Descubra cómo DHL Group aumentó la conectividad en toda la empresa y automatizó múltiples procesos de extremo a extremo
Low-code is a development practice of creating software applications using visual interfaces and configuration instead of traditional programming enabling developers to design and build applications quickly and efficiently.
An increase in demand for software solutions and a lack of skilled developers has accelerated the adoption of low-code over traditional software development. Forrester reports that '87% of enterprise developers use low-code development platforms for at least some of their development work.' This increase in low-code adoption is being driven by:
An increase in demand for enterprise apps
Businesses are looking to boost productivity, prompting teams to search for solutions that can simplify operations and increase efficiency. This has created a greater need for enterprise applications, but budget and resource constraints make it challenging to build and deploy these apps quickly enough. Low-code platforms allow organizations to do more with less, accelerating time-to-market.
The need to unite business and IT
Bridging the gap between business and IT is key for successful digital transformation. The visual interface of a low-code platform allows business users to collaborate with IT in fusion teams to build applications. Feedback loops and revision tracking enable feedback in real-time to make sure that the final solution meets their specific requirements.
The need to boost business agility
Businesses need to be able to respond quickly to market shifts such as fluctuations in demand and moves from their competitors. The reduced time to market and quick release of changes facilitated by a low-code platform enable this agility so they can keep up.
Ease of use
Low-code makes development accessible to users without coding knowledge. Features like a drag-and-drop interface, pre-built components and simple integration options facilitate citizen development easing the strain on IT. Gartner predicts that "By 2026, developers outside formal IT departments will account for at least 80% of the user base for low-code development tools."
Speed of deployment
Low-code enables users to build and deploy apps fast. Visual interfaces and pre-built components accelerate collaboration and reduce development time and Automated testing also identifies bugs and security issues.
Reduced costs
Low-code can lower costs as apps can be built by users without specialist coding knowledge therefore the business doesn’t need to hire additional professional developers that often come at a premium and are in short supply. Maintenance costs are also lowered as this is typically handled by the vendor.
Improved agility
Low-code supports business agility as changes can be made quickly in response to developments in the market and changing customer needs. Changes to business processes can often be completed by business units without IT support. It’s also easier to integrate new systems into low-code applications because the platforms provide powerful integration capabilities.
Increased productivity
Enabling business users to develop applications with less IT support means that productivity enhancing apps are deployed faster yielding results in a shorter timeframe. IT also see a boost in productivity as they don’t need to manage as many apps, allowing them to reduce their backlog and focus on their most important projects.
Ensure best practice
By using low-code technology to tackle the backlog of requests and enabling business users with the apps they need, IT leaders can reduce shadow IT and ensure that applications used across the organization meet quality and security requirements.
Reduced technical debt
The reusable components within a low-code platform ensure the quality of the final applications and mitigate the need for rework which takes up valuable IT resource and comes at a cost to the business.
Discover more about the benefits of low-code
Visual development
If your seasoned developers are perpetually busy (due to the shortage in professional developers available for hire and your existing team’s increasing workload), it’s necessary to widen the net on who in the organization can build apps. Low-code platforms feature a drag-and-drop interface to facilitate citizen development so business users can build their own solutions, taking pressure off IT and accelerating digital transformation efforts.
Reusable components
Time is of the essence when it comes to creating efficiency-enhancing enterprise apps. Access to a library of pre-built templates and components speeds up the development process and ensures you aren’t left lagging behind your competition. This reusability also ensures that apps meet the required design and functionality standards of the organization to prevent time-consuming rework or dreaded technical debt.
Integration
Keeping day-to-day operations in check is heavily reliant on the vast array of internal and external systems supporting your business interacting with one another effectively. Low-code platforms feature out-of-the-box integration options for common business systems. They also support easy API creation for bespoke systems to ensure your business data is connected and accessible.
Scalability
Driving growth is a primary business goal. You need your technology to support rather than block that growth. Low-code platforms can scale based on your business needs. Cloud infrastructure provides the flexibility to add capacity when needed supporting more users, more data and more transactions while maintaining performance.
Cross-functional collaboration
Nobody knows a process like the people involved in it. It’s important to get the input of these subject matter experts when building an app to manage that process. Low-code technology promotes this collaboration between business and IT in fusion teams and enables users to switch from no-code, low-code, and expert modes according to user expertise. This facilitates users with varying technical knowledge to work together on a project from beginning to end.
Automation capabilities
Reducing manual tasks is a big priority for businesses looking to optimize resource usage and lower costs. Low-code platforms enable the creation of applications that automate end-to-end processes to reduce the need for human input and accelerate process completion.
Cross-device functionality
Employees and customers aren’t always interacting with your app on a laptop. For applications to deliver real business value, you need them to be accessible whether they’re double screening on the sofa or checking in on things during their flight to the board meeting. A low-code platform will allow you to build applications that are available on any device by default ensuring consistent user experiences without having to invest more time and resource into development.
The primary difference between low-code and no-code development is that low-code development uses some script in the development process whereas no-code requires absolutely no coding.
The ability to include some code in low-code development enables greater customization and makes this approach suited for more complex applications. No-code however, tends to be limited to more simple applications. Which approach you take is completely dependent on your resource and specific business needs.
Low-code uses a visual interface and pre-built components to enable users of any technical skill level to create applications. In contrast, high-code requires experienced developers to write code from scratch.
A low-code approach often results in lower costs as it facilitates citizen development saving on professional developer salaries, faster time-to-market due to shorter development cycles, and less maintenance as the platform provider often manages this.
Low-code enables organizations to integrate legacy systems with newer technology, extend their capabilities by building new modules or completely rip and replace them to meet the changing needs of the business.
Banco de Occidente used Bizagi to integrate their existing legacy systems to provide end-to-end visibility of their technological architecture and optimize and automate processes.
This integration has improved the user experience for both customers and employees: providing customers with digitally native products and the option to access offline services and the sales team with the information needed to make data-driven decisions when negotiating loan conditions.
“For the customer experience, Bizagi is helping us to digitize the end-to-end process and integrate the hybrid processes as we have some customers that are fully digital and others who want to talk to a representative. Bizagi is helping us to integrate both experiences for customers.”
Pedro Villegas, Chief Information and Operations Officer
Low-code allows organizations to build custom, web-based portals that provide users with relevant information and actions, delivering a better user experience and enhancing efficiency.
DHL Group used Bizagi’s low-code platform to create a Vendor Master Data Management Portal to improve user experience for 320,000 global employees, customers, and stakeholders.
The portal replaced the previously spreadsheet and email reliant process with a standardized process that uses business rules to automatically authenticate external users, check data for errors, submit forms, request approvals and duplicate data in the ePurchasing solution. This has automated the work of 350 FTEs annually over the course of four years.
"Bizagi is the tool which holds together everything end-to-end and is the go-to portal for our service providers who log into Bizagi to process a case.”
Timo Neff, Team Lead, Automation Designers & Architects
Applications built using a low-code platform will work on any device without the need for recoding, allowing users access on their preferred device.
Super Bock Group used Bizagi to create an entirely mobile purchase request approval process for accelerated response times.
“The ability to customize different screens according to the equipment’s resolution and the push notifications functionality on mobile applications were undoubtedly an added value to users.”
Luis Oscar Barreiros, Senior Intelligent Automation Consultant, WeMake
A low-code platform supports integration by connecting multiple systems and applications. Pre-built, native or bespoke connectors and APIs can provide access to any data source allowing users to access the information they need in one interface.
Unilever used Bizagi to create a customized Master Data Sync across multiple instances of SAP with their customer pricing framework to enable a daily refresh of millions of materials and associated data to ensure pricing information is always up to date.
This enabled the customer development team to create the pricing framework for a customer in 15 minutes, 3x faster than before, with 77% of cases being submitted within 20 minutes.
“Visibility allows people to focus on their work and not just chasing [approvals]. So it makes people honest as teams are accountable for their KPIs and there is accuracy of what’s being reviewed.”
Cynthia Tan, Digital Transformation & Capability Lead
Organizations can leverage low-code platforms to automate manual and repetitive tasks within workflows. Predefined rules and logic route tasks between people and systems to reduce errors, speed up processes and free up employees to work on higher value tasks.
Kyocera automated their previously paper-based Special Pricing Approval (SPA) process to provide greater visibility to the approving manager and speed up sign-off.
The team used Bizagi’s low-code platform to create a process application to communicate requests and reduced the average process time by 85% from 10 days down to just 1.5 days. They also integrated with SAP to load approved pricing directly into the platform and activate the opportunity to purchase, so employees only spend 20 minutes on each approval, freeing their time to do more value-adding tasks.
Low-code’s popularity is showing no signs of slowing down. With a 31% CAGR, the global low-code development market will generate $187 billion by 2030 (GlobeNewswire). As businesses continue to look for ways to meet increasing demand for enterprise applications while dealing with a shortage of skilled developers, low-code adoption will continue to grow.
Low-code platforms are also increasingly becoming tied to the proliferation of AI. Artificial Intelligence will deliver the most impact when tied directly into business processes and the apps that employees use every day. Low-code platforms are one of the best ways to make that a reality and unlock the power of AI for the enterprise.
Low-code development can be used by professional developers to streamline the development process by taking advantage of creating and sharing components that can be reused to build different applications. It is also a tool for citizen developers across the organization to use these components to create their own solutions without relying on IT.
The role of citizen developers is important, because these are the people who often have the subject matter expertise. They understand the way the business works or needs to work in order to meet goals or regulations. A platform that enables them to get involved in application creation through effective teamwork with IT is a powerful way to deliver meaningful business results without months or years of delay.
For more low-code examples what our customers have built using low-code
Although low-code can be leveraged to reduce time and effort spent on writing simple script, this development approach will not completely replace traditional development as there are more complex functionalities that require custom coding from a professional developer. No-code, Low-code and Pro-code (or high-code) all have a place in the enterprise.
Yes, a good low-code platform will include pre-built connectors to integrate with common business systems and a simple way to manage APIs for bespoke integrations. Low-code platforms are often used as a tool to tie together multiple business technologies in order to manage the end-to-end process.
Many low-code development platforms have security and governance measures built in allowing IT to set and manage access rights, automation and data. The best low-code platforms will be cloud-native, offering the full security benefits of being housed within a secure ecosystem such as Microsoft Azure.
Apps built using a low-code development platform are mobile friendly from the outset as the platform is designed to create solutions that deliver consistent user experiences across devices.
Identifying use cases, considering who will work on the project and their skills and forecasting future needs should all be considered when searching for a low-code provider. For a comprehensive guide on choosing the right platform for your project, read our guide.
Low-Code Governance: Why it Matters and How to Get it Right
Discover the importance of governing your low-code initiative and guidance on how to do it.
Low-Code ROI: Demonstrating the Value of Low-Code Platforms
Learn how to measure the value driven by your low-code project and discover the ROI delivered by some of our customers.
Low-Code Challenges (And Solutions)
Read about the potential challenges of low-code and how to address them.
