Mike Ehrenberg: Microsoft Dynamics ERP aims to standardize its mobile framework technology

Microsoft may have a larger vision for the Dynamics ERP user experience beyond the traditional client, but it is still a work in progress. In reality, the various Dynamics products have been progressing with their own semi-autonomous vision for the design and development of role-specific apps, driven by market and user demands. In the future, Dynamics leadership wants to bring these approaches back to a more unified set of standards.

Dynamics AX, GP, and NAV teams made a point of updating the Convergence audience last week of their specific mobile plans. Dynamics AX is accumulating something resembling a suite of mobile apps. The newest addition is a new shop floor control app, which adds to the previously revealed Windows 8 and mobile apps for workflow approval, time tracking, and expense management.  The Dynamics GP team has plans to introduce a new app for procurement, as well as a larger goal of implementing a service-based architecture that will open up the potential for a whole new generation of applications that could utilize almost any capability or data from Dynamics GP as a service. And the Dynamics NAV team explained at Convergence that NAV 2015 will introduce broad support for devices, including a framework for a unified experience across mobile platforms and a "touch-first" user experience mindset.

So what is the larger vision for Dynamics ERP apps? In a nutshell, Dynamics organization is working toward that more unified development strategy that will introduce reusable technology and call on best practices from around the company, including the Windows and Visual Studio teams.