The Pros of No Code — Developing at Scale

Software has become an increasingly important and integral part of businesses worldwide. The ability to automate processes and outsource repetitive tasks has cut down office expenses and boosted productivity. At the same time, software development is a complex field that demands specialized knowledge and years of training. But, what if there was a way to automate business processes without writing any code?

The popularity of low-code and no-code solutions has increased drastically as a result of COVID-19, helping businesses customize their IT solutions without incurring excessive technical costs associated with software development and deployment. With non-tech-focused businesses under pressure to integrate digital solutions into their operations to ensure they were capable of handling the disruptions, no-code interventions offered a straight path to development without competing for top, often expensive IT talent. When US businesses felt the full force of the pandemic in March 2020, traditional, non-tech entities scrambled to adapt to distributed systems and remote work environments. No-code allowed these businesses to develop without a full IT team leveraging existing expertise.

No-code and low-code solutions had already been in the market for several years, so for businesses, it was just a matter of implementing existing services. All they had to do was choose a reputable service provider to take care of the heavy lifting. This pivot to no-code enabled the fast development of apps that allowed remote workers greater flexibility while preserving workflows in this new normal. It helped reduce the strain on developer resources and real-time analytics provided valuable insight for making fast and informed decisions.

While it’s expected that the severity of the impact of the pandemic on businesses will gradually subside, it’s important to explore how the change in this software development approach will affect businesses in both the short and long term.

Scalability and No Code Solutions

No-code platforms generally require no code or programming skills and typically entail “drag-and-drop" tools that handle simple tasks. Low-code tools are great for accelerating software development, but they’re not for everyone. If you don’t have tech skills, you’ll need to hire an expensive engineer or undergo intensive training yourself.

No-code solutions bring the best of both worlds to bear for teams focusing on their ability to scale effectively and efficiently.

Reduce Strain on IT Teams

Software developers are amazing at the incredibly specific and technical work they do, so why the need for no-code platforms? Well, the big challenge is that there usually aren’t enough developers for every project an organization is planning to roll out.

Using a no-code platform reduces the strain on development teams and helps foster independence on complicated IT processes and development schedules. No code takes the once-sequestered realm of coding and democratizes it. No-code deployments generally require only one product/service ‘owner,’ meaning that anyone with a great idea can build a prototype or even a fully functioning app.

No coders mean no programmers, which means less technical staff. Multi-talented staffers can leverage their unique skill sets and viewpoints to build on great ideas without the need for deep technical knowledge.

When companies embrace low-code and no-code solutions, it frees IT professionals to focus on finding solutions for existing problems. For instance, IT departments can dedicate their time and resources to solving problems that do not have ready-made solutions on the market.

With an increasing number of people working remotely, cloud-based no-code platforms help far-flung coworkers build apps tailored to their organization’s unique needs. So rather than having to engage with a developer at Sub-basement C to get help, Lisa in Seattle can develop an app that will be ready to send to Bill in Glasgow by the time he sips his morning tea.

Small Resources Footprint

Unlike traditional software development protocols, no-code does not require multiple products or service owners for successful business digitization. All the required aspects of software deployment can be handled at once. To fully appreciate the implication of this critical difference, it’s necessary to assess some of the mandatory aspects of software development under the traditional model.

The most popular software development scheme is called SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle). This approach requires a team of computer experts using specialized services to execute each core process: requirement analysis, planning, design, development, testing, and employment.

These tasks are performed by a team of professionals including the software architect, developers, designers, quality assurance experts, and business analysts. In addition, the group is under the supervision of a project manager who liaises with senior organizational executives who lead other domains of the organization such as accounting or HR.

With no-code or low-code solutions, most of the tasks performed by a dozen low-level IT subordinates are executed by a single computer professional. In some cases, the software may not be complex enough to justify the need for a special IT expert leaving the task to the domain consultants concerned with the software. This significantly reduces the resource and product footprint associated with most projects.

The Future of Automation

No-code and low-code introduced solutions that could be used for automation without investing in internal IT departments. As a result, it gave domain experts the control they needed over software solutions applicable in their fields. For instance, a marketing team working from home could easily develop, test, and deploy a program without having to consult a computer technician on server or client system preparations.

The two solutions were developed to assist organizations struggling with IT implementation (long before anyone predicted that a pandemic would strike) after realizing that they needed realistic and secure ways of pivoting and scaling their remote operations.

With no-code and low-code, the barriers associated with digital transformation were significantly lowered. Overall, the solutions presented the best of both worlds to domain experts. They allowed professionals to focus on their jobs while using the latest IT solutions to boost their efficiency.

Minimal System Setup

No-code and low-code solutions are meant to get any business up and running with custom-developed software solutions within the shortest time possible. One of the most important ways to do this has been through the elimination of the setup process. Under no-code, most processes can be performed on a web platform which ensures that local digital resources are not utilized.

Relying on a single drag-and-drop interface to develop powerful software is key in driving adoption especially in situations where a company doesn’t have or can’t afford to hire developers. The scenario can be contrasted with the traditional software development and deployment technique that needs a substantial investment in computer resources in the initial and later stages of a project.

Businesses that still use traditional software solutions must also factor in SDK and API licenses needed to keep developing their programs. In many cases, they may be subscribed to several annual plans to ensure resources are up-to-date and secure. No-code or low-code services eliminate the need for these.

The Ideal No-Code Solution

With scalability being one of the main selling points of low-code and no-code platforms, there are some attributes that businesses expect in such service offerings, including:

• Speed
• Agility
• Automation
• Innovation

Speed is arguably the most important benefit of no-code and low-code software development and deployment. With such solutions, companies don’t have to deal with the typical delays associated with the traditional process of creating software.

The ideal no-code service should be capable of delivering substantially better results with minimal time investment. Some of the tools which are built-in no-code and low-code services include drag and drop functionality, business process models, prebuilt user interfaces, full-stack services, and cross-platform app support.

It’s impossible for a no-code platform to be efficient if the APIs and connectors don’t integrate smoothly with the third-party tools commonly used by software developers. Finally, no-code solutions should have few repetitive processes since everything should be handled in a single click where possible.

Business agility helps organizations adapt and respond quickly to changes and opportunities using digital solutions. No-code and low-code services are specifically built to provide this layer of interoperability between regular business operations and industry changes. This explains why such solutions need to be open-ended. It should be easy to link them with both modern and legacy systems based on changing needs.

Modern low-code services come with automated refactoring, pre-built templates, and easy chatbots that can be used to ensure that the experience is consistent across various platforms. Modern end customers use a variety of platforms to communicate with businesses including web, mobile, and native desktop. Notably, wearables are getting integrated into the fold adding another platform where no-code is needed.

Without automation, it would be expensive to deploy services across various platforms since the underlying system architecture is different. Additionally, the end result would lead to an inconsistent experience. Some customers would have a difficult time interacting with a business which would lead to lost sales.

A common misconception is that no-code and low-code services sacrifice innovation and professional creativity from the process of designing software solutions. However, this is not the case given that a typical developer spends most of their time fixing errors and program inconsistencies.

With the proposed solutions, the technical aspects of creating software would be handled by the underlying processing engine leaving the professional free to work on the core business problems. No-code and low-code services will boost employees’ productivity by getting the technicalities of software development out of the way.

The Way Forward

In today’s fast-paced, competitive business landscape, it is vital for businesses to find ways to automate and streamline as many tasks as possible. One of the best ways to do this is by incorporating no-code solutions into your workflow so that you can focus on what really matters most in your organization.

Doc Digitizer’s hybrid intelligent document processing approach featuring machine learning and a human blended approach to our compound no-code/RPA solution brings the combined wins of all 4 frameworks: The interoperability of a no-code solution, scalability of RPA, speed of machine learning, and accuracy of a human blended approach.

If you want to know more and better understand how our cutting-edge tech solution works, why it’s beneficial for your enterprise, and optimize your processes without investing too much time or money, then sign up for a free DocDigitizer trial now.