What are no- and low-code?
Low-code is a system or application that can be developed and modified with only basic knowledge of logic or coding. It involves using pre-built components, which contain a certain type of logic, to create workflows by combining different components to achieve various outcomes depending on the goal. In these types of systems, there is the possibility to manipulate the components by making certain configurations with basic coding knowledge
No-code is built in a similar way but offers even greater support to the user, meaning they do not need any coding skills. Using pre-built components, functions, and formulas, users can create and publish their own applications
Great potential for efficiency
No- or low-code systems are powerful and have the potential to create significant efficiency gains through automation and configurability. We can save time for employees who no longer have to perform routine manual tasks, and we can allow business experts to create applications for their customers and end-users without being directly dependent on development teams
However, it’s important to consider that regardless of how an organisation digitalises its processes, we must think about how we will manage and maintain the applications and systems we create. There’s a risk that the organisation could create a large number of applications that, while individually useful, collectively create an environment that incurs high maintenance costs, both in terms of error correction and further development, as well as in minimising risks related to uptime and security
Platform or custom-built?
We have three types of no- and low-code systems: existing platforms like Microsoft Azure Power Apps, custom-developed no- or low-code systems, and a combination of the two. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages
In our experience, platform systems are best suited to solving two types of problems
- Automate and streamline internal administrative processes:
A common example is the possibility of automating onboarding and offboarding processes for employees. There are opportunities to automate all process steps, from granting access to relevant systems to ordering the right work equipment based on the job role
- Test hypotheses and create proofs of concept:
No- and low-code systems from major platforms offer a wide range of functionality and have a relatively low threshold to start working with. This makes them an excellent way to test and work hypothesis-driven. For quickly testing whether it’s possible to integrate two systems or to expose new information to a user group, platform systems are a perfect solution
Custom-developed no- or low-code systems are best suited when the challenge to be solved is complex from the following perspectives (often in combination):
- The business rules underlying the various configuration options are specific to the organisation: in these cases, the business experts working with the system need access to features not available in existing platforms. This could involve creating business-specific rules and or validations—a common scenario is that the business developer wants to control how a process is dynamically created based on different choices a user makes, depending on the organisation’s unique business rules.
- The system depends on data and information from other internal systems: in many cases, we rely on integrations with other systems to create business value. Many internal business systems cannot be automatically integrated with platform systems. In these cases, we create the integrations ourselves and ensure they can be configured in a way that allows business experts to create and configure the necessary business rules using information from the integrated systems.
These two variants can be combined to get the best of both worlds, where we use as much of the platform functionality as possible and supplement with custom-developed functionality where needed
Esatto's no- and low-code solutions
At Esatto, we have worked with no- and low-code solutions for our clients with great success. We have worked with both platform solutions and built customised solutions based on the client’s needs. We have created systems and applications for clients that have reduced their time to market from months to hours, where business experts themselves can be the ones creating business value
