The IT Backlog You Don’t See on a Device Support Report

Your IT team closes a device support ticket. The scanner returns to service, the employee gets back to work, and the issue shows as resolved.

What project got kicked down the line as a result?

Maybe the team postponed a network improvement. An integration lost another day. A system upgrade moved further down the schedule.

Support reports show the device work IT completed. They don’t show the technology work IT delayed to complete it. Organizations need to look at both sides of the workload to understand how mobile device management affects IT capacity.

What Keeps Moving to the Bottom of the List?

IT teams manage competing priorities every day. Infrastructure upgrades, system integrations, security initiatives, network improvements, application projects, and process improvements all require their time and attention.

Mobile device issues often take priority because warehouse employees rely on those devices to do their jobs. When a scanner fails during an active shift, IT needs to respond. When new devices arrive, someone needs to stage, configure, and verify them before deployment.

Sporadic, immediate needs can push planned projects further down the list.

One interruption may not significantly affect a project. Repeated interruptions can. When IT regularly shifts resources from planned work to device operations, larger projects can lose momentum and deadlines can move.

Reactive Work Changes the IT Calendar

Device support involves more than troubleshooting individual devices.

A failed unit may require IT to diagnose the issue, prepare a replacement, coordinate a repair, communicate with the facility, and follow up when the device returns to service. Deployment problems can require coordination across locations. Configuration issues may affect multiple users or devices.

Each activity takes IT resources away from scheduled work. Frequent interruptions also make it harder to set aside consistent time for projects that require planning and concentration. The team may stay busy all week while infrastructure, integration, and system improvement projects continue to wait.

Measure the Work That Isn’t Happening

Support ticket volume provides useful information, but it does not show the full impact on IT. Organizations should also review:

• Projects that repeatedly move to another quarter
• The average age of projects in the IT backlog
• Time spent on device-related work
• Staging and deployment backlogs
• Repeat device support issues
• Time spent coordinating replacements
• Projects delayed by unplanned support demands

These measures help connect routine device responsibilities to the broader IT workload.

For example, a growing project backlog alongside high device support demand may indicate that both types of work are competing for the same limited resources. Tracking that relationship gives IT leaders better information when they evaluate priorities and staffing.

Evaluate the Structure, Not the IT Team

Internal IT teams can manage mobile devices. The more useful question is how much of that responsibility they should own. Start by looking at the demands of your mobile Environment:

❓How much support does the device fleet require?
❓How often are teams staging and deploying devices?
❓How many facilities does IT support?
❓How much configuration work does each deployment require?
❓Which device responsibilities repeatedly interrupt planned projects?
❓What does the existing IT project backlog look like?

The answers can help determine whether the current structure gives IT enough capacity for both device operations and larger technology priorities.

Establish Clear Ownership of Device Operations

Organizations do not need to treat every mobile device responsibility as an internal IT function.

Define who owns procurement coordination, staging, configuration, deployment, ongoing management, and support. Then identify which activities require internal IT expertise and which follow repeatable processes that a managed mobility services provider can handle.

For multi-facility operations, consistent ownership can also help standardize device configurations and deployment processes across locations.

After defining those responsibilities, monitor project backlogs, deployment timelines, support demand, and IT capacity. Those measures can show whether the new structure gives internal teams more time for planned work.

Learn How SMG3 Can Help

SMG3 provides enterprise mobility support across procurement coordination, staging, configuration, deployment, ongoing management, and support.

By giving day-to-day device operations dedicated ownership, organizations can reduce the amount of repeatable device work assigned to internal IT while maintaining visibility into their mobile environment. Internal teams can then put more of their available time toward infrastructure, integrations, system improvements, and other technology priorities.

Which mobile device responsibilities are contributing most to your IT backlog?

Talk with an SMG3 mobility expert about evaluating your current device management structure.