4 Ways Low-Code No-Code Development Empowers Employees

Discover 4 ways low-code and no-code development empowers employees and 5 ways it benefits businesses. 

The big idea: 

Executives name low-and no-code platforms as the most important investment, tripling from 10% to 26% since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Why it’s important:  

With a lack of skilled software engineers and a high demand for software development, executives are turning to low-code and no-code platforms that non-tech-savvy employees can use to create applications. 

What’s ahead:  

• What is low-code/no-code 
• LC/NC trend 
• Employee and business benefits of LC/NC 
• Implementing LC/NC 
• LC/NC challenges 

What is Low-Code/No-Code? 

Low-code and no-code development (LC/NC) platforms are visual software development environments that allow non-technical business users to drag and drop application components to create mobile or web apps. These platforms have become increasingly popular as a fast and easy alternative to traditional software development. 

While both have similarities, it’s important to look at the distinctions between the two.  

No-code platforms allow users, also known as citizen developers, to create simple applications without any experience or knowledge of coding.  

Low-code platforms are geared more towards users with prior software development experience as they enable expedited technical development.  

Common LC/NC uses:  

• Small business transactional systems – tools such as human resource management, reservation management for restaurants, field service management, and more 
• Automation – In 2019, Forrester Research found that the increased demand for process automation will make citizen developers more popular  
• Analytics – LC/NC development is particularly helpful with data visualization 

The Trend Towards LC/NC 

As more business operations shifted from in-person to digital during the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for software development skyrocketed. What’s more is that the tech industry was impacted the most by the global shortage of skilled workers than any other sector.  

Enterprise leaders around the world had to scramble to meet urgent technology demands without having access to engineering talent. Many turned toward low-code and no-code development for its ease, speed, and effectiveness.  

In a survey by McKinsey, most respondents expect the processes put in place during the pandemic to be long lasting. And with the worldwide low-code development platform market revenue expected to reach $65 billion dollars, it’s safe to say that the only place LC/NC is going is up. 

LC/NC Benefits 

The rise in popularity of low- and no-code platforms is due to its many positive business and employee impacts.  

Business benefits of LC/NC: 

• Speed – A study conducted by Capgemini found that developing an application using a NC/LC platform to be more than five times faster than developing the same application using a traditional development approach 
• Faster time to market – Faster application development means business can deploy and reap the benefits of the applications faster 
• Save money – More economical than using a team of developers to custom write an application 
• ROI – A KPMG survey found that 100% of enterprises that implemented LC/NC platforms garnered ROI  
• Replace outdated systems – 60% of organizations report low-code platforms replace legacy systems and increase revenue 

Employee benefits of LC/NC:  

• Higher employee engagement – Empowers employees to create bespoke solutions to their problems 
• More control – Employees have a say in what applications get developed 
• Improved workflows – They have more power to improve their day-to-day workflows with LC/NC solutions, increasing satisfaction 
• Minimize IT backlog – Frees up IT teams to tackle larger issues 

Implementing LC/NC 

As previously noted, the benefit of low- and no-code platforms is the lack of in-depth technical skills required. However, the applications built by citizen developers must still function efficiently. For this reason, training is critical to the success of LC/NC applications. Many bootcamps and courses exist for non-technical employees to learn how to use low-code and no-code platforms. IT team members within the organization are also great resources to help teach LC/NC.  

Speaking of which, some level of technical expertise is still needed in LC/NC scenarios to help organizations integrate solutions, maintain operations, scale growth, and govern. IT must oversee the implementation and usage of low-code and no-code platforms to ensure the proper architecture is in place, curtail issues, direct best practices, and scale up successful applications for enterprise-wide usage. Their systems knowledge is integral to the processes and the overall growth of the organization.  

LC/NC Challenges 

There is no question that the rise of citizen developers and their ability to create applications has driven positive change and increased efficiency within organizations, but success comes with challenges. Sometimes these applications developed by non-technical business users don’t work or scale as well as expected. Thus, your employees have either wasted time on pointless development, or your IT team gets tied up fixing the issues.  

Additionally, LC/NC platforms aren’t always the best solutions to software needs. For simple applications, they continue to be a leading choice, but for more complex functions, it can be a wiser decision to utilize coding tools and trained software developers.  

Starting your LC/NC Journey 

The global shift to a digital-first mindset has triggered an increased demand for software development despite the shortage of tech talent. LC/NC platforms are a highly sought-after solution to this conundrum. Empowering non-technical employees with these platforms helps drive organizational change and deliver many competitive advantages including faster time to market, rapid ROI, and continuous cost savings. Collaborating with citizen developers, IT teams, and leadership to create a comprehensive strategy before development starts will be the key to avoiding challenges and realizing the potential of low-code and no-code platforms.  

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