Can Low-Code Platforms End the Business-IT War?

Business has needs. They look for a cost-effective solution that lets them work faster and better. They see all sorts of new technology out there, and just know it would give them a leg up they need to beat out the competition.

As soon as an idea comes to mind, business goes to IT, who is supposed to be their Alfred, their Jarvis, the team that builds the super-tools necessary to propel the company into new eras.

But that’s where the breakdown starts. As soon as business comes with their request, IT immediately has to temper expectations.

No, blockchain is not the right fit for this tool.

No, I can’t just ‘add AI’ to this application.

Sure that’s possible, but it will take several months to complete.

No, we don’t have time to take on that job.

…and the battle and resentments ensue.

Business’s requests are relentless. IT’s resources are limited. Business is never happy with the current version. IT is buried in scope creep.

Back and forth this battle goes until both sides are convinced the other has gone off the deep end.

One Small Solution

But lately, there’s been a new opportunity that might help release some of that tension. One of the common challenges between business and IT is that business often has a few very large and complex needs along with a lot of small, relatively simple needs.

IT has to decide which projects to take on. Get all the easy ones done and suffer the fate of never building the one thing that matters? Or spend all your time on the big hairy solution and let the small ones stack up for miles on end?

Most teams opt for the second option, which only escalates the tension between the two groups.

Low-code development platforms might be the best-case solution for this ongoing war.

What Is the Low-Code Programming Movement?

Low-code development can be defined by one word: abstraction. Low-code development platforms provide an abstraction so that people who are not familiar with coding can develop their own apps without having to run to IT with their problems.

Low-code also helps improve the speed and efficiency with which apps are created by skilled developers.

Both of these concepts provide IT with a way to free up resources for more important tasks, while still getting all of the tools business users need. It reduces the stress of having an ever-increasing pile of unfulfilled requests while also giving more time to the more mission-critical tasks.

Both sides get what they want without having to compromise on quality or quantity.

But Do Low-Code Apps Work?

The best part about low-code applications is that they are producing results. Businesses all over the world are seeing a return on their investment into low-code platforms, and it’s encouraging other companies to seek out low-code solutions for their own organizational needs.

Low-code apps are not designed to be compute heavy tasks. Low-code tasks were meant for basic computing and task processing, and never intended to create something like an operating system from scratch.

Low-code is designed to fulfil basic business needs like creating custom automated processes that route approvals and workflows. It works perfectly for that use case, and business requirements is the reason why it’s making waves in organizations all over the world.

How Do Business and IT Help Each Other With Low-Code?

For those who are on the IT team, you know that business users do not often understand the complexity of how the backend of an application works. For them, it’s code, and something that IT is inherently programmed to do, regardless of the difficulty.

They are also blissfully unaware of security checks and audits, keeping hardware running, bug fixing, and a host of other tasks. Business users have their own work, and they want what they need from IT, immediately.

If you are coming from the business team, you are probably frustrated because IT does not understand what you need or want as well. The first version always seems to be missing something and you grow tired of explaining the functionality you need over and over again. Misunderstandings like this can lead to wasted time, effort, and a lot of frustration for everyone around.

Low-code development provides a solution for both business users and IT staff. Business users can create their own apps on specific low-code platforms, and IT staff can use them to create applications at a faster pace.

Both sides get what they want, without having to wait on the other side for information or resources. Everyone’s a winner.

Conclusion

Business and IT don’t have to be embroiled in battle all the time. Ultimately, both are part of the same organization working towards the same goal, and low-code platforms help these teams to reach that singular goal.

If you are on the search for a low-code platform to run your business smoother, then take a look at Kissflow. It is easy enough for everyone in the organization to use and lifts a huge burden of IT while giving business heads exactly what they want without IT having to actively consult on every detail. Try it for free and see if it’s a match for you.