Users of mobile information technology always have to struggle up a steep learning curve, and one of my most common bits of advice to new and over enthusiastic adopters is expect mobile systems to initially increase your time taken per job, as staff will take a little longer to record the work on their computer than they did when they scrawled a few words on a carbon triplicate docket, while stuffing the yellow copy in their pocket, and handing a well-thumbed white to the client.  (I never knew what the green copy was for, but it’s obligatory, or so they said, as is, it seems, the pink, that stays stubbornly illegible in the book of NCR forms.) It really does take a little longer to gather data properly, and click all the buttons necessary to be allowed to hit SEND, and then dash to the van for the next job, but then, using the mobile computer does ensure that information is gathered properly.

However, that said, we recently witnessed the untimely end of a mobile data gathering trial that seemed to founder on the above problem, or perhaps simply on the limitations of computers as opposed to the users love of good old paper?  It is worth recounting the story as it is sad, but not uncommon.

Sue manages several care homes. She is very capable and experienced, and the use of a desktop computer is now a necessary part of daily work, although she would no doubt say that the most important part of any day is working hands-on with care staff and service users. One of Sue’s duties as a manager is to regularly ‘walk the job’ recording a wide range of observations which form an action plan for improvements, and also provide a regular report to the Commission for Care Standards who regulate the sector, and who could close Sue’s home down in a jiffy.

Tradition has it that Sue’s reports were written on a paper form that had large areas of free-form text and which were subsequently typed up for sharing. With a huge burst of enthusiasm and goodwill for the mobile IT trial, past forms were studied, and then reduced to multiple choice options which were, in turn, built in to an application which ran on a PDA that neatly fitted in the hand. Several iterations of the form ensued, as questions were refined. The benefits beckoning welcomingly in the future were the promise of instant reports to managers and speedy dissemination to the Care Commission, and hopefully much less time taken typing up.

Three weeks later all was in ruins, and the trial abandoned; but why? We have yet to get fully to the bottom of this problem, however the failure seems to be the combination of  several things: Fiddly technology (the little screen and multiple chrome plated buttons that adorn pocket PC devices); Time - and not perhaps being comfortable, when it came to the crunch - to work more slowly; No ‘trainer’ available on-hand to correct and advise when she simply got-stuck; and finally, and most intangible, the feeling that she wanted to be able to write what she thought, and not be constrained by tick boxes.

She had the option of free text in the application but the tiny XDA keyboard was, it seems, too small, and she never got away with hand writing on screen. I’ve yet to convince her that voice notes, or perhaps Anoto coded digital paper would be the best alternative to keeping some of the benefits of going digital (the sound recorder button on the XDA was always a problem in any case), so, it is back to the drawing board.

Sometimes analysing our failures is helpful, and I am hopeful that this one will eventually provide insight. Any readers with a view on why these sorts of projects sometimes fail are welcome to write to the author at MCUG, and we can share their experiences.

Update at La dolce vita

I know it’s tough, but sometimes we consultants have to work abroad in places like Florence and Pisa. I’ve recently changed to a T Mobile Web’n’ Walk 3g card for my MCUG laptop, and whilst in many ways this is the best deal around for remote access, there is a sting in the tail of many of these data cards which have expensive tariffs abroad, especially when coupled with the habits of Microsoft’s ever-so-helpful ‘Update’ service. I guess the size of this problem (or £87.82p to be precise) seems out of proportion to the modest 13.7 MB of data that it represents, and to the fact that much was an update to Windows XP that I could have deferred for a couple of days if I’d known.

This all adds to the feeling of being duped. Popping on to check my emails a couple of times in Italy allowed that ever-so-automatic Microsoft update service to gain roving access TIM’s ever-so-fast Italian 3G service, which engaged an ever-so-costly £6.38 per roaming megabyte data service, and consequently, an ever-so-large supplementary T Mobile bill. Put another way – do I feel happy that a (non) essential update to media player cost me the price of several nights happy eating and drinking at the Trattoria – Not!

Resilience and self help.

Returning to the old theme of wireless hotspots, it seems many utilities have evolved to a position where to all intents they are dependant on one data carrier for most of their communications (Computing 15.2.07 ‘Utilities network under threat’).  The logical extension to this argument  is that changed work practices and the closure of depots has also compounded the potential problem by removing those bolt-holes where staff could congregate in times of trouble to receive direct mouth to mouth instruction, or be at the working end of a fax or landline. The Service Sector is in the same boat, where their own service levels are, de facto, totally dependant on service levels in outsourced wireless networks, often purchased on the simple criteria of lowest price.

MCUG members have debated this problem and have concluded that in the absence of service guarantees the most pragmatic strategy is resilience-by-diversity. This May will see our first member, South East Water, unveil its steps towards this goal, with the introduction of wireless hotspots (running on an independent or alternative infrastructure) to supplement the mobile workforce’s communications systems. These small islands of connectivity represent a second channel in times of trouble, as well as extra-bandwidth points in good times. Our MCUG Working Group will, in April, be reviewing a plan and memorandum of understanding for standardising and sharing aspects of this infrastructure between neighbours to provide even greater resilience in a simple organic plan. If you are interested in being part of this initiative please contact MCUG for details of the Working Group.

The Diary

April - 16th - 18th IQPC Mobility Week in Amsterdam
April - 30th (week commencing) Resilient Communications working group
May – Workshop and seminars on the use of hotspots to provide utility communications.

Contact MCUG for more diary items or for details of the above (secretariat@mcug.org.uk) or (martin.morey@mcug.org.uk)