Study suggests three-quarters of customer-facing apps are ailing

IT departments are struggling to handle the increasing demand posed by customer-facing applications, according to a Mendix poll of IT and business professionals.

In the build-up to the festive period, the pressures on businesses and retailers, in particular, is mounting as the use of mobile applications for mcommerce increases among consumers.

Recent statistics from Moxie suggest that up to 25% of all ecommerce transactions could be delivered through mobile devices this Christmas, however the poll by Mendix states that 71% of the IT professionals surveyed feel inept in their ability to deliver on the ever-changing requirements of their related mobile and business apps, creating what Mendix has labelled an ‘app delivery chasm’:

“While there has been plenty of anecdotal evidence that an app delivery chasm exists, this is the first study to define just how acute the problem is and how many hurdles companies face as they look for a solution,” said Derek Roos, CEO and co-founder of Mendix.

“The numbers show that businesses increasingly need new apps to innovate and compete in an evolving marketplace but are missing out on opportunities because IT cannot deliver at a fast enough pace.”

The survey also revealed growing demand for custom business applications, specifically mobile apps, which were cited by 75% of respondents. Of those with a mobile agenda, 68% report needing multi-device, multi-channel apps versus standalone smartphone or tablet apps, further highlighting complexity of the technical requirements.

Overall, 82% of respondents report having a project backlog while 89% were unable to reduce their backlog year over year.

The research revealed three factors successful organisations implement that facilitate rapid application delivery:

• Implement an application strategy – "Respondents that have implemented methods, such as Gartner’s Pace-Layered Application Strategy, reported higher percentages of applications delivered on time, under budget, meeting requirements and generating value."

• Involve the business – "Respondents that listed high levels of IT-business collaboration and enabled citizen developers to build apps scored significantly higher on project success criteria."

• Modernise the development environment – "Organisations with more advanced development environments that facilitate easy sharing of prototypes for user feedback and include an integrated deployment environment are more successful than their peers."