Application Development Efficiency: What’s Low-Code Got to Do With It?
Application development efficiency is almost always on a list of IT must-haves. For tech executives and IT leaders, greater efficiency reduces technical debt and gets applications to market or in production faster. For those on the application delivery front lines, it clears backlogs and improves relationships with business stakeholders. In another list—that of the benefits of low-code—efficiency is often overlooked for “sexier” benefits like agility and speed. Yet, it is one of the best ways to increase application development efficiency.
In this post, I share two ways that low-code increases development efficiency, complete with real-world examples.
Application Development Efficiency Wins Over Skeptics at Redington Gulf
The most noticeable way that low-code increases efficiency is in the amount of human work it removes from the development equation. It reminds me of the first time I used WordPress after writing my own HTML and fighting with CSS (CSS won every time). Doing all that stuff by hand was eating up the time I had to come up with great copy. With WordPress, I could focus on the content, which was what was important, instead of the mechanics of delivering that content to the web.
Low-code works along the same lines by enabling developers to focus on business and application logic. A graphical interface that allows developers to drag-and-drop their components frees them from days of coding late into the night to meet deadlines. At Redington Gulf, an IT distributor, developers were skeptical about leaving their .NET behind in favor of low-code. But once they realized it provided a framework that enabled them to focus on the creative aspects of their work, they embraced it. The result? They created an RPA-assisted app in just three weeks. You can hear how they were won over in this video.
Ramping Up Application Development Efficiency at Schneider Electric
Another way that low-code improves efficiency is by making it possible to set up a “digital low-code factory.” This virtual capability without walls or smokestacks accelerates, standardizes, and improves the development processes. It frees developers to “do their thing,” but also offers governance and reusable components so they don’t inject errors into an app or build a part of the app that already exists.
An example of such a setup can be found at Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management and automation. Schneider offers its customers products and services that combine energy, automation, and software. To meet the need for smart and modern apps, Schneider needed more efficient development processes. So, they created a digital low-code factory that produced 30 apps and saved 650 days of effort in the first year alone. You can get the full Schneider story here.
Want to Learn More or Check Out Low-Code Yourself?
These examples are just the tip of the low-code benefits iceberg. If you would like to dig deeper into the benefits of low-code, this eBook takes a look at efficiency and agility with low-code.
If you’re intrigued and want to see what it’s like to drag-and-drop your great app idea into existence, you can check out OutSystems—for free. Just sign up, download the IDE, and get started with plenty of support along the way.
