With a low-code platform, you can turn business needs into digital solutions in no time. This changes the role and responsibilities of IT. Follow these 4 steps to ensure a successful implementation of your low-code platform.
With the rise of low-code platforms, it has become easy for companies to turn business needs into digital solutions in no time at all. And while low-code offers many possibilities, there are also challenges. For example, how do you prevent a proliferation of applications? And what is the role of the IT department in developing low-code solutions?
As the world changes rapidly and the new generation of employees and customers sets higher standards for their digital experience, the IT organization faces the major challenge of meeting this growing and evolving demand. Standardized Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions often fail to meet the specific requirements of your company or department, and custom-built applications cost a lot of money, time, and resources. Many companies have embraced low-code platforms to quickly and easily develop customized solutions.
In addition, even non-IT professionals can build apps themselves using low-code. Consider, for example, automating manual processes to increase their own productivity. For IT professionals, this has changed their role and responsibilities within the organization: after all, a large portion of their former responsibilities has now been delegated.
The promise of low-code is not new. As early as the 1990s, there were platforms such as IBM Lotus Notes that enabled “ s” to develop applications without help from the IT department. Although these platforms proved incredibly valuable, there was a major challenge:governance. With the advent of the citizen developer, there was a proliferation of unmanaged applications developed outside the IT department’s purview. Over the years, some of these applications became increasingly important, and some critical processes even came to depend on them.
Modern platforms, such as the MicrosoftPower Platform, , have taken the possibilities of low-code to a new level. To prevent history from repeating itself, it is therefore now even more important to formulate a low-code strategy. The IT department supports the rest of the organization in this by establishing the right guidelines and processes around governance, compliance, adoption, and development. Part of this strategy is a roadmap for successfully implementing a low-code platform, and Macaw has defined four phases for this.
1. Strategy and Vision
To use low-code effectively, it’s important to first answer the “why” question. Why is low-code being used? How does it contribute to the organization’s objectives? Will the business itself digitize processes? Or will the IT department streamline the application landscape? Can a low-code platform be used to enhance the personal productivity of
These strategic choices have significant implications for the distribution of responsibilities within organizations. Various delivery models are conceivable: from a centralized approach, where responsibility lies with the IT department, to a decentralized approach, where responsibility lies with the business units, or a combination of both.
It is essential that the IT organization assume some responsibility and integrate the low-code platform into the IT strategy, existing processes, and the IT portfolio. In doing so, it is important not only to make these strategic choices but also to create a concrete adoption plan to turn the vision into reality.
2. Administration & Governance
Once the appropriate delivery model has been selected and the strategic objectives and an adoption strategy have been defined, the appropriate processes and measures can be put in place to manage and administer the platform. Unlike the citizen developer tools of the past, the options for maintaining control over the platforms are much more extensive today. This includes implementing the appropriate“ ” Data Loss Prevention policies,“ ” role-based access, monitoring existing applications, and managing the use of data sources. By implementing these processes, we can prevent shadow IT and, above all, support end users as effectively as possible.
3. Moving Toward the Business
Once the key strategic decisions have been made and the platform has been securely configured, you can create value by proactively engaging with the business domains. Depending on the decisions made in Phase 1, “Strategy and Vision,” you may have various use cases in mind. To make success and value measurable, it’s advisable to define KPIs in advance so that the platform’s deployment aligns with business goals and challenges.
4. Fusion Teams
Low-code platforms offer an excellent opportunity to bridge the gap between This combined approach is also referred to by Gartner as“ fusion teams” . A fusion team is a multidisciplinary team that combines technology or analytics with business domain expertise and shares responsibility for both business and technology outcomes (Gartner, 2021). Here, too, a clear structure, a methodical approach, and clearly defined responsibilities are prerequisites for success. Research by Gartner shows that 70% of fusion teams make technology choices that differ from what IT policy prescribes. To increase awareness of the frameworks defined in Phases 1 and 2, it is important that the fusion teams be trained according to the adoption plan defined in Phase 1.
By progressing through these four distinct phases of maturity, you can accelerate digital transformation within the organization in a secure and well-thought-out manner.