Digital transformations are driving content management innovations across industries. A robust digital transformation strategy allows an organization to implement new automations as well as foster an agile workforce that can operate optimally from anywhere in the world via the cloud.
Taking your content management workflows into digital spaces also opens the door for the use of low-code platforms to quickly develop and deploy custom applications that can bring more accuracy and efficiency to your processes.
By examining how low-code app development can benefit an organization by bolstering its digital transformation initiatives, we can see why it is in your company’s best interest to incorporate a low-code development platform into your technology stack. Let's explore!
When developing apps in the past, an intimate knowledge of coding and specific coding languages was required. A low-code approach enables so-called citizen developers to implement their ideas into new applications without the need to write and edit long sections of code.
The way app development without coding — or without much coding — works is by providing the user with a drag-and-drop development environment that allows anyone familiar with the software to combine features into a unique app that serves their needs.
Some hand coding may be required, but there is a big difference in going to IT professionals for a little bit of code editing as opposed to asking for an entire app development project.
low-code environments allow for faster turnaround from ideation to implementation. Your team can find an automation opportunity, create a prototype app to address that opportunity, and deliver that app in a fraction of the time that a traditionally developed app could be created.
Many leading enterprise content management (ECM) systems have either incorporated their own low-code platforms or are compatible with low-code development tools via relatively simple APIs. Depending on your ECM, you may already have access to one of these tools. If you have Microsoft Power Apps, Mendix, OutSystems, or Appian, you have access to low-code development functionality.
Business process automation (BPA) is one of the primary functions of a digital transformation. Moving away from purely analog and manual workflows allows automation to take repetitive, labor-intensive tasks off of the dockets of your workers.
Here is how incorporating low-code development can help you speed up that process:
When it comes to innovation, the first one to get their project off the ground and into the user’s hand typically becomes the gold standard. Rapid application development via low-code tools means that you can go from an idea to a prototype in a fraction of the time it would take to write every single line of code.
And the speed at which you can develop apps with a low-code approach means that your project backlog is drastically reduced.
Another reason project backlogs get reduced when app development takes place on low-code platforms is the participation of Citizen Developers. When more people are able to bring their ideas to more projects, more apps get developed and more jobs get done in a shorter amount of time.
The ability of employees from departments across the length and breadth of an organization to develop applications takes pressure off of IT workers who can get stretched very thin by the long list of responsibilities they face every day.
And embracing IT modernization in the form of low-code development gives more people the opportunity to apply their unique knowledge of their workflows and processes to app development. You hire people because they demonstrate qualities you want to foster — low-code platforms let them put those great qualities into effect.
It can be difficult to hire as many experienced developers as you would like. It may be a budget issue or a lack of candidates or any number of other factors, but using the visual development tools found in a low-code development environment can allow you to mitigate any IT staffing shortfalls you may face.
You will still need experienced IT professionals to supervise some app development projects and provide editorial oversight in the instances where some manual coding is still required. Still, by and large, your citizen developers will be able to contribute to resolving your IT demands.
It’s one thing to look at how low-code platforms can help and another to look at how they already do help organizations across a wide range of industries.
One of the biggest areas low-code tools provide benefits is in workflow automation. Manual document processing can be a huge time-suck for teams across an organization. Identifying automation opportunities and creating custom apps to take care of those tasks can make HR onboarding, expense and approval routing, and more move much faster and can help drastically reduce the risks of human error.
Since so much of an organization’s operations revolve around internal document processing and workflows, we have given them focus so far, but they aren’t the only things that benefit from low-code platforms for app development.
Your customer service teams can also develop user interface portals that allow your client base to perform self-service tasks and access dynamic forms that can then be submitted into your automated processing workflows.
One of the less obvious ways in which low-code tools can save an organization money is legacy system modernization. By creating custom applications to automate functions that your current ECM can’t handle on its own, you extend the life of that legacy system significantly.
As your organization grows and expands its offerings, you will likely need to upgrade your systems. But low-code app deployment can help ensure that you don’t have to take that step until you can be sure it needs to happen.
No technology or platform is entirely without potential drawbacks. But by being aware of them, you can plan mitigation strategies and make the incorporation of low-code tools a smooth and successful process.
Before implementing apps created by your citizen developers, you need to be sure that they meet your data governance and security standards and requirements. low-code governance and low-code security are not difficult to maintain if you keep them at the forefront of your developers’ minds, but they are very important to factor into your app development processes.
It’s also important to note that giving your workers across departments these digital workplace tools does not mean you can eliminate IT from your development plans. low-code still requires some coding. Whether your team uses AI assistants or utilizes coding knowledge from an online education program, it’s important to have your trained IT experts double check the code that has been written for your new apps.
When you have made the decision to empower your organization with low-code platforms, taking these steps can help make your adoption of the technology as seamless as possible.
Digital transformation initiatives can be complicated. Working with the experts at TEAM IM can make your transformation much simpler for your workforce. You may have a list of challenges and best practices that you wish to adhere to, but having a collaborator that knows how to avoid those challenges and implement those best practices can prove invaluable.
TEAM IM can also help you navigate difficult questions such as a low-code vs no-code approach, how to integrate your development tools with your existing or upgraded ECM, and how to achieve a successful digital transformation without interrupting your day-to-day operations.
Low-code platforms for app development can bring your organization unparalleled improvements to the efficiency of your workflows and customer interactions. Reach out to TEAM IM today to see how they can improve your digital transformation today.
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