How low can you go? Part 4

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The series so far…

Over the previous three articles in this short series I have looked at the most common forms of low-code systems, namely integration, data and development.  In this final article I will reflect on the offerings, the use cases, and ultimately the value that these tools can bring.  I will also leave you with my thoughts on the how you can get the best out of the platforms if you decide to dip your toe into the low-code pool!

Conclusions

My biggest takeaway from investigations so far is that the low code platforms overstate their accessibility to “ordinary” business users.  To get the best results from the more powerful tools available you still need a fair amount of technical skill and time to build familiarity with your chosen tools. However, don’t let this put you off – I have found that with some experience and time you can achieve remarkable results, at pace!! Therefore I think it is better to make a start and see how far you can get, rather than avoid using these tools.

For smaller companies, low code integration products offer the opportunity to streamline your operations and to mimic what your larger competitors do at a fraction of the cost.

Larger corporates can use low code to empower technically experienced “citizen developers” and can reap efficiency savings from rapid development and release cycles, and high levels of innovation, albeit steps should be taken to avoid yet more “shadow IT”.

I have noted on a number of occasions that there are lots of low code tools and platforms out there, that they are evolving quickly, and that new ones are joining the market all the time. In such rapidly developing markets you should expect consolidation, changes in commercial models, and some failures. Choose tools or ecosystems that suit your requirements at the time. Keep watching the feature announcements and the wider market and be prepared to switch.

Guidelines for success

Based on my research and hands-on testing, I have developed the following series of guidelines which I believe will help you to get the most out of whichever low-code platform you select:

  1. Establish requirements and a design before you start ‘building’. Start small and increase the scope as you get more familiar with the tools and you begin to see tangible benefits.

  2. Document and maintain what you build!

  3. To do more than just the basics you might need to write some code. Even basic scripting may reap significant rewards. Remember, most of the tools are better categorised as low-code rather than no-code.

  4. Empower “citizen developers” within your organisation and consider nominating champions or even creating a centre of excellence. Consider setting up an operations and maintenance team if usage takes off.

  5. Select a powerful low-code development engine for your existing developers to help them with ‘basic’ development tasks and free them up to work on more complex features.

  6. Experiment! Generate buzz within your organisation when you get results. To that end, track spend and outcomes, and compare costs against traditional methods to highlight benefits to key stakeholders.

  7. If a data platform or application really takes off, monitor performance and be prepared to re-platform if demand or enhancements outgrow the original tooling.

Vendor directory

As a by-product or researching and writing this series, we have started a small directory of low-code and no-code providers. This can be found on our website here. There’s also a form to submit additional vendors if we’ve missed your preferred platform.

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How low can you go? Part 3