Low code/no code (LC/NC) applications

Whenever a company is in need of a new information system the conventional options it had had where either to pick one off-the-shelf or to build a custom one. Low code/no code (LC/NC) applications come as a third alternative which helps companies to build custom information systems without having to hire a huge team and without compromising on specific business requirements.

The chief advantages of LC/NC applications are its closeness to business specifications, lesser implementation time and lower costs. The low code/no code philosophy is to depend on user requirements rather than developer expertise. Thus a custom software could be built with no or minimum programming skills, with point-and-click or pull-down menu interfaces.

Robotic process automation (RPA), one of the fastest-growing categories of LC/NC systems, is a great solution for the automation of back-office administration. With RPA, automated workflows could be designed by making use of simple decision-making rules. A variety of other small business processing applications such as HR management, order quote creation, reservation management etc. are also supported by LC/NC software development approach.

This philosophy expands the number of people who are able to develop software applications within a company. Low-code software need some basic programming skills and are used by professional developers or IT employees. No-code software are for the use of non-technical people also known as “citizen developers”.

Thus LC/NC philosophy accelerates digitisation and automation of processes in a company. However, LC/NC application requires involvement of IT experts when enterprise-wide or mission-critical systems are touched. Even though LC/NC solutions save cost and time, it still requires some level of technical skills to maintain, integrate, scale and govern.