions. For example an old mac mini could be set up as a caching server on site to reduce bandwidth usage on the entire network.

Providing ongoing support to the clients and users is a vital aspect of managing mobile device projects remotely. Ensuring the satisfaction and loyalty of the clients and users and the smooth and secure operation of business apps is essential. Support can be provided through various channels, including email, phone, chat, or social media, and support materials such as FAQs, guides, tutorials, or videos can be made available. Monitoring and optimizing the performance and security of the apps using tools such as MDM, analytics, or encryption can help ensure the continued success.

Maintaining client and user satisfaction requires robust support channels, including email, chat, and social media. Offer informative FAQs, guides, and tutorials. Monitor app performance and security through MDM and analytics, ensuring smooth and secure operation. Once, in an Enterprise setup after launching our app, we set up a multi-channel support system using Zendesk, integrating email, chat, and phone support. This system, complemented by an extensive knowledge base, helped us reduce response times and increase user satisfaction. Additionally, regular analysis of support tickets guided our app's future development priorities.

Providing ongoing support is key here. You can't expect the customer to handle all the technical issues on a platform that may be completely new to them. You must provide your customers with a soft handover period, allow them to ask questions and have that relationship building with your support team. Emails, telephone and workshops can all be put in place to further build your customer database. Something as simple as a phone number given to the customer can build existing relationships. One support channel for MDM solutions could lead to further support in other fields which in term then expands your business. Both customers and business can grow with the correct support channels.

When it comes to mobile devices, security and data breaches are the main concerns. 8 different areas need to be evaluated thoroughly before going live with any of the mobile device management projects. 1. Data Protection 2. Device Security 3. Network Security 4. Application Security 5. Phishing and Social Engineering 6. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Policies 7. Endpoint Security 8. Compliance Requirements