Some software professionals are somewhat intimidated by the idea of using low code development methodologies. Based on my conversations with several corporate companies regarding the topic. Some programmers are hesitant to embrace low-code and no-code programming. Because industrial workers worry that automation in the production line will throw them out of work. They are afraid that low-code technology will eventually render them unnecessary.
An Example of Low-Code
To begin, there is no such thing as “no-code.” This is not possible. Even in environments that are officially referred to as “no-code,” software developers nevertheless use pre-fabricated pieces of code as building blocks when creating computer programs. Therefore, even the most basic form of no-code creation still requires the skills of a programmer to piece together the various building components.
Low-code goes a step farther than traditional methods by providing developers with pre-written blocks of code in addition to a software development kit. This enables developers to personalize programs without having to start from scratch with the programming. The belief that these low code platforms will throw developers out of employment is comparable to asserting that children’s ability to play will be limited if they are given LEGO bricks to play with.
Insights Gathered
The contrary is true in the same way that the LEGO analogy illustrates. Programmers benefit from taking advantage of this method of rapid application development. Gregor Hohpe, an authority on corporate design, refers to low-code as “the holy grail of software development.” These techniques are shortcuts that automate some of the programming labor because a component of the code already exists. Consequently, the task can be completed more quickly.
However, this makes the design process considerably simpler and quicker for programmers, which frees them up to concentrate on creative endeavors rather than doing fundamental programming duties. Advanced platforms provide what we now refer to as “transform-code,” which is the next generation of low-code programming and can turn outmoded programming languages such as ABAP into more contemporary programming languages such as JavaScript.
Because these languages are easier to support and far more popular among emerging talent, it is considerably simpler to continue with development and digital transformation from that point onward.
The Development of Programming Is Still Going Strong
Compared to several decades ago, the coding process has unquestionably gotten less complicated and more intuitive in its current iteration. The initial machine code that we, as programmers, worked with was excruciatingly complicated, and low-level binary languages were abstract and granular. Programmers could construct ground-breaking software with significantly fewer work thanks to the industry’s development of languages and graphical interfaces that made it much easier for programmers to understand what they were doing.
This idea has been refined throughout time, so low-code programming is considered a “next-generation” approach to software development. Low-code solutions enable chief information officers to refocus their development resources and better use their highly talented developers, as opposed to automating tasks that would otherwise be performed by developers and replacing them with robotic arms in an assembly line. These coders can apply their expertise to more challenging projects, like building cutting-edge, cloud-native applications for organizations, complete with all of the ingrained wisdom and logic inherent in the organization’s business procedures.
Using Low-Code to Find Solutions to Problems
Low-code provides solutions to several market difficulties that both CIOs and developers face. The “Great Resignation” and pandemic quarantines did nothing more than exacerbate a shortage in the pool of developers.
According to projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of engineers needed in the United States would approach 1.2 million coders by 2026. Programming that involves little to no coding enables information technology departments to accomplish more with fewer resources. Including fewer employees, less time, lower costs to the business, and a lower risk of disruption.
However, looking at it from the point of view of the developer. They are not as concerned with finding a solution to the labor crisis. Programmers with high levels of expertise are in higher demand than ever. Since there aren’t enough of them to go around. However, the real value of an in-house developer lies in the fact that they are intimately familiar with the inner workings of the firm and each division within it.
When developers are modernizing and inventing the systems that their firms use. They can apply that intelligence to the application designs they create. That’s not something that an automated system can do. Therefore, even though low-code and no-code environments can provide programmers with a head start in the process of digital transformation. They view low-code as nothing more than an additional tool that will assist them in accomplishing their objectives.
In a Low-Code Tool, What Characteristics should CIOs and Developers Look For?
Since “low-code” is an umbrella term that can refer to many different practical solutions. Businesses need to make sure they locate the appropriate tools for their respective contexts. For instance, if you are developing business applications for an ERP environment. Which would typically involve departments such as inventory management, supply chain, manufacturing, warehouse management, etc. You will require an entirely different platform than you would for lightweight low-code or no-code tools. Which are more suited to simple forms or lightweight point solutions.
- If you are developing business applications for an ERP environment, you will typically involve departments. Such as inventory management, supply chain, manufacturing, warehouse management, etc.
- CIOs must ensure that their low-code and no-code solutions are scalable and independent of specific vendors. These characteristics will assist in maintaining a company’s efficiency even as it expands. They will provide businesses with broader alternatives for adding hardware to their systems in the future.
- A chief information officer (CIO) should consider the possibility. That software developers will first resist the implementation of a low-code strategy. Develop a strategy to address their issues right from the beginning of the process. This step may involve something as straightforward. As organizing a team meeting or composing a memo in which the goals of low-code application development are outlined.
- Developers should consider this an opportunity to advance to a higher professional level. Application or enterprise architect because new tools will accomplish some of the “grunt labor” for them.
In Conclusion
In their centers of excellence and their guidelines for best practices for the IT team, chief information officers (CIOs) should include governance principles on low-code technologies. This will facilitate rapid application development as an integral part of the standard approach. In the Center of Excellence (CoE), issuing a request for migration to cloud capabilities will enable a company future-proof its technological goals for the future, which can be carried out more effectively through low-code development.
In the end, low-code, no-code, and rapid application development will not eradicate developers from the landscape of the information technology industry. They will be seen as more forward-thinking, valuable individuals who are better equipped to contribute to their organizations.