Smart software development Programming for everyone with Low-Code and No-Code 

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Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

Low-Code, No-Code, Citizen Developer – these terms represent a new approach to the topic of enterprise and departmental software. Programming no longer happens through manual writing of source code, but in a visual environment.

Every department within a company requires software that supports the work of the respective department. The requirements are very different and often highly specific – just consider the CAD system of product developers or production planning. Therefore, in most companies, a proliferation of software solutions has established over many years, leading to the much-discussed silos in which the data of the departments are enclosed.

Over the years, various providers have tried to cover as wide a range of the company as possible, usually at the expense of department functions. A single system and a single manufacturer simply cannot represent all the functions of all departments as cleanly as a system specialized in the respective area can. Moreover, such all-round systems ultimately create a huge monolithic block that becomes increasingly difficult to maintain.

Map department-specific functionalities and provide them flexibly

Current software architectures offer an interesting alternative: Modular software, cloud technology, and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) make it possible to represent department-specific functionalities and provide them flexibly. The data is stored in a database in the cloud. The software packages, which also run in the cloud, access this cloud storage and can thus access all the company's data. Software updates are applied centrally, and users access the software via the browser. This reduces both IT effort and hardware costs.

Yet at the same time, the requirements for software are becoming higher as digitalization encompasses more and more processes. Off-the-shelf solutions often are insufficient to optimally support the processes of a specific company. Individual adjustments to standard programs are costly and require extensive modifications during updates. This, in turn, prevents flexible adaptation to new circumstances.

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„Wir erforschen, wie der Kunde mit weniger Bildern sein Problem lösen kann“

Software from prefabricated components

This is where Low-Code and No-Code platforms, as well as Citizen Developers, come into play. The former are novel programming environments in which software is assembled from pre-made building blocks. Programming no longer occurs, as in the past, through manual writing of source code, but in a visual environment. The platform provides function blocks that the programmer connects by defining which data flows from the output of one module to the input of another. The module then provides processing functions or tools. In the end, the platform generates the new software solution.

The difference between Low-Code and No-Code platforms is fluid and lies in the degree of abstraction: While Low-Code development is intended to make work easier for programmers with the necessary knowledge, No-Code systems require no or very little prior knowledge. This makes it practically possible for anyone to create applications tailored precisely to their own needs. And this anyone is referred to as a Citizen Developer, meaning an ordinary citizen as a software developer.

Dashboards display the status

The number of software solutions is exploding, often consisting of relatively simple dashboards, i.e., human-computer interfaces that display the status and certain values. A good example is the Internet of Things (IoT), in which smart products, devices, and machines are networked and can thus exchange data. Instead of physical display instruments, these products have sensors whose values are available on the network – locally or even over the Internet.

To view these values and control the products, software programs, referred to as apps, are necessary. For a machine or product, not just one app is necessary, but often several – for a smart car, the owner can check certain values and, for example, start the heating from outside, while the app for the workshop goes much deeper, displays many additional data, and allows access, for example, to the engine control. For a manufacturing machine, operators, foremen or production planners, and service technicians use different apps.

An ecosystem of applications emerges

Thousands of products, each with several apps – the demand for software can hardly be met by the existing programmers. Additionally, customers often need specially adapted apps – for example, the aforementioned production planner would like to have a dashboard on the tablet that displays the utilization of all machines in the hall. This means that this app must be written specifically for this person – and preferably by the person themselves. Because who knows better how the optimal software should look than its operator.

Of course, such apps must be closely linked to the software running in the product itself. That's why, for example, providers of machine controls offer Low-Code or No-Code platforms. With their help, apps can be created for machines with these controls. Thus, based on a platform, an entire ecosystem of applications is created that, on the one hand, control the machine or product and, on the other hand, enable interaction with or monitoring of this control. In doing so, the manufacturers take various approaches and set different priorities.

Produktion und Automatisierung

Apps sind in der Digitalisierung unverzichtbar

Efficient software development as an important lever for the future

In the modern world of smart products, where software plays an increasingly important role, the efficiency of software development is an important lever to make or keep a company innovative and successful. An optimally chosen Low-Code or No-Code platform is thus one of the most important components of business success in the era of digital transformation.