Mark Flaherty: The last innovation to talk about is mobile BI. This is BI where you need, when you need it. It’s been around for quite a while, but there have been a lot changes with it that have come through capabilities of the smart phones. Smart phones are now location aware.
They are GPS devices, so that opens up a whole new set of applications. Also imagine the idea of having bar codes on our smart phone. Also there is the growing installed base having more mobile users, and you can ask does that reach new classes of users that otherwise didn’t have a desktop.
The idea of mobile BI has been around for at least a decade. But before you had to have a dedicated server to take advantage of it. Usually reports had to be developed specifically for the mobile application. What’s new is that BI vendors now support mobile BI as an extension to the BI platform.
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Reports Re-Rendered On The Mobile Device
It’s just a service that runs on the BI platform, and you take those existing reports as is, so you’re not having to build specific dashboards for the iPhone or Blackberry. Instead these are reports that are just re-rendered on the mobile device. If the vendor has rich reporting, they give you interactivity. So smarter phones allow the vendors to take advantage of these capabilities.
When it comes to evaluating the mobile BI solution, examine whether your organization can standardize on a mobile device. Then look at which ones the vendors are supporting. For iPhones, do they have a purpose-built application, or for the Blackberry do they have a purpose built application. Then look at the degree of interactivity. Then look at how the product is packaged and licensed. Do desktop users also get mobile usage or do you have to buy additional licenses?
So this is beginning to become a maturing innovation. For the newer smart phones, very few vendors support them. The value is in the timeliness of access to information. The positioning is for field workers and front-line workers without a workstation.
"We selected InetSoft's Style Report Professional for a time-tested, dependable publishing engine and a powerful, yet easy-to-use report designer that would save resources associated with internal development of publishing capabilities and client customization requests. We were looking for a Java-based publishing solution that could be easily integrated with our own. We have been pleased with deployment, and the reporting software's part in our ability to help companies of all sizes realize cost reduction and revenue acceleration associated with critical configuration and accurate quoting solutions." - Craig Christiansen, President-Technology at FPX
Case Study: Implementing Mobile Business Intelligence (BI) in Snail Farming Operations
EcoSnail Farms is a mid-sized snail farming company specializing in the production of high-quality escargot for gourmet markets across Europe. Due to the labor-intensive and time-sensitive nature of snail farming, EcoSnail faced challenges in monitoring its various processes and maintaining consistency in quality and production efficiency. The management team recognized an opportunity to improve these areas by implementing a mobile Business Intelligence (BI) solution to gather, monitor, and analyze data in real time.
Key Challenges
Before adopting mobile BI, EcoSnail Farms faced several operational challenges:
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Monitoring Environmental Conditions: Snail farming requires close monitoring of environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and soil moisture. These conditions are critical for maintaining snail health and growth rates. Before mobile BI, environmental monitoring was manually recorded, leading to potential delays in spotting unfavorable conditions.
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Tracking Feeding and Growth Rates: Accurate record-keeping on snail feeding, health, and growth was essential for optimizing productivity. However, field workers had to record data manually, which was then entered into spreadsheets. This time-consuming process often resulted in data loss or errors.
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Efficient Workforce Management: Managing farm staff across multiple farm zones was a challenge, particularly when coordinating tasks such as feeding, cleaning, and harvesting. Communication relied on in-person meetings, which led to inefficiencies and impacted response times.
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Data-Driven Decision Making: Without a real-time view of operations, EcoSnail's management struggled to make quick, data-informed decisions. They often relied on historical data, which limited their ability to react to emerging issues or optimize resource allocation effectively.
Mobile BI Implementation
EcoSnail Farms partnered with a mobile BI provider to deploy a user-friendly app designed to collect and present real-time data on critical farm metrics. The app was installed on tablets and smartphones used by field workers and managers across the farm. This system pulled data from connected IoT sensors on the farm, allowing it to track environmental factors and operational metrics, which could be easily accessed by team members through mobile devices.
Key Features of the Mobile BI Solution
- Environmental Monitoring Dashboard
- Metrics Tracked: Temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and light exposure.
- Usage: Sensors distributed across the farm tracked key environmental conditions and fed this data into the mobile BI app. Field workers and managers received real-time alerts if any environmental factors fell outside optimal ranges. This allowed the team to take immediate action to stabilize conditions and protect snail health.
- Feeding and Health Management Dashboard
- Metrics Tracked: Feeding schedules, feed type and quantity, growth rates, and snail health records.
- Usage: Workers recorded feeding data and snail observations directly into the mobile BI app as they moved through the farm. The app automatically flagged any snails showing below-average growth rates or health issues, prompting additional monitoring or changes in feeding patterns. This eliminated the need for manual data entry and ensured accurate, real-time updates.
- Task Assignment and Workforce Management Dashboard
- Metrics Tracked: Task assignments, progress tracking, staff location, and productivity metrics.
- Usage: Managers used the app to assign daily tasks to field workers and track completion in real time. The app's geolocation feature helped managers monitor where workers were stationed, making it easy to reassign tasks as needed and ensure coverage across all areas of the farm. This significantly reduced downtime and improved coordination among team members.
- Production and Sales Dashboard
- Metrics Tracked: Harvest yield, snail quality, inventory levels, and sales forecasts.
- Usage: By tracking production metrics in real time, the management team could forecast sales more accurately and make data-driven decisions about harvesting. This dashboard helped EcoSnail avoid over-harvesting and optimize inventory, ensuring a consistent supply to meet demand.
Results
After implementing mobile BI, EcoSnail Farms saw significant improvements across several key performance areas:
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Increased Productivity The workforce management dashboard enabled faster task reassignment and real-time tracking, reducing idle time by 15% and improving overall productivity on the farm. Workers could now communicate issues directly through the app, which improved response times.
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Enhanced Environmental Control Real-time environmental monitoring allowed EcoSnail to maintain optimal conditions consistently. When temperatures rose or soil moisture fell, alerts prompted immediate adjustments. This resulted in a 20% increase in survival rates for juvenile snails and improved overall health metrics.
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Accurate and Streamlined Data Collection The feeding and health dashboard automated data entry, which improved data accuracy and reduced errors by 30%. Workers appreciated the convenience of recording observations on the go, which meant that data was always current and comprehensive, enabling better insights into snail growth trends.
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Optimized Resource Allocation The production and sales dashboard gave managers insights into yield and inventory levels, enabling them to match harvest rates to sales forecasts more closely. By avoiding over-harvesting, EcoSnail maintained steady inventory levels, reduced waste, and maximized profit margins.
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Improved Decision Making With real-time data at their fingertips, EcoSnail's management team could quickly respond to issues, optimize workflows, and make proactive decisions. This data-driven approach allowed them to maintain high standards in snail quality, meeting the premium expectations of their gourmet market.