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At a time when it took 30 days by boat and 24 days by stage coach, the Pony Express could transport parcels from the East to the West in a snappy 10 day trip. But with 60 days to implement the $200,000 project – the service cost more than its end-users could afford. Even the most experienced IT teams face the same problem: developing new applications stretches resources and budgets to the max, but without a strong business case and low cost-of-development, the solution becomes obsolete. The question is: How can IT teams deliver more business value faster, and with fewer resources? We created this slideshow to explain what IT leaders can learn from this famous failed project.
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What you can learn from the first logistics application:
THE PONY EXPRESS
Yes, the Pony Express was an application! Here’s why:
It addressed an emerging need: delivering information to the West Coast “faster” than traditional alternatives:
• Boat: 30+ days• Stage Coach: 24 days• Pony Express: 10 Days!
The company awarded the contract had only 60 days to get it up and running. It took a lot of effort, strained resources and harmed reputations – but it also created legends…
Limited resources. Limited time. Do these issues hold your IT team back?
It made Buffalo Bill one of those legends...
William Cody rode 322 miles (518 km) over one of the most dangerous sections of the entire trail in 21 hours and 40 minutes, setting the record for the fastest delivery.
The feat required over 20 horses!
How many horses do your applications typically require?
But the business case was flawed from the start...
At $5.00 per letter, the Pony Express was unaffordable for the general public. Later, the price dropped to $1.00, but even that was considered expensive ($26 today).
After 18 months, the Pony Express shut down. It’s ROI was horrendous, grossing $90,000 and losing $200,000 (in 1860 dollars).
Logistics apps need to maintain a positive ROI. Is cost-of-ownership killing your business case?
And the problems they had were just like yours!
1860 USA was expanding and dispersed, making communication and collaboration difficult.
Growing logistics companies face similar issues aligning business and IT people.
Those quick-fix Microsoft Excel or Access applications lack security, adaptability and scalability.
Alternatives were inefficient and lacked security; they weren’t built for cross-country travel.
Alternatives
Environment
And the problems they had were just like yours!
The men awarded the Pony Express project had only 60 days to get it up and running.
Aggressive timelines are nothing new to application delivery teams at logistics companies.
Much like business units’ perceptions about IT teams.
Their shaky resources (real and perceived) were a hindrance to their success.
Reputation
Timeline
So what can we learn from the first logistics app?
The Pony Express failed because it didn’t fully satisfy user requirements. It was faster than the alternative, but it was too
expensive to solve the core business problem at hand.
Risk of failure is inherent in all IT projects.
The Mendix App Platform helps IT teams mitigate that risk by enabling business-IT collaboration, centralized governance and management of applications, quick feedback cycles, and rapid
application delivery.
Sounds interesting, but how can it help me?
1. Business and IT people speak the same language in Mendix’s modeling environment and can build UI, data structure and business process logic in record time.
public class AccessQuoteDelegate { private StockFacadeLocal stockFacade; public static AccessQuoteDelegate accessQuoteDelegate = null; public static AccessQuoteDelegate getAccessQuoteDelegate() throws StockException { if(accessQuoteDelegate == null) { accessQuoteDelegate = new AccessQuoteDelegate(); } return accessQuoteDelegate; } private AccessQuoteDelegate() throws StockException { InitialContext context; try { context = new InitialContext(); StockFacadeLocalHome home = (StockFacadeLocalHome)context.lookup("java:comp/env/ejb/StockFacade"); stockFacade = home.create(); } catch (NamingException e) { throw new StockException(e.getLocalizedMessage()); } catch (CreateException e) { throw new StockException(e.getLocalizedMessage()); } } public AccessStockQuoteVO getCurrentStockData(String symbol) throws;}
Java Mendix
Rapidly develop applications using intuitive visual models.
Sounds interesting, but how can it help me?
2. Deploy applications instantly to the Mendix Cloud or your own infrastructure and run your applications on premise or in a private cloud.
Leverage prebuilt acceptance and production environments.
Sounds interesting, but how can it help me?
3. Mendix’s built-in social collaboration features make it easy to engage all stakeholders across business and IT, throughout the lifecycle of your project.
Get business stakeholders involved.
Sounds interesting, but how can it help me?
4. Build multi-device applications with pre-defined user interfaces for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
Build one app for any UI.
Sounds interesting, but how can it help me?
5. IT teams can ensure management, documentation, maintenance and security in one centralized place.
Manage all your apps from one place.
Sounds interesting, but how can it help me?
6. The Mendix App Platform makes it easy to tie into existing processes and provides multiple, highly efficient integration options.
Seamlessly connect & extend existing systems.
So about that next project…
Don’t be Buffalo Bill! You don’t need a team of 20 developers to build your next
application.
Get more applications out of your existing IT resources. Harness the power of the Mendix App Platform to enable growth
through differentiating and innovative applications.
Trusted by leaders in Logistics & Transportation
Thank you for your time.
Please visit
Mendix.com/for-your-industry/logistics/
to learn more.
