There has been a buzz around Low-code or Zero-code which pitches for building systems without writing code i.e. with the help of configurations, settings and UI based mappings, plug and play of blocks.Though it is not new to me as various CMS and CRM have been existing which offer same but never referred as low-code solutions. What is your take on this proposition? have you implemented any such low-code tool which has reduced development efforts without compromising the expectations from Product and Business?

I believe that low-code or no-code development platforms offer significant benefits in terms of reduced development time and increased agility. These platforms can empower non-technical users to build applications, automate processes, and solve business problems without relying on IT teams.

In my experience, low-code tools can be particularly useful for rapid prototyping, proof-of-concept development, and building simple applications. However, it is important to ensure that the low-code tool has the necessary features and integrations to meet the business requirements and that it can be easily maintained and extended over time.

Furthermore, it is crucial to ensure that any low-code solution is well-integrated with existing IT systems and processes to avoid data silos and information gaps. Integrations with other tools, such as CRM, ERP, and marketing automation, can be critical to achieving seamless data flow and maximizing the value of the low-code solution.

Overall, I believe that low-code or no-code platforms have great potential to empower business users, streamline development processes, and drive innovation. However, it is important to evaluate the capabilities of the tool and ensure that it meets the needs of the business while also integrating seamlessly with other systems.

It's beneficial when you want to implement new technology and empower departments that are not traditionally great with computer skills like accounting, HR and sales to deploy/use the new tools on their own. We are exploring various products for automation/integration (Workato, Boomi, etc.). One of the incentives is to use them as low-code, no-code tools for everyday employees versus as a tool for developers/IT admins. I certainly don't want the IT department to be the bottleneck where everyone is waiting on it to connect/integrate various systems. Using low-code/no-code solutions is being shifted to the department/team that is using the software.

We used them for many workflow type applications that way each department can build and support “at the speed of the business “ without IT being a road block. I recommend their use. One caveat though is future support we have seen this dozens of times, department has one skilled employee who developed the app, and they leave the company. Now they want IT to make changes and need it in a week…. Ensure you have long term support plans in place if the application is going to be around for a long time

In the previous company I used to work for, we’d created an ERP only using Amazon Honeycode. We did it in 3-months time and it was the solution we were looking for, since the company was a last mile company with 320+ drivers and 21 staff employees. So the ERP was used in desktop as well as mobile devices.

It might not seem that low-code would fulfill a company needs, but it was a solution that worked really well and it provided the results we were expecting.