5 solutions that low-code provides for development challenges

Build fast, build right, build for the future

 

 

In last week’s post, we talked about the main challenges when developing software from scratch.  Today, we continue our discussion following two topics: how those drawbacks are usually addressed within the companies and how we can look at them through the low-code lenses.

 

 

 

As time does not stretch, companies have very often opted by one of the following two approaches when choosing between time and quality concerns:

 

– The never-ending lifecycle of development

 

A simple way to deliver a big solution in a short timeframe is to break it down into smaller individual solutions and prioritize them. This way, although the full solution will take a long time to be delivered, the base functionalities will be in production within the required due dates. However, this breakdown exercise is not free from limitations as there is no definition of how small is small enough. Additionally, splitting highly complex tasks into small pieces is, by itself, a highly complex task, and often leads to deliver small solutions that miss critical components to function.

 

 

–   The All-in approach 

 

 

This approach is the exact opposite of the previous and can be achieved by significantly increasing the budget. There is an old saying, “One pregnant woman can have a baby in 9 months, but nine pregnant women will not have a baby in 1 month”.

This statement is highly accurate when describing overspending in Technology to develop something faster. Increasing the budget and the staff means breaking down the work in a way that different people in a short timeframe can do all tasks. An endeavor like this is even more challenging than the previous one, as, on top of breaking down the solution, you will need to do it in such a way that with little coordination, it will all fit it together perfectly in the end. How likely is that to go well?

 

 

How low-code usually overcome these challenges?

 

One of the concepts defended by low-code since the beginning was that it is possible to develop fast and inexpensively, without taking a significant toll on quality. Some initiatives were critical in rendering this ambition possible:

 

 

1. Visual Development

 

With visual development, it is possible to use widgets that perform specific functions repeatedly, as well as the possibility to design the Client and Server actions that need to be executed and the flow that they need to follow. Not needing to develop or copy code for simple objects, or not having to write thousands of lines of code to follow a workflow is a great way to save time.

 

 

2. Reusability of code 

 

By using web-blocks is possible to create an object that runs its own logic to execute one specific task. They have their own logic and look and feel, which can be used repeatedly in the application or even outside of the solution where it was built.

Additionally, multiple specific usage solutions have been shared throughout the OutSystems community, the Forge, making it simple to bootstrap their functionalities while building your applications.

 

 

3. Built-in security features 

 

Besides allowing the solutions to be on-premises, on your private cloud, or on the OutSystems cloud, the Platform also provides User / Role access management complying with the best practices in terms of security and access.

 

 

4. Extensive integration 

 

The Platform allows us to consume data from external providers using Rest APIs or SOAP methods. Additionally, there are also created integrations with several well-known solutions, such as SAP and SalesForce.

 

 

5. Easy to modify User Interface 

 

The OutSystems platform also allows changing the User Interface using both visual development and CSS code. Therefore, the developer can simply click on some basic options on how the object should look, for instance, the color and size. But the platform also allows the addition of CSS code in several layers, thus being able to quickly transform how an object, screen, or theme looks.

 

With all these features, low-code and OutSystems, in particular, create the possibility to build solutions fast, with Enterprise-Grade quality, and highly scalable. 

 

Stay tuned for next week’s post, the last discussion about the NextStep event, where we will talk about how to bring everything together towards building a sustainable and reliable future with low-code!