Agile Low-Code Development

In this article, we’ll explore the perfect synergy that is Agile low-code development.  We’ll begin by defining the ideal traits and capabilities of a low-code platform that is meant to be used for Agile development, then we’ll explain how those capabilities can supercharge Agile development.

Agile is all about collaboration, so for Agile low-code development to work, we need designers and developers working together in the same web-based environment. Fluid collaboration is a must, and that’s not going to work if there is a downloadable application that must be installed and configured, especially if the tool requires dependencies (like Docker, npm, a JDK, Eclipse, etc) that designers wouldn’t normally have already installed.

2. Simple builder UI

The builder UI must be understandable to non-programmers, specifically, non-technical designers must be able to build powerful, sophisticated apps without developer involvement.  It should be about as easy to use as typical mockup tools, like Balsamiq or Lucid.

This is really hard to get right, and a lot of low-code platforms “cheat” here: there will be a video explaining how to do something, then in the middle of the video, the narrator types in a “magic expression”: an XPath, a SQL statement, a JavaScript snippet, whatever.  When you need a “magic expression” like that, you just made your builder inaccessible to 90%+ of all designers.

For reasons that will become clearer in the second half of this article, the builder tool must be fast – not just responsive, but bristling with shortcuts, accelerators, intelligent defaults, “Skip” buttons, etc.  An experienced user should be able to use the tool in front of other people and those other people do not get bored and start looking at their phones.

How Agile Low-Code Development Can Improve Your Business

Low-code is a visual approach to software development that requires less or even no coding to create powerful applications and process automation. Instead of complicated coding languages, a low-code development platform employs the usage of visual interfaces with simple logic and drag-and-drop editors. 

Agile was introduced many years before low-code. It was a game-changing approach to application development. There is no surprise that the core principles are currently mirrored in Agile low-code development platforms. 

Businesses that use both Agile and low–code have the benefit of implementing new applications and processes quickly. Thus, they give them an edge over their competitors by foreseeing the market trends and demands. A recent study conducted by Gartner shows that approximately 65% of all application development activity will be a consequence of low-code applications by the year 2024. 

Low-code platforms enable citizen developers within big enterprises to meet the enterprise application requirements without needing to turn to the software development department. This allows those software departments to complete complicated business processes much more quickly and efficiently, hence increasing overall organizational productivity. 

How Agile Low-Code Development Can Help Improve A Business

• Increase Cross-Departmental Collaboration

The cross-departmental collaboration reflects a strong internal organizational culture. The customer observes a difference when employees feel comfortable working together, communicate effectively, and understand one another’s roles and functions within the system.   

Low-code can help in easeless cross-departmental collaboration without employing the use of wide organizational resources. Low-code platforms can go a long way to overcome these challenges and assist the Agile low-code development emphasis on cross-departmental collaboration. 

This means that developers and organizational employees can collaborate, create, and deliver, enterprise grade-applications easily. Hence, this allows organizations to make applications efficiently and productively. Moreover, it enables IT and businesses to collaborate in real-time through the use of visual interfaces. This way, they capture business requirements, quickly iterate and scale up applications, as well as maintain the project’s ultimate goals and objectives.

• Faster Application Development

Most low-code platforms are extensible, which allows citizen developers to turn, web services, APIs, and command lines into reusable building blocks through direct integrations with major vendors. This lowers the time required to integrate and deploy new technologies and solutions. It also allows businesses to stay ahead of evolving market trends and customer expectations.

Traditional coding can be a very difficult process, with a single line of code or a misplaced component delaying the deployment of an application for weeks or even months at a time. However, a low-code app development platform eliminates most of the potential pitfalls. Workflow automation tools and drag-and-drop builders can result in a much quicker development turnaround. Recent studies show that using low-code platforms has the ability to reduce development time by a staggering 90%.

Organizations can also respond to the market or customer demands more quickly because they don’t have to wait for an experienced software developer or outsource the update to a third-party developer.  

• Automating Business Processes

Low-code platforms equipped with the right development tools can significantly accelerate the development process to automate day-to-day tasks and end-to-end processes.

Workflows can be started based on business and IT events. Templates can be used to quickly build new business processes, and variables and flow control can make data management easier across platforms. Meanwhile, pre-built configurations, integrations, and API access can enable the automation of any virtual, time-consuming, repetitive business process.   

Low-code enables the automation of multiple business processes that require less coding. It allows non-technical business users to involve in automation projects while reducing reliance on software developers and engineers. Extensive studies indicated that using low-code and proper business management can increase consumer satisfaction by almost 30%. Therefore, proper Agile low-code development can be a make or break for every business.

• Establishing Citizen Development And Reducing Technical Debt

By abstracting multiple tedious tasks from daily development, low-code reduces the burden of software maintenance. As compared to the traditional method, there are far fewer integration problems to deal with when using pretested, standardized, ready-made components. It enables developers to spend minimal time on maintenance and more time on tasks that add bigger organizational value.

Workflows can be automated using historical data. The low-code app development tools are intended for internal teams. Hiring an external app development team does not need to maximize a company’s costs. Moreover, the updates can be carried out by internal citizen developers.  

• Establishing Automated Customer Service Portals

Low-code platforms can automate various operations critical to customer engagement and experiences. The agility of application development and the powerful business process features help in the creation of better enterprise applications. Thus, this improves the overall customer experience. 

Today, customers expect organizations they collaborate with to provide faster, more flexible, and highly personalized online experiences. Meeting customer requirements is no longer a competitive benefit. Exceeding those expectations is what makes organizations stand out in today’s difficult business landscape. Low first-time resolution rates, long wait times, and agents lacking essential information during customer interactions are just some of the problems that affect customer satisfaction levels. 

Low-code platforms provide organizations with speed and flexibility. They allowing them to create applications that bring data and information together to quickly improve customer experience. Such platforms also help agents in offering better customer service by providing tools such as reduced delivery time, real-time updates, improved interaction, and targeted user feedback.

Improve Your Business With Low-Code Development Company

Agile low-code development platforms can help your business create enterprise applications faster than ever before. It can improve cross-departmental collaboration, automate numerous business processes, empower citizen developers, and build automated customer service channels.

The best no-code development company and low-code development company provides the tools your business needs to streamline and optimize workflows. Get their services so that your business can take advantage of the various low-code and no-code technologies.