5 Misconceptions of Low Code in Process Automation

1.   “Low-code solutions aren’t built for the enterprise”

Until recently, enterprises feared low-code meant a trade-off between scalable, secure, compliant, production-ready experiences and fast development. However, today, Fortune 500 companies, leading enterprise brands, integrators, and public sector organisations have all taken advantage of low-code platforms to give them a competitive edge.

Security will be placed as the number one priority when creating mission-critical apps. Customers must be able to trust that any information they share on them will be kept safe and adhere to their agreed privacy consent. In addition, having an easy-to-use and familiar environment within the application helps customers feel more confident and engaged through self-service. Low code development can build in such priorities as standard.

Despite the many misconceptions surrounding its use, the momentous growth of low-code development methods has led to a rise in businesses being able to create and design business apps at speed, in a collaborative and governed way. This is mainly due to businesses embracing the modern tools available to them – enabling them to boost digital transformation efforts, reduce costs, and achieve increased agility and greater productivity levels.

2.   “IT teams and business teams will clash”

 Utter the words ‘low code’ and ‘citizen developers’ to an IT manager just a few years ago and it might have given them cold shivers. It’s true that the IT team would often traditionally see low code in a skeptical light – just another shadow IT tool that leads to more technical debt, where staff can do whatever they want outside of central IT control, while working in separate silos, with a lack of governance. But that’s all in the past and times are definitely changing – accelerated no doubt by the global pandemic – as IT teams realize it is a form of rapid application development, or high-productivity development, which gives users the option to use scripting or predefined code. Such tools use a variety of approaches to automate development.

Citizen development is the practice of enabling a community of like-minded business technologists using shared low-code and no-code tools to create automations and applications in a safe and scalable way. But don’t underestimate its size – according to Gartner, by next year the number of active citizen developers at large enterprises will be at least four times the number of professional developers.

Therefore employees in business roles are much more accepting of low code and no code – the more accessible and intuitive interfaces empower them to create apps which satisfy their unique business needs.

Global HR challenges are also influencing the growth in low code. In organizations around the world, there is a trend towards requiring more efficient software solutions across all departments and industries. At the same time, there’s a massive shortage of developers, and the overall specialization of the global market has multiplied the risk of miscommunication between IT and business experts.

More than 500 million digital services and apps will be developed and deployed this year alone, according to an IDC prediction. The number of new software programmers and developers to build these apps, however, is expected to be drastically short. IT teams therefore need to increase efficiencies in building applications quickly, which is where low-code and citizen development capabilities come into the picture. These platforms allow businesses to rapidly build and deploy applications with the help of a drag-and-drop interface and visual design tools, while ensuring a properly governed environment. The real winners will build cross-functional teams enabling a seamless process of parallel collaboration between IT and citizens doing what each does best.

3.   “There’s no collaboration and little shared expertise”

‘Low-code means no collaboration or efficiency.’ This myth first started because some low-code platforms enabled dispersed technical teams across the enterprise to start being productive, but raised questions around ongoing efficiencies and how to share their expertise.

The best low-code platforms are specifically designed to nurture cross-functional team collaboration by providing optimized experiences that allow subject matter experts, business analysts, and IT professionals to each contribute their own expertise. Each stage of an application build is modularized to provide a streamlined and flexible development approach that is easy for everyone to understand. Meanwhile, automated code creation frees up resources from a significant amount of tedious hand-coding. All of this enables a rapid, iterative, and collaborative development style. With no shadow IT in sight.

4.   “We don’t need low code because we use RPA”

Low-code application platforms deliver a wide range of end-to-end business process applications with the ability to build global databases that communicate with other systems, cater for on-the-fly changes and updates, and suit multiple deployment capabilities –all at incredible speed. Low-code is about building out complete processes, connecting systems and tasks together in a continuous flow to avoid breakdowns and visibility issues.

Robotic Process Automation [RPA], on the other hand, is about handling the tasks within a process and how these can be automated by deploying software bots.

RPA and low-code are two powerful tools. Put them together and they deliver a winning combination for digital business transformation. Useful given 88% of senior management teams within financial services indicate business process automation [BPA] is the main implementation focus of their transformation efforts.

Low-code can build entire databases and deliver applications to IT, while RPA tools take on tasks at the “human” level, focusing on mimicking repetitive, human interactions that can be automated.

Both RPA and low-code should be part of your overall digital workforce to increase optimization and to take advantage of the ROI they deliver.

5.   “We don’t need low code to digitally transform our business”

The most important contributor to a successful digital transformation is a sound strategy. It’s also critical to have the right people in place who understand the technologies being deployed in order to deliver the planned transformation.

With that in mind, low code (just like any other technology) can be seen as a guaranteed win as long as it is used correctly, in the right areas that make sense for a business.

The demand for software is increasing exponentially year on year. Traditional methods can take months, or even a year or more, and significant investment to complete a single application, especially if complex. This is simply not acceptable when a business needs to compete in the market – automating numerous internal processes, digitalizing the customer experience, and launching new digital products. As for digital transformation, with regular methods it can take so long that it’s already obsolete or market changes mean the business is continuously playing catch-up. This is where low code comes into its own – you can accelerate projects to drive transformation and process automation across the business at an incredible pace. Any organization will find that transformation is much harder (and much slower) without it.

Low-code development platforms can help your digital transformation by:

• Streamlining app development with configurable components for fast and efficient process design that reduces time to market.
• Driving faster and lower cost automation across the business on a platform that is intuitive and optimized for both business and technical users.
• Enabling more value and innovation from existing resources.
• Enabling quick response to changing needs and new requests without diverting resources from other projects.
• Ensuring compliance and readiness for regulatory checks through well-designed process audit features

Final Thoughts

Low code is not just a passing trend. It’s a powerful tool that holds immense potential for process automation.

As you embark on your journey with low code, remember to approach it with a clear understanding of its capabilities and limitations. Recognize that low code is not a one-size-fits-all solution but a strategic enabler that works hand in hand with human expertise and creativity. When leveraged effectively, organizations can use low code platforms to drive automation, improve customer experiences, and gain a significant competitive edge.

So, don’t let misconceptions hold you back. Embrace the power of low code for process automation and unlock new ways to boost efficiency, agility, and growth for your business.