Low-code is often mistakenly perceived as ‘low-cost’ code. However, it is much more than a simplified version of computer development, low-code makes application development accessible to as many people as possible.
Therefore, we are talking about the existence of a real democratization. Although the technology is becoming both a tool and a universal culture, it is necessary to offer a solution that allows all users to get involved in this issue. This is how low-code actively participates in opening new horizons.
Low-code: an autonomy accelerator
Low-code is based on an approach focused on accelerating and simplifying the development of applications based on already available technological components. User experience (UX) and graphical interface are at the heart of low-code accessibility, so no technical background is necessary. However, in order to determine which components to use, it is essential to learn how to properly combine the building blocks.
However, it is not a question of eliminating it completely, but rather of directing its objective towards providing access to a larger public. Therefore, teams considered non-technical, commercial ones, for example, can use it to develop and implement their own applications in order to precisely meet the specific needs of their business.
With the appearance of low-code, we are witnessing a change of model in which everyone can now evolve almost autonomously in technical projects. In this sense, we are witnessing a real change in the level of initiative within companies.
Low-code is based on an approach focused on accelerating and simplifying the development of applications based on already available technological components
Therefore, low-code is above all an accelerator, by no means a substitute. It pushes known boundaries in project management and web development by itself and is a profound innovation in how businesses work.
Low-code: a high-level advantage for companies
If the immediate benefits of low-code are primarily of concern to users, it is obvious that the agility gained also benefits businesses. A Gartner survey of 200 companies indicated that the appeal of low-code is primarily driven by improving productivity, but also by time to market, building business applications and improving the user experience.
Implemented for several years, the low code platforms now they have enough perspective to analyze the uses related to their product. It is clear that today the adoption phase is underway. Low-code is finally comparable to what cloud strategies were 10 or 15 years ago. In addition, some consider that it is the natural evolution of the cloud, especially since most platforms have chosen to work ‘as a service’, thus combining the best of cloud and of Machine Learning.
Another and no less important advantage, low-code enriches the focus and possibilities of IT projects in a sector that suffers from an endemic shortage of hiring. Experience shows that after a few months of training, people from sectors such as finance, marketing, etc. they can work on small, but very real projects. Again, this is an extremely powerful change that redraws the lines of IT and technology projects, but also has a positive impact when it comes to recruiting by the HR team.
Implement low-code
What are the best practices to carry out for the implementation of a low-code strategy within an organization? It all depends, obviously, on the digital maturity of the company. The general objective is to train non-technical people through empowerment sessions so that they understand the principles of the platform, but also the methodologies on which it is based.
It is also necessary to explain to clients the new perspective that low-code brings and the change in trend that it represents. As hardware becomes less necessary and less important going forward, the focus will be on creating business value for the customer.
Another best practice for implementing a low-code strategy is to create centers of excellence for development and maintenance, which will allow employees to test the solution without risk. These centers provide an ideal ‘sandbox’ structure for training, familiarization, creation of automation processes, etc. These centers allow, for example, to process incoming emails, forward them or automatically create tasks from the body of the email, without posing any risk to the organization.
Low-code: a metaphor for innovation
The innovation it works both ‘from above’ and ‘from below’. The first refers to the great innovation that changes everything through massive disruption. This kind of innovation that breaks into an industry with a new technology or offering is relatively unique, and its rarity is precisely what makes it valuable. But innovation also works from below. Low-code is part of this category that, by multiplying the capabilities of a large number of players, literally creates an ecosystem by expanding innovation.
This is because low-code opens up the possibility of creating local applications that allow users without deep technical knowledge to quickly and easily create applications, or even develop an application or process using only configuration tools. Low-code thus creates by capillarity a favorable culture medium for the appearance of what could be called micro-innovations. These can have, due to the mass they represent, a systemic effect of innovation, if only due to immediate access to innovation by a greater number of users. This democratization makes the limits disappear. Without ostentation, with modesty, it expands the horizon of innovation and thus pushes the frontiers in its own way. In this sense, low-code is clearly a concept that promotes this horizon and opens new frontiers of innovation.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism