The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of low-code and no-code platforms as businesses pursued rapid digital transformation. Significant market growth during this period clearly shows the increasing role these platforms play in modern business operations.
Gartner evaluated 17 low-code platforms, while Forrester focused on rankings for 12 platforms designed for citizen developers and 13 for digital process automation. G2’s extensive listings, including 85 low-code and 364 no-code platforms, demonstrate the market’s vastness and the variety of available options.
A striking 77% of organizations currently use low-code development tools, with 66% of large organizations using up to four different low-code platforms, emphasizing the need for versatile and scalable solutions.
Key considerations for choosing a platform
When selecting a platform, it’s key to assess whether it supports your organization’s size, industry, and specific business challenges. Avishai Sharlin of Amdocs advises evaluating whether the platform is suitable for SMBs or large enterprises and if it can replace existing applications and handle complex requirements.
Real-world application insights
Eoin Hincy from Tines emphasizes that the platform should meet real-world needs and be capable of effective deployment at scale, letting it grow with your organization. A platform that supports various use cases across departments can prevent technical debt and minimize strain on IT resources.
Debbi Roberts of Quickbase and Wayson Vannatta of Nintex stress the importance of IT and business team collaboration for successful platform adoption and ongoing governance.
Organizations need to identify the right users for the platform, whether they are developers, technologists, or non-technical users. Rich Waldron of Tray.ai recommends choosing platforms with extendable capabilities and comprehensive APIs to avoid vendor lock-in. Additionally, training non-technical users, as David Talby of John Snow Labs suggests, makes sure that all can use the platform effectively.
Learning curve and usability
Organizations should conduct a one-hour usability test to gauge how quickly teams can adapt to the platform without formal training. Sid Misra of SAP emphasizes fast development as key for addressing regulatory and compliance issues.
Evaluate the platform against non-functional criteria like technology compatibility, security, and operational requirements. Varun Goswami of Newgen emphasizes platform scalability and total cost of ownership, while Meir Wahnon of Descope stresses alignment with CI/CD processes to avoid integration issues.
Platform innovation with AI
As generative AI becomes standard in many platforms, assess how the platform leverages AI to increase productivity. Don Schuerman from Pega foresees that future advances in generative AI will support the creation of entire workflows from scratch, incorporating industry best practices.
David Brooks from Copado and Jason Gartner of IBM highlight the importance of reviewing the platform’s integration capabilities and API exposure for maintaining flexibility.
Evaluate a platform’s ability to integrate with existing SaaS, proprietary applications, and third-party plugins.
Final considerations
Defining technical strategy and business needs before selecting a platform is key for mitigating risks and guaranteeing long-term alignment with organizational objectives. Anand Kulkarni of Crowdbotics suggests considering AI-driven software development that prioritizes code reuse, reducing risks and increasing efficiency.
Peter McKee of Sonar recommends having an exit strategy that includes self-documentation, data exporting, and comprehensive API connections to simplify transitions away from a platform while preserving business functions and data integrity.
