How everyone just became a developer

Since the start of our weekly articles we have touched on low/no code on multiple occasions but have not delved into the concept in much depth. This week we will be taking a closer look at why low-code tools allow business analysts to configure the system without developer involvement.?

Beyond escaping the initial IT constraints, low-code/no-code technologies enable them to put tools in the hands of the business users who are best able to identify and enable process improvements and innovations, and continue to adapt them over time. Instead of using traditional coding languages like JavaScript, low-code and no-code platforms have drag-and-drop features and pre-configured elements. This allows users to assemble application processes much like how Legos allow people to assemble structures.?

Many business software providers are incorporating low-code/no-code tools to make development platforms more customisable and to allow citizen developers to create apps without IT involvement. Anyone within a business from HR managers to sales reps can develop new applications themselves in a relatively short amount of time and without professional coding knowledge. For the company, this allows for rapid app development and automation, which accelerates digital transformation and optimises business processes to promote efficiency and growth. This ability is what has made low-code and no-code platforms so popular for business application development within the past few years. Gartner estimates that 75% of large enterprises will be using low-code for both professional and citizen development by 2024, and the low-code market grows by about 40% each year.

Companies need to be more agile, flexible, and digital to compete and grow. They need to focus on app development for their day-to-day operations ranging from customer service and HR to finance and marketing. Our tech-oriented environment does not give businesses the time to wait several months for one hand-made application; they need the technology that enables rapid application development spanning beyond busy IT departments. Low-code/no-code development platforms can enhance the CRM, ERP, and BPM of companies from any industry by equipping them with the visual tools they need to assemble new apps and automate their ideas. They promote digital transformation, enable citizen developers, and create an environment in which any department can create the solutions they need to optimise their work. Low-code/no-code platforms can take anything from process design to development and make it faster, easier, and more accessible no matter what coding skills a user may have.

Some of the advantages a company can expect when they start utilising low/no code development into their business strategy are: increased agility; faster transformation; lower costs; improved efficiency and productivity; flexibility; and better apps.

Perhaps the easiest way to understand the benefits low-code/no-code development can give a company is to understand how it is applied in day-to-day processes. A BPM or CRM software without low-code/no-code capabilities hosts several applications and integrations with third party software with the goal of organising and automating workflows. Automation can be achieved using simple business logic for processes like document management, which is useful for most industries. But what if you need an application to automate a process that goes beyond business logic? What if there’s an application that isn’t provided within the platform’s marketplace or library, or you need to extend an existing application’s functionality??

In practice, it is highly unlikely that even the most advanced BPM or CRM platforms come with every single application or customisation a specific company may need to automate processes. Traditionally, creating new applications requires development that can only be handled by IT; anything that goes beyond simple business logic would require coding at some point. As the number of additional extensions or applications increases, so does the IT backlog. This results in a business waiting months for vital applications to automate their processes. Even with a decent-sized IT department, an enterprise could expect a new application every month or two for their business processes.

There are great benefits from low/no code software development, but management challenges as well. Citizen developers tend to create applications that don’t work or scale well, and then they try to turn them over to IT. Or the person may leave the company, and no one knows how to change or support the system they developed. The best situation may often be a hybrid citizen/professional development model, in which the user develops 80% of the model, and hands it off to the developer for polishing.?

Department leaders and the executive champions, too, may need to become more educated about the best practices for scaling low/no code tools, especially across large geographical footprints. New organisational models such as a federated COE (Centre of Excellence) may need to be created, supported by internal digital portals (or “storefronts”) where citizen developers, system developers and leaders can collaborate, and learn, and quickly get help when encountering roadblocks.??

Almost every organisation today needs more system development talent. Over time, it’s likely that systems will become even easier to build for common processes and use cases.

Next week we will take a look at how Creatio uses simple developer tools to accelerate customisation. Essentially everyone becomes a developer!