It was just a matter of time before paper-based and manual procedures became outdated with the onset of time and the rise of digital practices. These processes are time-consuming and complex, and the desired output is frequently impeded due to the scope of human error. There is also significant work to be done, no management, little exposure, and unnecessary duplication. Because each stage has its own set of information and clearances, these limits were heightened in the case of workflows. The entire process is affected if there is a stumbling block at any level.
Workflow automation enabled the replacement of manual procedures with digital instruments, ushering in a new era. Workflow automation ensures that a corporation does not lose significant resources in the process by eliminating most human inputs.
According to McKinsey, 60% of existing occupations can have 30% or more of their duties automated. The advantages of process automation are numerous, and the most important ones are given below:
Increased Productivity: Because automated processes save so much time and effort, team members are free to focus on more productive tasks rather than getting bogged down in a mechanical set of stages. Another benefit of task advancement is improved staff morale, which leads to a better work culture.
Reduced Costs: Redundant tasks not only waste time, but they also cost money. According to a Unit 4 analysis, repetitive chores cost the world $5 trillion every year. As a result, using workflow automation and reducing repeated processes saves a range of valuable resources.
Reduced Errors: While human mistake is inherent, these errors can be costly to organizations. Fortunately, automated apps do not make the same faults or blunders humans do. Reducing administrative errors increases the effectiveness of workflows and contributes to the success of any organization.
Rich and Insightful Data Collection: Workflow automation dramatically transforms data collection. Reports that include graphics and actionable information enable organizations to identify bottlenecks and allocate resources accordingly. As a result of these reports, key performance metrics improve because prompt and useful action is performed.
Effective Task Management and Multitasking: As previously said, workflow automation improves the quality and speed of numerous processes. Furthermore, it makes it extremely simple to onboard many staff or manage numerous IT duties because neatly organized and optimized processes boost the capacity for multitasking.
The shortage of IT professionals, the need for process automation, and the requirement for quick digitalization will all continue to drive the development of no-code and low-code platforms.
Gartner estimates that the no-code and low-code platform market will grow by more than $1 billion per year, from $3.47 billion in 2019 to $8 billion in 2022. The no-code-low-code platform market is expected to expand by about 20% to $10 billion in 2023 and $12.3 billion in 2024.
The Growing Importance of No-Code Value in Product Approach
The growing importance of no-code value in the product strategy is an exciting development in today’s technological environment. To comprehend the function of no-code value in the product approach, it is necessary to establish a product approach.
No-code platforms make it possible to build things without writing any code. This is due to the fact that no-code platforms give developers a collection of tools and components that can be utilized to construct apps rapidly. These tools and components frequently provide pre-built templates and adjustable features, allowing developers to construct solutions that meet their specifications quickly.
Kissflow (which provides a suite of tools for quickly creating applications and automating processes) and Zapier (which makes it easy to connect different applications and automate workflows) are two external examples of companies that have successfully used no-code in their product approach. No-code platforms are projected to gain popularity in the future years as more businesses adopt a no-code approach to product development. This will allow developers to design unique products that are simple to use and maintain.
The Increasing Use of No-Code and AI
The potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to transform organizations is enormous, but the obstacles to entry may be daunting. The rise of no-code/low-code AI tools and platforms has made it simple to get started with AI, allowing anybody to design apps that use machine learning in novel ways.
Some of the solutions currently on the market to make AI more accessible to everyone range from those targeted for people with no prior knowledge in ML to those that assist experienced users in reducing laborious and repetitive activities related to data preparation and algorithm construction.
Notion Data Service and its AI assistant are one example of an AI-enabled no-code platform. Notion Data Service is a no-code platform that gives data-driven insights to developers to help them build apps fast and effectively. It collects, analyses, and interprets data from multiple sources using natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML). The platform also provides an AI-powered assistant to aid developers with activities such as model configuration, report creation, and data management. The assistant can make suggestions on how to enhance program performance and user experience.
Conclusion
The growing need for digital solutions, the proliferation of no-code development tools, and the creation of new use cases for no-code platforms all lead to no-code growth in 2023. As businesses seek to shorten their development processes and accelerate the creation of digital solutions, no-code is becoming an increasingly appealing choice. This tendency is accelerated by the relative simplicity of use, cheap cost, and broad range of capabilities provided by no-code development.
No-code is a software development technique that needs little if any, programming expertise to construct an application rapidly. This enables line of business (LOB) personnel who have the required institutional knowledge and understand the business needs for an app but lack programming language experience to construct software applications such as a form or website or to add functionality to an existing site or app.
No-code decouples programming languages and syntax from logic, favoring a visual approach to software development for faster delivery. No-code development is comparable to low-code development in this regard. The essential distinction is that low-code platforms employ less abstraction (that is, they integrate some coding and need some programming language expertise) and are frequently used by experienced developers inside an enterprise IT department.
How does the no-code system work?
In some ways, the term “no-code” is misleading: coding is involved, but it is done behind the scenes and transparent to business users. The hard work is done by no-code tool providers, who utilize data abstraction and encapsulation to effectively hide the complexity of what users do by dragging and dropping application components to construct an application.
No-code development, like low-code development, uses a visually integrated development environment, a software package that combines the essential tools to design and test software. They frequently employ a model-driven development technique, in which a software model sketches how the software system should perform before real coding begins. After developing the program, it may be tested using model-based testing (MBT) and then deployed.
Why is the no-code trend gaining traction?
The so-called no-code trend has become popular as organizations are pressured to speed up their digital transformation activities. As a result, IT backlogs have grown, leaving development teams with little to no time to work on internal, team, and departmental applications.
As a result, we are seeing business users take matters into their own hands and use no-code software tools to automate repetitive tasks, streamline workflows, and build simple applications that enable them to perform their daily activities more efficiently without incurring the cost and time associated with traditional software development. They won’t have to wait 3-6 months for IT to provide the software the company requires, and IT won’t be diverted away from mission-critical development projects.
With the rise of no-code, organizations can now move quickly and innovate. Development has always been a private club designated for specialists. Coding necessitates specialized knowledge and abilities. No-code allows anybody who lacks these abilities to design solutions, whether for a tiny firm or a multinational enterprise. This innovative method of software development is swiftly rising to prominence in the commercial sector. No-code is also an excellent solution for firms with minimal IT resources.
According to a Gartner report, low-code app development platforms will represent around 65% of development activity by 2024. Similarly, by 2025, major organizations are projected to deploy at least four low-code and no-code technologies to create enterprise apps and meet their IT needs.
One of the primary reasons that low-code and no-code platforms are challenging the traditional development business is their emphasis on democratizing software development by allowing citizen developers to build apps without knowing how to code. As a result, anyone interested in becoming an app developer may do so using low-code and no-code platforms.
Organizations now need technologies that can enhance operations and provide a faster time to market. In this aspect, no-code platforms are dramatically shifting how people engage with computers to create software and apps. Historically, the contact between humans and computers has been through code. However, no-code systems have an interpretation layer that allows humans to offer input through visual symbols and actions, and the interpreter turns these inputs into computer-readable code. In other words, these platforms have successfully eliminated the need to create programs and utilities that would otherwise have taken months and needed coding and system architecture skills.
What is driving CXO interest in No-Code platforms, and what kind of business difficulties do No-Code platforms present?
CXO interest in no-code platforms is generally motivated by the need to implement quick automation within tight resources. No-code platforms eliminate two complete layers from the typical software development lifecycle: the programmer and solution architect. This allows CXOs to focus on business objectives rather than investing considerable time or money in machine interface and interpretation. No-code platforms necessitate a significant shift in attitude as well as a full disruption of the typical software development lifecycle. The most difficult business problem is the cultural adaptation of organizations to new software development methods. In its current form, no-code platforms place an increased focus on the work of business analysts, who are under pressure to both skill up and turn out applications in record time. A key capacity constraint in the no-code adoption process is a dearth of business analysts who are willing to go beyond documentation and engage in application setup.
Finally, no-code platforms are shown as a broad category, with several systems positioned as no-code that eliminate or minimize coding in a single tiny region. This demonstration effect, which is used to forward the marketing aims of traditional development platforms or environments, has an influence on user confidence in real no-code systems.
When do you think the no-code platform will become popular?
The interest and adoption of no-code platforms is steadily increasing, and mainstream adoption is expected by 2023, when organizations complete their first cycle of learning with no-code platforms and begin making preferential budgetary allocations for no-code platform-built applications. As additional old internal applications retire between 2023 and 25 years of age, the replacement cycle should see them entirely replaced by apps developed on no-code platforms.
No-code platforms are anticipated to coexist with vendor apps that demand particular and specialized knowledge. The no-code wave will, however, displace more generic, old, stiff, customized, and poorly maintained apps. No-code as a concept and technology is barely starting to replace the human-computer interaction interface. As technology advances, it is projected to reduce the need for business analysts and visual sign interpretation. As this shift occurs and no-code enters a self-service phase in which end-users construct applications directly without the need or help of business analysts and IT staff, no-code will no longer be a choice but a need. It will almost certainly be the only way to create software.
Because of the significant benefits, digital transformation components are becoming increasingly crucial in both the corporate and governmental sectors. Organizations becoming increasingly global and networked must discover more effective methods to implement digital technologies.
Using digital transformation trends and issues is one way to ensure you are on the correct track. Trends may help you identify how your organization is responding to changes and accomplish effective digital transformation by providing advice on improving your everyday practices.
The following are the top digital transformation trends:
1- Wider adoption of low-code platforms
Low-code development is a platform that allows non-technical business users to design, construct, and deploy software applications. It has a graphical user interface and drag-and-drop capabilities that enable business analysts and non-technical users to design and build unique solutions without coding. Low code development platforms have grown in popularity in recent years because of their advantages in terms of time, cost, scalability, and risk reduction. These advantages have given rise to new applications such as:
1) Rapid prototyping
2) Rapid deployment
3) New product development
2- Automation
When considering the digital transformation ideas to come, automation is one of the most important factors to consider. Business process automation solutions help organizations eliminate the need for human execution of internal operations while also expediting their completion. These technologies have the potential to increase efficiency, improve customer experience, and digitize processes in the medium to short term, but they do require a learning curve to get any project off the ground.
Over 80% of business executives believe they are speeding up work process automation and expanding their use of remote labor. The best way to accelerate automation is to choose the correct business process automation tools, which may help deliver faster results with less coding knowledge. When combined with digital signature software, these solutions will revolutionize how your firm functions on a regular basis.
3- Increased migration to the cloud
Data migration from on-premises to the cloud is one of the most widely discussed digital transformation challenges. Businesses increasingly depend on cloud technology to decrease costs, improve accessibility, and outsource tiresome regular maintenance tasks. More organizations will migrate to the cloud as technology advances and internet connections improve, particularly in countries where they have historically been slow, to take advantage of all the unique benefits they provide.
4- AI and machine learning
AI and ML are the most debated technology among all digital transformation concerns. AI is significant because it may assist organizations in making better decisions by offering insights into customer behavior, demographics, and desires. ML is significant since it may assist businesses in using data to create personalized experiences for their clients.
Companies are increasingly incorporating these two technologies into their software to help them create the intelligence required to liberate staff people from tedious tasks and support senior management in making sound decisions.
5- Everything as a Service (XaaS)
XaaS is a new business model that is quickly becoming the most popular of all digital transformation initiatives. It stands for Everything as a Service and is a method of supplying consumers with software on demand. This concept is an extension of the SaaS (Software as a Service) paradigm, which enables online access to applications. The XaaS paradigm enables access to a wide range of services from a single supplier, including infrastructure, data storage, and computing power.
Low codeis becoming increasingly common in software development. According to Gartner, low-code platforms will account for 65% of the IT and software development industry by 2024. As a result, low-code is gaining popularity, producing an ever-increasing demand for the program. Of course, this is accompanied by the rise of new suppliers and changes in how organizations work and think.
The global expansion of low-code is a fact.
According to Gartner, the worldwide market for low-code development technologies is expected to expand by 20% by 2023. It is anticipated to be valued at around $26.9 billion by 2023. This is a 19.6% increase over 2022. This surge comes as no surprise to us. Low-code is a long-term, extremely quick, effective, and accessible technique for achieving digital transformation in an organization.
Greater adoption by larger businesses
Low-code has long proven valuable in medium-sized organizations. According to Gartner, larger companies will also use low-code considerably more aggressively. They cannot avoid it if they want to match the increased need for speedy application delivery and highly customized automation procedures. Low-code solution suppliers must emphasize scalability and enterprise-grade capabilities to ensure that these major organizations completely commit to low-code.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Integration
Any future technology must undoubtedly be completely integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). For example, Google and Microsoft are presently engaged in a major fight to incorporate artificial intelligence to make it simpler to discover information online. As a result, improving AI and ML is an essential low-code trend. This will soon make developing and implementing digital solutions even easier than it is now without specialized abilities.
Bringing low-code to more complicated applications
We already know that low-code is a highly efficient and effective alternative for developing simple business apps. The objective is to guarantee that businesses can respond to market developments and build digital applications more swiftly. However, low-code is increasingly being used in complicated commercial systems. Because it is also well suited for it, Low-code is a viable solution for addressing difficult business use cases as it gains additional features and integrations.
Adoption of low-code in regulated sectors
Low-code will become more popular in businesses with stringent laws and compliance requirements, such as banking, healthcare, and government. Because of worries about security, privacy, and regulatory compliance, these industries have typically been hesitant to accept new technology. For example, low-code may be utilized in healthcare to construct apps that comply with safe patient data exchange. In the financial industry, it may be used to create apps that adhere to data protection, risk management, and anti-money laundering standards.
Greater compatibility with DevOps and Agile techniques.
The popularity of low-code is due to more than simply the efficiency of software. However, it must also combine with DevOps and Agile approaches. This integration will only improve in the near future. As a result, low-code development becomes even more agile, collaborative, and efficient. Most organizations use agile approaches such as SCRUM and KANBAN in the software development process. This enables them to meet release deadlines and respond to feedback more quickly. However, for low-code and agile working to be more widely adopted, more seamless interface with other technologies is required.
Data analysis and business intelligence tools integration
Business intelligence and data analytics technologies are used to analyze and visualize data, detect trends and patterns, and make data-driven choices. Low-code will increasingly be used to incorporate these technologies into applications. As a result, low-code developers may utilize them to create even faster and better apps that deliver insights and value through data and analytics.
Citizen development is becoming increasingly popular.
Gartner expects that by 2026, developers outside of conventional IT departments will account for at least 80% of low-code development tool users, up from 60% in 2021. This is referred to as citizen development or democratization. The phrase “citizen developers” is also used in this context. It entails making the software development process accessible to anyone other than expert developers. This enables anyone to construct simple to complicated apps without writing a lot of code. Increased productivity, shorter time-to-market, and the capacity to handle additional corporate demands are all benefits of citizen development. However, especially with citizen development, it is critical always to ensure the quality and safety of apps.
Low-code is the way of the future in digital transformation.
When it comes to the digital transformation of organizations, it is unavoidable that low-code will play a significant role in the future whether it be a small business or a major organization such as a government agency. You cannot get away from low-code anymore.
LowCode
LowCode development is building software, programs, or databases mostly (but not necessarily) using a graphical user interface (GUI), with as little programming expertise as possible. Although LowCode platforms allow users to read and modify source code, they do not require users to have access to all elements of the system in order to construct applications or databases. Do not be dismayed since you can still develop design apps rapidly with minimal manual coding. Gartner predicts that the LowCode industry will account for over 65% of application development activity by 2024.
LowCode’s Brief History
Forrester used the phrase “Low-code” in 2014 to describe development platforms prioritizing development simplicity and ease of use. These platforms enabled developers and users of various ability levels to create apps without coding knowledge. The progress of programming has always been greater abstraction layers, from the early days of COBOL in the 1980s to React Native today. LowCode is no exception; it is the ultimate abstraction layer in which most things are done using drag and drop and then polished with code.
LowCode is defined by Gartner as a Low-code application platform (LCAP) that enables quick application development and deployment using low-code methodologies such as declarative, model-driven application design and development and streamlined one-button application deployment. Appian provides another good definition of LowCode. Appian characterizes LowCode as “a new approach to rapidly developing unique business applications.” A low-code development platform allows you to design an application rather than write it line by line, much like a flowchart. This approach makes it easy to create strong new apps.
LowCode and NoCode
LowCode and NoCode techniques make it easier for app developers to create an app for their company. These platforms may sound similar, yet there are some fundamental distinctions.
The first distinction is that LowCode allows users to write code if necessary, changing anything they need to attain the desired outcomes. It caters to people who make useful programs and those with a more technical mindset than, for example, a NoCode professional.
LowCode developers eventually sacrifice visual drag and drop for some code interfaces to obtain great customization and control over their product. LowCode practitioners are also more productive than typical developers. They just write new lines of code when necessary and rely on drag-and-drop functionalities in other areas.
LowCode creators, such as Citizen Developers in Enterprises, may swiftly prototype, trial, and analyze new product features and functions. This capability validates it before they begin on a costly and time-consuming attempt to construct it utilizing the IT department. LowCode creators must still comprehend coding to build the final product, whereas NoCode allows all non-technical makers to develop products.
The NoCode promise
The barrier to creating anything is decreasing as more people switch to NoCode tools. Today’s technology enables us to make our lives easier. It transformed how organizations tested ideas and developed products, transformed product management and design, and ushered in a new, more diverse wave of product creators. It accelerates the development of new products and makes them accessible to non-coders and programmers. As it is, many businesses do not have the resources to recruit a large number of developers. Inaccurate estimates, software coding mistakes, infrastructural delays, or testing issues from the old development strategy are among the challenges. Tools for creating full-stack sophisticated goods without coding are becoming powerful enough to replace bespoke programming and reach a critical mass of customers.