The following image shows the typical process that companies must follow to select the low-code software that best suits their business model.
AuraQuantic offers a solution adapted to the needs of your company, encompassing all four solutions:
- No Code: a no-code or zero-code platform allows business users with no programming knowledge to rapidly create applications.
- LCAP (Low-Code Application Platform): a term used to refer to the development of applications with little or no coding.
- iBPMS (Intelligent Business Process Management Suite): this is a type of intelligent business software that enables companies to model, implement and execute sets of interrelated tasks (processes) of any nature.
- MXDP (Multi-Experience Development Platform): this type of development platform provides developers with a set of low-code development tools and back-end services that allow the scalable development of applications adapted to business needs using digital touch points.
What is Low Code?
Low code is a term used to refer to application development with little or no use of code. In the specific case of not requiring any code, they are known as no-code platforms. This approach enables you to create business applications quickly and without the need for deep IT knowledge.
Low-code development is achieved on platforms that provide a wide variety of preconfigured functionalities, components and services, easily adaptable and integrable with each other. Low-code platforms, in addition to drag and drop interfaces for creating the applications, often have visual elements to facilitate the configuration of business logic (conditions, stages, assignments, loops, etc.).
Low-Code platforms have evolved to the point of eliminating the need for classic programming syntax, democratizing application development and allowing business users to easily create applications without the need for programming knowledge.
Scalable
You can start with simple applications and increase their complexity when needed. The number of applications that can be developed is unlimited as is their evolution.
Flexible
The applications can be easily modified, and versioning is also possible. Furthermore, configurations, components and data sets can be reused.
Visual development environment
For the creation of interfaces and applications, the user has visual tools, generally supported by drag and drop, and a configuration back-end to define other aspects.
Transformational
By unifying application creation and data management, low-code solutions can monitor and analyze company performance, driving continuous improvement and becoming fundamental for a good digital transformation strategy.
Mobility
Low-code development contemplates the current business scenario and adapts many of the application’s features, especially the graphic interfaces, to the devices on the market.
Security
Security is implemented in all layers of the low-code platform, eliminating the possibility of vulnerabilities regardless of the number or type of application that is developed.
Democratization
App development is made available to everyone by enabling non-technical users with no programming knowledge to create applications.
Intuitive
As it is a visual environment and full of declarative tools, creating applications is an intuitive and simple experience for the user.
Creation speed
Applications can be developed in a matter of minutes.
Data access
The data layer and access are integrated with the application’s logic.
Benefits of Low Code
Being intuitive, fast, versatile and scalable, this software development methodology brings remarkable benefits to the departments and companies that begin to apply it. One of the main benefits of the low-code modality is that it allows for greater collaboration and understanding between the IT team and the people who use the applications, which, combined with agile development, leads to an improvement in development methodologies, such as DevOps or continuous delivery.
In short, the company’s capacity for digital transformation is enhanced. The ease of development also helps to focus on the customer, serving and responding to their needs with agility, since developers can focus on “what they want to achieve” instead of “how they are going to implement it”.
1
Save time and costs
The average development time for a software project can be reduced by up to 80%. This agile development and no requirement for specific technical staff in each area results in considerable cost savings.
2
Streamline change
In addition to being fundamental for application creation, the flexibility of low-code platforms benefits the subsequent maintenance, modification and facilitates adaptation to changes.
3
Keep control of information
Data generated by the application is centralized in the same database system, which gives complete data control. This is also how low code facilitates data analysis and processing.
4
Improve user experience
Drag and drop interfaces and attribute mapping panels help the user feel comfortable creating apps.
5
Eliminate silos
The simplicity of the application’s back-end, as well as the centralization of interfaces and components, enables the creation of more unified inter-company solutions.
Traditional vs. Low Code
Traditional and low-code-based software development differ in their approach to code usage. While the traditional model considers the use of programming languages as a central starting point, low-code development tries to minimize such use as much as possible by providing complete elements and functionalities that are easily integrable with each other. However, work methodologies such as SCRUM, KANBAN, continuous delivery, etc., are equally applicable to both types of development.
Traditional development
In this type of software development, direct use is made of programming languages (Java, C ++, Python, JavaScript, PHP…) to create all kinds of solutions and applications.
- Code editors: traditional software development involves using at least one code editor, such as Visual Studio Code or Atom, for example.
- IDE:Â for larger projects, the decision is usually made to expand such editors with plugins or to opt for an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) such as Eclipse, NetBeans or Microsoft Visual Studio. IDEs normally consist of advanced debugging tools, database connection, simulation, etc. They always have one thing in common, which is that they are platforms focused on developing software using classic programming languages.
- Libraries: code packages that bring together objects and functions which have already been developed to facilitate and accelerate the development of code.
- Frameworks: within a specific programming language, well-known frameworks are usually created, which are standardized sets of concepts, practices, criteria and modules that facilitate application development.
- Execution environments: they are systems that provide services for application development. In other words, they provide the back end on which to create applications. An example would be Node, which allows you to run JavaScript applications on a local machine. These systems usually provide an API that facilitates the development of applications, facilitating access to system resources or web resources, among others.
Low-Code development
Low-Code development is achieved through a specific platform that enables this type of development. That is, software or a platform that provides the necessary functionalities to create applications with little need for code. These platforms can be seen as having an extraordinary degree of abstraction with respect to the elements seen in the previous section, enabling the creation of applications with minimal use of programming languages.
A Low-Code platform enables applications to be created using drag and drop interfaces and configuration panels, associating business logic with the different elements in a visual, declarative and intuitive way. The degree of customization for applications using traditional development will always be high, since everything can be created from scratch. However, it should be noted that Low-Code platforms offer an increasing degree of customization and capabilities, covering almost any scenario of an organization’s needs, and with more than notable savings in time and costs.
Implementation
From the previous comparison, it may seem that Low-Code works against traditional development, but this is not the case. In fact, both types of development can perfectly coexist in a company and is often the case for most businesses. The same situation occurs in the comparison of Low Code and BPM. One of the challenges companies face is knowing how to recognize whether or not a situation requires low-code development.
If there is no company culture of low-code development, the recommended practice is to select a project to be addressed with this type of platform. The results can be noted in a few days, since these platforms are simple, agile and flexible, although it is advisable for some technical person to lead the first project at the beginning.
Most likely, the speed of development and execution of new applications will surprise business managers, and new projects will be addressed with this type of development.
Implementation stages
Regardless of whether we are dealing with a small or large project, there will be six stages of Low-Code development:
- Approach: as in almost any project, the first step will be to hold one or more meetings to determine the objectives. Theoretically, aspects of all kinds will be established, such as functionality, data to be used or stored, users involved, interaction points, automation, etc.
- Choice of fields:Â at this point the fields (numerical, text, dates, or more advanced) and values needed for the application are defined and created; These will be the foundation to ensure the application performs the desired functions.
- Logic: The stages, conditions, loops, assignments, etc. are implemented in this phase. These factors are necessary for the application to perform as we want.
- Interfaces: the stages, conditions, loops, assignments, etc. are implemented in this phase. These factors are necessary for the application to perform as we want.
- Execution: the launch of the application will give us a real vision of its operation, and we will quickly see what improvements are needed.
- Monitoring: the execution itself will begin to generate data that we can use to carry out various analysis, generally of time and performance. The analysis of this information will give us the insight to optimize the applications.