Low-code, the key to more agile organizations, in Executive Digest

From one moment to the next, we see in society a forced change in our habits. The closure of non-essential establishments, the implementation of virtual classes, the migration to remote work and the exponential increase in digital transactions and eCommerce were the most visible consequences of the current pandemic context.

 

In the blink of an eye, organizations were forced to reinvent their business models. Companies that, previously, were based on face-to-face work models, from one day to the next, had close to 90% of employees at home with installed home offices. In a matter of weeks, activities such as doctor's appointments, classes and grocery shopping have seen a transition to digital that would otherwise have taken years. Virtually all sectors recognized the urgency to go digital, in order to survive this new reality.

 

The most impressive thing is that all of this was done in a very short time and with relative success. This accelerated digital transformation does not happen just because of the context, but also because technology, namely agile tools, enhance the responsiveness, ensuring business continuity and its quick adaptation, even in highly disruptive situations such as a pandemic. If before the development of an application could take months, or years, nowadays technology allows them to be implemented in a few weeks, maintaining high criteria of quality, reliability, and user experience.

 

In this context, it makes more and more sense to talk about Low-Code. In a period of uncertainty about the future of organizations, in which the pace of digital transformation has intensified and in which the pressure of the business, which seeks to respond to the growing demand of its customers, on IT departments is increasing, it is necessary to invest in new forms of software development that allow the design and implementation of applications, in a very short time. It is also necessary to ensure applications that are accessible on any device, flexible, scalable, and easy to use.

According to a 2019 study (pre-pandemic, therefore), Gartner estimated that by 2024, up to 65% of all app development functions will be provided by low-code platforms. Low-Code has long since ceased to be a mere trend, to become an increasing certainty in the world of software development. This is a technology that aims to democratize application development, with the ultimate goal of bringing development times closer to business times and, more importantly, to the demands of the market and the customers/users of these solutions.

 

 

When we see an organization, of Portuguese origin, like OutSystems, achieving unicorn status and assuming the leadership position in Gartner's Magic Quadrant, the relevance that low-code assumes today in the market becomes evident. With low-code, namely with OutSystems platform, the benefits are clear and evident. First of all, the speed of development allows a significantly reduced time-to-market, the drastic reduction in programming hours and, consequently, the size of the teams required for the project and the associated costs, the ability to integrate easily and without limits with other systems and applications of an organization, the user experience as the base matrix of the applications or the scalability of the solutions developed, are some of the differentiators of low-code and the OutSystems platform.

 

Still, it is important to note that the adoption of a low-code platform is not, per se, the key to optimizing software development and time-to-market in organizations. To realize the potential of organizational speed and digital transformation, technological evolution must go hand in hand with a change in the cultural paradigm of organizations.
The “new normal” is here to stay and, increasingly, the processes will be adapted to the new digital reality. It is now up to organizations to decide how to face the future ... and at what speed.

 

Ready?

 

Noesis is a Premium sponsor of NextStep - the worldwide event of OutSystems - and is also one of the reference partners of the Portuguese technology. For more than 10 years, it has been available on the OutSystems platform, having already been distinguished with 12 Innovation Awards and currently has a trained and certified team that has contributed to the digital transformation of large organizations in Portugal, the Netherlands and the USA.

 

This year, the great annual event of OutSystems will be virtual and will take place on the 15th and 16th of September. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about low-code and learn about some of its success stories worldwide.

 

See you there?

 

*Originally publish (in Portuguese) in Executive Digest