The digitalization of work processes not only promises to save time, effort and resources, but also to increase quality, customer benefit and thus growth. The planning and implementation of such a digitalization solution can either be approached top-down by developing a concept on the drawing board and then implementing it in secret. However, an alternative and more target-oriented approach is the bottom-up approach. This involves first analyzing where there is actually potential for improvement and then developing a solution step by step with the involvement of all stakeholders during implementation. However, this requires a willingness to experiment, a readiness to fail and constant learning and improvement.

For example, when introducing an industry app to support service processes, service personnel must be involved at an early stage in order to work out where the "shoe really pinches". For example, it may be that the reason for the lack of acceptance of mobile software is not, as originally assumed, the slow connection setup, but the poor legibility of the display in daylight.

Rapid prototyping as a solution approach

Development cycle for industrial apps: The more often the cycle is run through, the closer the development is to the user's needs.

© Elco Industrial Automation

An agile mindset - i.e. a dynamic way of thinking - with which projects are not rigidly planned, but are viewed and approached as a continuous learning and development process, in combination with the application of rapid prototyping methods, enables the development and implementation of a successful solution that is accepted by the users. This is because they get a feel for the solution and an idea of its additional benefits at an early stage, even if they are not yet able to use all the functions productively.

The positive effects that result from user participation in the project design should not be underestimated. Digitization is then not an issue that was 'pushed through from above', but a deliberate and seemingly self-driven initiative to improve one's own working environment. As user feedback influences continuous planning and further development, the end result is exactly what is developed that offers the greatest possible customer benefit and thus maximizes the prospect of success.

The term rapid prototyping describes a process for (automated) prototype production from design data using shaping processes, usually by means of 3D printing. In software production, rapid prototyping is a process in which the behavior of the real system is imitated using early conceptual designs (wireframes), demonstration models (mock-ups) and interactive demos (click dummies). Particularly in projects with unclear requirement specifications, rapid prototyping is a means by which the requirements can be concretized or possible inconsistencies identified with the involvement of future users. The advantages are obvious.

The disadvantage, however, is that the prototypes do not look exactly like the final system. Furthermore, the process of creating prototypes involves additional effort, as the prototypes are discarded and do not become the basis for the real system.

Toolbox for the digital transformation

Wouldn't it be more effective to develop the prototypes into the real system step by step? Then the prototype takes on the shape of the finished software at an early stage and does not have to be discarded, but is successively enriched with functionality.

The industrial app in the Workbench: With the Workbench, the design of an industrial app can be exported directly to the user's tablet or smartphone with just a few clicks and without any programming knowledge.

© Elco Industrial Automation

Modern tools such as the Workbench from the 'Monkey Works Suite' can do this for the realization of industrial apps. Users can build the prototypes step by step. First, basic navigation concepts are implemented, evaluated and improved. At this stage, a simple click dummy is available for interactive demonstration, which can be tested on the future smartphone or tablet at the start of the project. If functions are added step by step, users or testers immediately receive updates to the app and can provide immediate feedback. Finally, design aspects need to be implemented.

This procedure is made possible by connecting the workbench to a company's own app store: design, creation, provision and testing of the apps - all from one tool. This means that new functions can be implemented quickly and made available to stakeholders in a matter of minutes. Potential feedback - even from users on another continent - is then sometimes available very quickly.

This makes the workbench less of a rapid prototyping tool and more of a rapid development tool that fully supports the agile mindset. It guides the digitalization project from the first click dummy to the finished industrial app, allows feedback to be incorporated, but does not require separate development of prototypes and the production system.

When it comes to digitalization, it is a high risk to give customers a finished product and then rely on their willingness to buy it or to present users with a finished solution and hope for their acceptance.

Learning from mistakes

It is better to fail early with an approach or an idea, learn from it and continue to improve this idea. In this process, the good old specifications have had their day. It is far too rigid and too sluggish for the requirements of digitalization. Google is even taking this to the extreme. In its start-up program 'Google Ventures', solutions for new ideas are designed in a one-week sprint, critical paths are underpinned by prototypes and tested with potential customers. When it comes to digitalization, the motto is: the proof of the pudding is in the eating!

Author:
Stefan Hennig is Head of Business Unit Software/IoT at Elco Industrie Automation.

Case study: Agile development in practice

The recording of measured values with a high proportion of manual steps is to be supported and improved by a digital solution based on an industry app. The survey of employees revealed that it is not - as originally assumed - the finding and identification of the measuring points themselves and the reading of the measured value, but the transfer of the measurement data to a software program that is prone to errors.

A navigation app was therefore desired, but what was really needed was an app for recording measured values with automated and error-free transfer of the measurement data to software for downstream processing and storage. Exactly these required functions were developed in many iterations and tested by the future users with a usable intermediate status each time. Initially, the users only held prototypes in their hands on which the basic functions and navigation paths through the app could be evaluated. Only then were further functions added step by step.

As the industrial app was distributed via the company's own app store, users received immediate and automatic notifications and instructions when a new version was available for testing. The level of engagement was very high because there was no need to schedule extra meetings for many discussions. Feedback was received immediately and could be incorporated into further development straight away. Employees were even able to work productively with many interim versions, which was additionally controlled by broad-based field tests. With the last update, the final status was reached without the need to develop another app. The users were now already familiar with the industry app, they had been trained and so the change to the corresponding work processes was completed more quickly. Overall, this ensured acceptance of the new solution from the outset.