7 useful tips that simplify the adoption of Low-Code

The Low-Code market is exploding thanks to the need for greater speed in the digitization and automation of digital processes. The global market is expected to grow 10 times within the next 10 years, with an average annual increase of over 29% and a turnover of nearly $190 billion in 2032^[1].

However, today only one out of four new applications is developed with Low-Code^[2], even if this technology allows for an accelerated development up to 10x, increasing the productivity of even less-experienced developers and entrusting the vendors to update the technologies that make up the applications.

The main reason for the low adoption rate of Low-Code platforms is the paradigm shift compared to traditional programming and the lack of a long-term Low-Code adoption strategy, which sees platforms as a main asset at the service of developers and business analysts and one that is also available as a collaboration and governance support tool.

Tips to simplify the paradigm shift and plan an effective adoption strategy

We have collected the best advice from our customers who use the WebRatio Platform, and they have results such as a payback period of 6 months and a decrease in time-to-market by 30%. These are suggestions that allow you to simplify the selection phase and the adoption of Low-Code technology so as to ensure that this innovation of the IT department immediately leads to performance improvements:

“… Low-Code is not a passing trend but a technology that is increasingly adopted and must be made known in the company …”

As we can see from the analyses and forecasts, Low-Code is increasingly used, and the market is destined to grow because it is a tool that improves company performance. The lack of knowledge and adoption of Low-Code can lead to a loss of competitiveness within a company because it can be found among competitors who use this technology and whose productivity is not comparable

“… make sure that Low-Code technology you adopt is aligned with your business objectives, even in the long term …”

Do not limit yourself to adopting a temporary solution: If there is a need in your roadmap to scale a solution and make it enterprise level, create an internal software factory that develops more web and mobile apps or offer process analysis and reengineering services in the future, it is important to adopt a complete suite that includes all of the necessary functions, such as web, mobile and BPA development.

“… you can start from a small project, even just an MVP …”

To tackle a seemingly complex problem, it is useful to break it down into smaller problems. The same is true when you start using Low-Code: Start with a simple project, which includes only the core features and interfaces that characterize the application, and then expand it as skills increase. It is useful to be able to follow a Low-Code development project from the beginning and prioritize the solution to be developed.

“… do not worry about training times because then they will be amply repaid with the increase in productivity …”

The weeks required for training in the use of Low-Code can be seen as precious time subtracted from the development and maintenance of existing digital solutions, but if you think about the subsequent increase in development productivity, the investment is repaid in one week, and the following days will be worth up to 10x compared to before.

“… check that the basic technologies used by the platform are market standards to avoid the risk of technological lock-in and obsolescence …”

The use of standard and widely used technologies (e.g., Angular, Cordova, Spring, Hibernate, Docker, Kubernetes) makes it so that you are not required to depend exclusively on the platform and can customize it by drawing on a vast amount of resources and the support of a large community.

“… create complementary and transversal skills, following personal attitudes, the potential of the Low-Code platform and the approach to development …”

Rather than structuring a team based on knowledge of technologies or on the type of an application developed (web and mobile) and using a waterfall methodology, it would be better to think of an organization composed of transversal roles and skills in order to make the most of the platform and use an Agile approach with autonomous teams that are organized ad hoc for each project.

“... insert Low-Code technology into your technological vision …”

How do you see your company in 3, 5 or 10 years? How do you view your digital assets over the same period? What about your development team? Surely you have asked yourself these questions, and you must ask yourself the same type of question about the platform when adopting the Low-Code technology because it will be central to the development of your solutions: What will the Low-Code platform you are choosing look like in 5 years? What functionality would you like to have in the future, based on your company’s technology roadmap?

The secret? Continuously innovate with a clear roadmap

How much time do you dedicate to the innovation of digital solutions? Any business, from micro- to multinational, should spend more time on innovation than maintenance. Experimenting and implementing new business models, processes, and digital features advance the company and create new markets and business opportunities.

The productivity of Low-Code releases the innovative potential of companies, reduces maintenance time and increases the ability to allocate forces and resources in the innovation of products and services.

For this reason, when adopting Low-Code technology, it is necessary to have a clear roadmap in order to find the development environment and the vendor most suitable for future needs and with which to create a long-lasting relationship that is based on the continuous common search for technological and business innovation.

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Sources

[1] https://www.factmr.com/report/low-code-development-market

[2] https://de.nttdata.com/files/2022-en-wp-low-code-analysis.pdf