The low-code census 2020 report estimates that application development is 4.6x faster, 4.6x affordable and 4.8x easier using these platforms. Industry research shows that in 2021 alone, low-code platforms will account for 75% of new app development.
According to a McKinsey analysis, Covid-19 has further contributed to this demand. Hence, companies are putting an enormous amount of pressure on IT to meet strategic transformation objectives and growth aspirations.
Low-code experts/ vendors can reduce this pressure by providing the right set of tools, environments and skills to fast-track application development.
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How should an organization proceed with low-code?
Integrating a low-code platform into your digital transformation journey comes with its own set of challenges. Let us discuss some tips on how to address them.
1. Go slow to go fast
Start small and slow before you try important things. As your citizen developers and IT staff build competency and begin to understand potential use cases, they can expand low-code programs and capabilities little by little. This also enables you to tweak the hard stuff like security, data management and reusable components like authentication.
You may also establish a clear tier system, which secures the enterprise while giving people the space to realize new opportunities.
For example, Tier A could be for your average citizen developer with no prior or substantial programming experience. Tier B could be for your power user, and Tier C could be for your professional IT user. Each tier can have its own guardrails and protocols in place, with Tier A being the most regulated.
Ultimately, this is about striking the right balance between imposing restrictions that severely limit citizen developers and launching a chaotic situation (and having to dig yourself out of a hole later).
Finally, watch out for specific problem areas, like avoiding data silos, LCNC app maintenance and application duplication.
2. Greater results with low-code
With the right protections in place, you can reap many benefits from low-code programs.
A typical use case for LCNC is automating data processing in some way.
Another key advantage is that you really enable better reuse of existing resources. This has truly been an objective in IT.
The reusable widgets, common across low-code, promise a genuine leap forward in the reuse of existing IT assets. For example, if a citizen developer creates an app for a log-on authentication—then its API set can be made available for reuse in an internal “app store.” Pretty soon, all low-code users in the company leverage the same proven log-on function for their own apps.
3. Recognize that low-code does not mean low tech or low security
Most low-code platforms are fast, cheap, convenient and secure. Applications built on them touch several other applications, are micro services-oriented, support inward and outward-facing use cases and use existing IT infrastructure. Hence, these applications must follow a design, architecture, security, compliance and DevOps rigor that is no different from a traditionally developed application. In fact, since these platforms empower citizen developers who may be more focused on “getting it to work” vs. “getting it right,” there is a need for instilling this rigor.
4. Focus on building competencies rather than filling the talent void
The biggest value of low-code is the ability to reduce any dependencies on parties like IT and Operations. This may work in the short term. The knowledge to continue developing on these platforms will remain siloed, best practices may be ignored and past learnings may be lost. Instead, focus on establishing an internal competency center and should consist of a lean but knowledgeable pool of broad technical experts and low-code platform experts. This will help in achieving 5 important goals.
- homogenize the application development methodologies and best practices.
- establish reusable code snippets, tools, and accelerators for citizen developers to leverage.
- ensure that methodologies, best practices, tools, and accelerators are leveraged properly.
- maintain the knowledge content on an ongoing basis.
- help evangelize these platforms and grow the community.
5. Think end-to-end digital transformation
When starting with low-code, businesses typically focus on front-end and customer-facing applications. Friction with middle-office and back-office functions remains unaddressed. Airlines provide a good example of this, with customers being able to cancel tickets using customer-facing applications but refunds not being seamless. This is evident from the complaints received in May 2020 regarding refunds. This poor customer experience can be avoided keeping in mind an end-to-end digital transformation mindset.
6. Reiterate the importance of IT
Your IT group becomes more important when you adopt low-code. IT takes on a governance role to review that enterprise technology design standards are followed, security policies are enforced, strategic business and IT objectives are achieved and low-code competency centers remain effective. Overall, IT becomes a dominant force driving the adoption of low-code across all levels and ensuring the digital transformation initiatives leveraging them are sustainable.
8. Ensure the platform fits the objectives and provides scale
With such a large pool of options to choose from, businesses have the opportunity to thoroughly vet them. Keep these points in mind when looking at a vendor.
- ability to meet the immediate business objectives with out of box features
- alignment with the industry vertical, toolkits, and accelerators for development
- compatibility for cross-browser and mobile usage, if desired
- ability to support desired features and integrations
- access to product training
- engagement of the user community for learning and sharing
- outlook of product roadmap to support future scale.
Where are we going with low-code?
Low-code has launched a thousand ships. The giant cloud providers are leading and smaller companies are filling niche needs tailored specifically to a business.
Low-code may ignite a “Cambrian” explosion of user-generated innovation and creativity. In 2021 alone, low-code platforms are predicted to account for 75% of app development and this trend is likely to grow as 60% of current low-code users expect their weekly usage of the platform to increase; some as much as 30% or more. And it promises to be a record year for investment activity too, with around 128 deals worth more than US$2 billion.
Ways of working and managing technology will need to change completely. And enterprise IT, already deluged by preceding waves of change, can be guided by low-code experts to help them prepare for the low-code revolution that’s about to break out.
Who knows what talents we will unleash from our people once low-code gives them a chance to be developers, whatever their backgrounds happen to be?
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