Last week I was contacted by a customer who wanted us to help with a proof of concept for their IOT program, and they stressed that it was essential to finish the POC (Proof of Concept) within four weeks. When I asked them for their program’s documentation to understand more about their plan, I only received a protocol document for the hardware device to be connected. They said they had just started the program a few months ago with little in place and were in a hurry to move forward.

Unfortunately, the above scenario happens far too often, and many organizations directly jump to the POC (Proof of Concept) or implementation phase without doing an Analysis and Planning session.

Multiple studies show that only 30% of IOT programs succeed, and one of the primary reasons for the failure is a need for clear business objectives.

Before starting an Enterprise IoT program, all the stakeholders should get together and ask the questions below:

• What business problem or opportunity are we trying to address by implementing the IoT program?

• Who are the stakeholders, and what are their needs and expectations for the program?

• What are our goals and objectives for implementing an Enterprise IoT program?

• What are the potential benefits and risks of implementing an IoT program, and how do we measure them?

• What is the timeline for implementing the IoT program, and what would be the budget allocated?

• What IoT technology or platform best suits our needs, and how will it integrate with our existing systems?

• What IoT devices, sensors, and hardware would suit the program, and how will they be deployed and managed?

• How will we handle and secure the data generated by our IoT devices?

• What data will be collected, and how will it be analyzed and utilized to create business value?

• What are the privacy and security implications of the Enterprise IoT program, and how will they be addressed?

• What types of IoT devices will we need, and how will they be deployed and managed?

• How will we ensure regulatory compliance and data privacy with our IoT program?

• What teams need to be in place for the program to perform different functions like development, implementation, project management, and customer support?

• How will we measure the success and ROI of our IoT program, and how will we adjust our approach if necessary?

• What is the plan for scaling the program beyond the initial pilot or deployment phase?

The above list of questions is something to begin with and needs to be more comprehensive. But, more importantly, the intent here is that asking questions like these will help you to clarify your goals and objectives, identify potential challenges and risks, and ensure that your Enterprise IoT program aligns with your business needs and priorities.

Asking the right questions and then using that information to create a proper plan for the Enterprise IOT program will help you get on the better side of the statistics of successful programs. Connect with us at queries@avigna.ai to avail of our IoT Advisory Services.