Low-code development is here to speed up digitalization and reduce technical debt. What are its key benefits?

Today, more than half of all apps are developed using low-code platforms, and it’s not surprising – they make digitalization faster and cheaper while reducing technical debt and making companies less dependent on expert technical know-how. Plus, they come with very few downsides. If you are considering implementation of low-code technology, keep reading to learn more about it!

You need practically zero coding to create apps capable of covering standardized processes with clearly defined start and end points – like setting up an account, entering into an agreement, or granting system access to employees. Using a low-code platform, you can simply create an event that will trigger the process and then define what the next step should be, or what form, statement or email you want to generate. Low-code apps are great for setting up an online store, managing client relationships, or internal processes.

For those with complex processes that take months or even years to complete and come with a ton of conditions and variations, sticking to traditional development is still a better choice, and you should probably avoid using low-code to digitalize your entire architecture because you would be hard pressed to find a solution that fits your needs.

The amount of time and money you can save is by far the biggest benefit of low-code development. When developing a tailor-made app or tool, you need to start with a brief, perform an analysis, then explain your expectations to developers who will have to code the entire thing before you can move on to testing. With low-code, you can skip the preparation stages since your analysts or processing experts – the people who would be the ones commissioning the development – can instead simply make their own tools or apps. A tailor-made app can take months or years to complete, while a low-code app can be client-ready in just a few weeks.

Here’s another benefit for you: low-code apps can be launched as you continue normal operations because often, they simply need to be integrated into the existing systems. That means the platform configuration is running alongside everything else, and when it’s ready, you simply plug it into your systems.

Some say that low-code development can actually increase the technical debt, but we believe the opposite. Tailor-made traditional development always comes with a restricted budget and timeline, so not everything might end up getting done perfectly, and fine-tuning can fall on a different team who might not have access to complete, comprehensive documentation. With pre-made elements, this is not an issue at all. The templates are already well-crafted and well-documented, with an option to quickly fix small issues with a bit of code. Low-code platforms are also ready to be implemented into other systems, so there is no technical debt in the integration process.

Finally, low-code means you can forget about the potential loss of continuity and stop being dependent on experts on specific technologies and apps. When your app is “pieced together” using templates, you don’t need to know who created them or what was their logic behind every step.

Let’s look at real-life examples. A power company approached us to have their device inspection process digitalized, so we did. Their operator now uses an app developed with a low-code PowerFLOW platform to keep track of the list of inspection tasks he needs to perform every day. Each inspection is then documented and can be used in an audit.

We used the same platform to develop an app for a hospital who needed a system to approve and grant employee access into its internal systems. Now, the hospital can easily see what roles exist in the system and who they are assigned to; the person responsible for approving access is clearly defined; and there are clear records of access requests submitted by employees.

Both the power company and the hospital are vulnerable institutions that are often targeted by cyber-attacks. But when sensitive infrastructure can safely use apps developed with low-code platforms, then you can be sure that you won’t find any weak spots in safety and integration of low-code development either. 

Analyse the process you need to digitalize, then draft the same process after it’s been digitalized. Then, use the draft as a basis for your brief, assess whether low-code would be a good choice, define your goals, your timeline, and allocate human resources.

With KPMG Discovery Suite and PowerFLOW tools and our support, you can do all these steps, from analysis to delivery and employee training. Discovery Suite can map customer journey, analyse strengths and weaknesses of your current processes, suggest new processes, and create a development brief. PowerFLOW then uses low-code technology to develop your apps, while Modern Back Office Tool (part of the the KPMG Discovery Suite) will allocate your human resources and their workload in different scenarios.