The COVID-19 pandemic has been with us for over a year and has left deep marks in both private and business life. In the digital business, one thing has been revealed: agile development teams are not able to ensure the required speed and responsiveness in the development and customization of software applications, which is currently required.

Senior Analyst at Forrester Research, John Bratincevic, makes clear in his recent report (Forrester Research, NowTech: General-Purpose Low-Code Development Platforms, Q1 2021) how valuable low-code tools are to address the development gap directly and strengthen business development.

Why Low-Code Is the Means of Choice

In the digital age, it is essential to deliver applications effectively, reliably and, above all, quickly. Databases must be created, operations automated and customized, and customer journey maps  created. Applications developed using low-code technology rely on visual, declarative techniques instead of programming.  According to Forrester, the demands on the speed and adaptability of software development have never been as high as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Forrester report, low-code platforms have proven themselves very well and are now even necessary to promote this new normal:  "The need for speed and adaptability in software has never been higher than in the COVID-19 world. Low-code platforms have been proven in even the most mission-critical use cases and will be required alongside traditional development to support this new normal.". [1] In addition, low-code platforms accelerate development through workflow diagrams, WYSIWYG design, data mapping, and question-and-answer interfaces. Prefabricated components, integrated quality checks, automated app deployment, and other declarative tools also provide the benefits of this type of software development.

According to the Forrester report, low-code platforms provide tools for non-developers – on the one hand, to contribute to professionally managed app projects or to deliver entire projects. For most companies, strengthening cooperation with business partners is the most credible strategy to address the high proportion of unmet development needs.

The companies that use low code for critical processes have quickly overcome the COVID-19 crisis, while other organizations that rely on inventory software have failed. COVID-19 itself did not create the problem, it merely condensed the situation and revealed whether companies are able to adapt their software.