Avoiding No-Code Technology: The Costly Business Mistake You Can’t Afford

Quixy Editorial Team

August 10, 2023

This blog was first published on Nasscom Community.

Businesses have a higher digital dependency now more than ever. Though this trend was shaping up even before COVID-19, the situation was so post-pandemic that going digital was the only way organizations could survive. However, this development also translates to increased application and software development demand, and this demand can increase to the extent that surpasses the capability of an organization’s IT department. But does this mean that organizations should not go all in for digital? Or that they risk losing out on business opportunities as they fail to capitalize on the new way of doing business? 

Absolutely not, for no-code technology is here to the rescue. 

All About No-Code Technology 

For the uninitiated, no-code is a technology that allows for application and software development without writing a single line of code. It employs user-friendly and visual features such as drag-and-drop to enable business users to create applications for the problems they understand best. Using no-code technology requires no prior knowledge of any coding language or a technical degree. Sounds too good to be true. No-code is truly a revolutionary technology with endless potential, and it has the potential to revolutionize your organization like never before digitally. 

Recent statistics and numbers are a testament to this. Gartner predicts that the global market for low-code no-code development technologies is projected to touch a whopping $26.9 billion in 2023, recording an increase of 19.6% from 2022. It also predicts that 65% of the app activity will result from no-code development by 2024. The McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2022 has also named ‘Next-Generation Software Development’ through low-code and no-code platforms as one of the top 14 significant technology trends.

As it is quite apparent, no-code technology can be a game changer for many organizations in their journey toward digital transformation. Gone are the days when investments in tools such as no-code were a ‘good-to-have’; instead, they have become a must-have. Organizations can miss out on many crucial opportunities and developments if they underestimate the importance of no-code technology. If you are still not convinced, let us list some of them. 

Business Opportunities You Risk Missing Out On by Not Adopting No-Code Technology 

Here are a few potential missed opportunities and improvements that organizations risk facing if they do not invest in no-code technology: 

1. Increased Time and Cost of Software Development 

You must be well aware of the time and cost it takes to develop applications through traditional coding, and it requires a technical bunch of people working on software development for months at large. All this while having extremely high cost and resource commitments as well. 

Let’s take no-code citizen development of applications, on the other hand. No-code platform automates workflows to build enterprise-grade applications for their custom needs up to 10x faster. The flexible platform can develop applications within hours per users’ requirements. These benefits are reaped in addition to saving immensely on the cost and resources that would have been required otherwise.

The business implications of going through the traditional route instead of switching to no-code technology are more severe than you think. In fact, KPMG recently reported that 80% of projects are not delivered on time when the traditional route is taken. Many startups also face the risk of delayed idea validation through traditional development instead of using no code to build MVPs (minimum viable products) more quickly. These issues translate to an impact on business efficiency and profitability and can pose serious challenges to organizations. 

2. Unnecessary Burden on IT Teams

In most organizations, IT teams are heavily burdened and under strict deadlines due to a steep increase in software and application development demand. Every software requirement, from basic automation to complex development, is supposed to be taken care of by the IT departments of organizations. Naturally, this leads to project delays and even burnout of people working on such teams. 

No-code provides a much better solution here. Business users can develop applications without having any coding knowledge, so they do not need to convey these requirements to the IT team. They are also empowered to create solutions for the problems they understand the best instead of relying on others. No-code citizen development takes the load and burden away from IT teams, who can focus on complex development requirements. They can better contribute to projects with higher strategic importance and avoid delays and schedule clashes. 

In a business environment where digital systems and software lead the way, burdened and overworked IT departments can be a strategic blunder for organizations. Suppose organizations do not create a conducive and empowering environment for IT teams to perform to the best of their abilities. In that case, they can risk missing out on the advantages of a key resource. 

3. Limiting Employee Creativity 

A lot of organizations are unable to automate and digitize their process fully. The reasons behind this can be many, from cost constraints to the inability of the IT department to deal with the software requirements. This leads to a lot of paper-based, manual and repetitive processes still existing in organizations. It is no wonder such processes drain employees’ bandwidth and make their day monotonous. 

On the other hand, no-code technology can take the monotony away by automating processes. This allows employees to free up their time and their mind, allowing them to direct their energy toward creative pursuits. When repeated processes do not bog them down, employees can develop innovative ideas that can work wonders for businesses. Stifling the full creative potential of employees can be disastrous for businesses competing in today’s cut-throat environment. 

Also Read: Sneak-peek into Top 10 Predictions for No-Code Low-Code Adoption by Businesses

4. Sub-Optimal Digital Culture 

Complete reliance on IT departments takes away the onus of digital dexterity from employees. Developing a digital-first culture and mindset is of utmost importance for businesses to thrive. However, employees can not be expected to learn complex coding skills or advanced technologies. Instead, they can be empowered to leverage easy-to-use and visual options such as no-code to use technology effectively. They can be enabled to create digital solutions for problems they understand best. This leads to a culture where employees are wired to think of digital solutions and are capable of implementing them. 

Without no-code, the creation of such a technology-conducive culture is extremely difficult. This will lead to employees still thinking traditionally instead of being wired to think digital-first. Organizations can lose out on training and developing their workforce to be resilient and digitally dexterous. Therefore, no-code citizen development is crucial for organizations. 

5. Organization Not Ready to be Digital-First

An organization shying away from investments in promising digital disruptions will sooner or later regret doing so. Even though adopting such platforms might seem intimidating, organizations need to develop the appetite for embracing them head-on. A major testament to this was during the pandemic. Organizations that had already embraced technology in their everyday processes could smoothly transition to the new ways of working, while those who did not struggle to find their feet. 

No-code is set to blow up to unmatched popularity and will soon be how most businesses develop their applications. We have already stated the numbers that strongly predict this. Therefore, any business looking to make digital a focus and not investing in no-code technology has much to lose. They even risk losing the race against competitors who are not afraid to embrace no-code technology.

Also Read: Maximising resilience: CIOs leading the way in economic downturns

Conclusion 

With organizations finding new ways of leveraging tech to become more efficient and competing through the readiness of their workforce, missing out on an opportunity like no-code is a big risk to take. Even though there might be some initial hiccups in investing and adopting new technology like no code, in the long run, the investment is essential for organizations to succeed and reap the desired results. 

However, it is important to note that all no-code technology is not built similarly. Some platforms are cost-friendly and extremely easy to use, while others might pinch budgets and have adoption issues. The same goes for scalability, the potential for building complex applications, support, etc. Therefore, choosing the right no-code platform is the key to eliminating business risks and setting off a successful digital trajectory.