Even with all the tools and techniques at their disposal, modern businesses face significant challenges in effective and efficient software development, often called the “software crisis.” This phrase encapsulates the difficulties organizations encounter in meeting the increasing demand for new software solutions, exacerbated by a shortage of skilled developers and the high costs associated with traditional development processes. These challenges lead to delayed product releases, skyrocketing costs, and hindered innovation.

When looking for a software crisis solution, low-code and no-code platforms emerge as promising alternatives and supplements to traditional software development. These innovative platforms allow for the development of advanced software with minimal coding, enabling faster delivery times, reduced costs, and broader participation in application creation.

In this post, let’s take a detailed look at how modern low-code and no-code solutions are solving the so-called “software crisis”, and how you can pick the right solutions based on your business needs. First, let’s understand what a software crisis is, and how these solutions can solve it.

What is a Software Crisis?

According to Wikipedia, The ‘software crisis’ was a term used in the early days of software engineering before it was a well-established subject. The term was used to describe the impact of rapid increases in computer power and the complexity of the problems that could be tackled. In essence, it refers to the difficulty of writing correct, understandable, and verifiable computer programs. The roots of the software crisis are complexity, expectations, and change.

Software Crisis Evidence

The causes of the software crisis were linked to the overall complexity of the software process and the relative immaturity of software engineering as a profession. The crisis manifested itself in several ways:

• Projects running over budget.
• Projects running over time.
• The software was of low quality.
• Software often did not meet the requirements.
• Projects were unmanageable and code was difficult to maintain.

Software Crisis Results

Developers’ disappointment eventually leads to:

• Poor productivity – In the initial stages of a project, developers typically write 50–100 lines of code per day, depending on how much functionality needs to be built
• Poor quality and reliability – 10–50 errors per 1,000 lines of code is considered a rough estimate for the number of defects in code written without rigorous quality controls
• Slow-moving and costly growth – 60-80% of the total cost of software ownership can be attributed to maintenance activities
• Project failure – 1 of every 3 large projects is failed before ever being completed and only 1 in 8 finished software projects is considered successful

Software Crisis Solution

We need better and more software development solutions to focus on such points as:

• Independence from infrastructure, operating systems, databases, communication protocols, and proprietary structures to unleash the programmer’s power.
• Independence from developers and developer teams to gain control of software investment
• The multi-layered and distributed structure that reinforces the collaboration of independent software teams
• Expandable architecture to permit growth
• Compatibility with agile software and application development methodologies
• Integrate harmoniously business processes and methodologies
• Put Customer, first

What are Low-Code and No-Code Platforms? 

Low-code and no-code platforms represent a shift in the way software is developed, making it faster and more accessible than ever before. These platforms reduce the traditional barriers to software development by minimizing the need for extensive coding, thereby accelerating the development process. Low-code development platforms provide a visual approach to software development. By using graphical user interfaces and configuration instead of traditional hand-coded computer programming, these platforms enable professional developers to design applications faster. They still require some coding to enhance the application’s functionality beyond the basic features provided by the platform. 

On the other hand, no-code development takes the principles of low-code one step further by enabling a completely code-free setup. It allows non-technical users to build applications using drag-and-drop tools and a visual development environment. No-code platforms are designed so that anyone, regardless of their technical skill level, can create tools or applications without writing a single line of code. 

Both types of platforms embody the principle of democratizing technology creation, and citizen development providing tools that simplify the process of application development. They help organizations rapidly adapt to changes, solve technical problems quickly, and allow employees to focus on higher-value work that can’t be automated. 

Advantages of Low-Code/No-Code Development

The growing adoption of low-code and no-code platforms is driven by several compelling advantages that these technologies bring to organizations.

Let’s explore the three key benefits of leveraging low-code and no-code tools.

Increased Speed and Agility

Low-code and no-code platforms streamline the software development process, enabling faster creation, deployment, and modification of applications. This increased speed allows businesses to respond more swiftly to market changes and customer needs.

Cost Efficiency

These platforms help cut down the costs associated with software development. By lowering the barrier to entry for creating applications, companies can save on hiring specialized software developers and reduce the overhead costs of extensive development projects. Moreover, the ease of maintenance and updates further drives down long-term expenses.

Democratization of Development

Perhaps one of the most transformative aspects of low-code and no-code platforms is their ability to make software development accessible to a broader range of people within an organization. These platforms enable “citizen developers” — non-technical users who can build applications that automate tasks and solve business problems. This democratization not only fosters innovation across all levels of the company but also alleviates the pressure on IT departments to meet all the software needs of the business​.

For example, when faced with content management system (CMS) choices like Drupal vs WordPress, citizen developers can rapidly prototype and test custom solutions to determine which platform better suits their specific needs or even bypass these traditional CMS options altogether by creating completely custom solutions.

Challenges of Low-Code/No-Code Development

With all the pros come some cons, too. Understanding these challenges is essential for successfully implementing and maintaining low-code/no-code solutions in business environments.

Here are some notable drawbacks of this tech:

Limited Customization

One of the main limitations of low-code and no-code platforms is the degree of customization they offer. These platforms often rely on pre-configured templates and drag-and-drop components that can restrict developers from making specific, detailed customizations that are possible with traditional coding.

Vendor Lock-in

Using low-code/no-code platforms can sometimes result in vendor lock-in, where a company becomes dependent on a specific platform’s tools and services. This dependency can limit flexibility and control over the development process and make it difficult to migrate to other solutions without considerable effort and cost.

Security and Privacy Concerns

Security is a concern with low-code and no-code platforms, especially as they enable non-technical users to build applications. These platforms must ensure that they provide robust security features to protect sensitive data and comply with regulations like GDPR.

Performance and Scalability Challenges

While low-code and no-code platforms are designed for speed and simplicity, they may not always handle high-performance demands or scale effectively as business needs grow. Performance bottlenecks and scalability issues can arise, particularly with complex applications that serve a large number of users or require significant data processing.

Could Low-Code/No-Code Platforms Be a Convincing Software Crisis Solution?

The role of software is changing. It is no longer about magic things from hobbyists and techies. Instead, commercially driven software projects are becoming more business-focused, and the emphasis has shifted from technical to business-added value. Software must be delivered rapidly, and development shall be driven by business value rather than technical needs. Business people need models to describe the business processes to be automated independently from the software that will be used. Furthermore, businesses are becoming more and more automated, and subsequently, the automation software should no longer be closed, encrypted, and hand-coded.

To survive and thrive, businesses must constantly find ways to innovate and differentiate themselves; to do things better, faster, and cheaper; and to engage customers in new ways. They need a faster way to deliver applications—and low-code development platforms offer some much-needed light at the end of the tunnel.

Low-code development is not the next programming generation or a new programming language. It’s rather the second phase of the normal evolution of technology as we have seen so many times before. Car technology offers a great example of how technology advances from the entry level, where a skilled driver is needed due to technology complexity and instability, to a mature level, where there is no need for an external or highly qualified driver. The system automatically does all the work.

Related Technologies: aPaaS and RAD

Currently, 2 other modern programming technologies and trends are related to low-code and share features and characteristics similar to low-code, the aPaaS, and the RAD

• aPaaS (Application Platform as a Service) is a term popularized by Gartner. The analyst firm defines it as a “Model-driven graphical development environment, typically producing metadata that is interpreted at runtime”.
• RAD (Rapid Application Development) is generally defined as a programming model that allows products to be developed faster and of higher quality through the use of visual programming environments, prototyping, and early, reiterative user testing of designs; the re-use of software components and more

The Inherent Value of Low-Code Platforms

So, does it mean that the conventional programming languages are coming to an end? No more magic in Java?  Not. Low-code development is based on platforms developed on conventional programming languages like Java and therefore Java, C++, and other rich programming languages shall survive for a long. Simply future business applications are to be developed not by brilliant developers with poor knowledge of business anymore, but by knowledgeable business experts with adequate knowledge of technical programming. To achieve that goal a Low-code platform should have at least, visual development tools, model-driven architecture, application repository, ready-to-use connectors, built-in business methods, metadata to object translation capabilities and need to be a cloud platform and mobile-ready.

The inherent value of a low-code development platform is that it brings IT and operations together, moving the focus to the business needs and goals, enabling more rapid, iterative, and collaborative development, offering business agility, productivity, effortless integration, faster deployments, business orientation, effective lifecycle management and finally better ROI.

Is it enough to transform software into a more business-friendly form? It’s more than likely to happen and in any case, it’s more than enough, to intrigue any business to consider low-code as the next IT platform for its operations.

How Major Organizations Have Broken Through the Software Crisis with Low-Code Software Crisis Solutions

To illustrate the practical benefits and implementation strategies of low-code and no-code platforms, let’s explore a couple of case studies from companies that have successfully leveraged these technologies.

First up is Gen Re, a global life and health reinsurer, that utilized a low-code platform to modernize its IT infrastructure efficiently. Within the first nine months, they developed 30 applications, replacing outdated systems like Lotus Notes. This transformation not only enhanced their operational efficiency but also allowed them to scale more effectively, showcasing the rapid deployment capabilities of low-code platforms.

Then there’s Toyota, which embraced a low-code approach to streamline its software development processes. Starting with smaller projects, they achieved a 30% reduction in work hours, which led to the expansion of this initiative across 23 companies within the Toyota Group. This example highlights how low-code platforms can significantly improve development productivity and facilitate the modernization of legacy systems.

How Comidor Addresses the Software Crisis

Comidor, a leading low-code platform, is helping organizations navigate the complexities of the software crisis by offering rapid application development and streamlining business processes. By leveraging low-code technology, Comidor allows businesses to quickly build, deploy, and scale applications, reducing the traditionally high costs and long timelines associated with software development. Let’s explore how Comidor has addressed the software crisis through its innovative platform, backed by real-world case studies.

Case Study 1: Legacy Systems Modernization

A significant challenge for many organizations is the burden of legacy systems that are costly to maintain, hard to integrate with new technologies, and unable to meet evolving business needs. A global enterprise recognized this issue and sought a solution to modernize its outdated IT infrastructure.

By adopting Comidor’s low-code platform, the company was able to streamline the modernization of its legacy systems. Comidor allowed them to quickly integrate their old systems with new applications, eliminating the need for expensive, time-consuming rewrites. Through a combination of business process automation (BPA) and custom workflows, the company could modernize key processes, enabling smoother operations and better customer experiences.

This transformation not only reduced operational costs by approximately 30% but also gave the business the flexibility to innovate faster, reducing dependency on complex and outdated software. With Comidor, the company was able to deliver modern, scalable solutions without the risk and burden typically associated with legacy system overhauls. By accelerating development timelines, they quickly adapted to changing market demands, proving that low-code can be a highly effective software crisis solution in the face of legacy challenges.

→Read the Legacy Systems Modernization case study

Case Study 2: Order Management System Transformation

An international retailer with a large and complex order management system (OMS) faced increasing pressure to improve customer experience, streamline processes, and ensure real-time visibility across multiple channels. Their existing OMS was outdated, unable to integrate with modern systems, and was slow to adapt to new customer demands.

To address this challenge, the retailer turned to Comidor’s low-code platform for a solution. The platform enabled them to build a custom order management system that seamlessly integrated with existing systems while providing real-time updates on inventory, customer orders, and shipment tracking. With Comidor’s easy-to-use interface, the retailer was able to quickly develop and deploy an enhanced OMS, dramatically improving operational efficiency.

The new system reduced order processing times by 40% and improved customer satisfaction by providing quicker and more accurate order information. Additionally, the retailer saw a reduction in IT dependency, as the low-code platform allowed non-technical users to manage and customize the system, reducing the bottleneck of relying solely on IT teams for every change.

This successful transformation demonstrates how Comidor’s low-code solutions can significantly improve operational efficiency and customer-facing applications while solving critical software challenges. The ability to modernize legacy systems and rapidly deploy custom solutions helped the retailer stay competitive and meet the needs of an increasingly demanding marketplace.

→Read the Order Management case study

Choosing the Right Platform as a Software Crisis Solution

Selecting the appropriate low-code or no-code platform to solve software crisis is crucial for organizations. Here is a rundown of the key factors to consider when choosing a platform that best fits your organization’s needs:

1. Business Requirements

Start by clearly defining the specific needs and goals of your business. Consider:

• the problems you aim to solve with the platform
• the types of applications you plan to develop
• and who will develop them

2. Platform Capabilities

Next, evaluate different platforms based on their strengths and capabilities. Look for features such as:

1. 1. Ease of use: Ensure the platform has an intuitive interface that suits both developers and non-technical users.
   2. Customization: While low-code and no-code platforms offer pre-built templates, some level of customization is often necessary. Check how much flexibility the platform offers to meet your specific needs.
   3. Integrations: Consider how well the platform can integrate with your existing IT infrastructure and other business systems. Seamless integration is essential for maintaining smooth operations and data consistency across applications.
   4. Scalability: The platform should be able to scale as your business grows and as application usage increases. Ensure it can handle larger user bases and more complex applications over time.
   5. Security: Given the potential security risks, choose a platform that offers robust security features and compliance with relevant regulations.
   6. Reviews and Case Studies: Look at reviews and case studies to see how other companies have implemented and benefited from their chosen platforms. Pay attention to any challenges they faced and how they were overcome.

Finally, sign up for a platform trial before fully committing to a platform. This allows you to test the platform with a small, manageable project to see how well it meets your needs in a real-world scenario. Evaluate the platform’s performance, user satisfaction, and the quality of the end product.

Wrapping Up

Low-code and no-code platforms have emerged as vital tools in addressing the software development crisis, enabling businesses to navigate through the challenges of traditional software creation. These technologies have democratized software development, making it accessible to a broader range of individuals within organizations. Business analysts and project managers can now engage directly in building solutions without deep programming knowledge.

By leveraging low-code and no-code platforms, businesses can not only solve today’s software crisis but also set the stage for the future. A future where technology creation is more aligned with business strategy, more responsive to changes, and more inclusive of diverse perspectives within the organization.

When you think about no-code development for applications and software, the first thing that comes to mind is coding. Ten years ago, we would never have thought there would be such a thing as building applications with no code. However, it is happening today. This type of no-code development is widely known as low-code or rapid application development. It can be very useful for beginners who want to learn how to develop software without any prior knowledge of coding languages. On the other hand, programming schools have been growing exponentially over the last couple of years because there is a huge demand for programming skills. More students are willing to learn coding skills. But, what if coding isn’t necessary to build applications and software? Find out in this article!

What is the No-code Development?

Let’s begin by defining what no-code development means. The no-code development involves creating apps and software without programming skills. This way, everybody can build a solution without hiring a developer. The main idea behind no-code development is that you can create an application without writing any lines of code. Instead, you use pre-defined templates, a graphical user interface, and drag-and-drop components to build your application.

Here is how the Comidor low-code/no-code app development environment, the App Designer, looks like:

The no-code movement started to gain popularity because no-code software has become more sophisticated and provides better solutions. However, this goes beyond just building a regular app or software solution. No-code platforms now allow you to create solutions like building an entire data-driven platform or a user portal application. Without any coding or data science skills, you can create customized solutions lightning-fast and boost your productivity. 

source: Statista

How Does No-code Development Work?

As mentioned before, the main characteristic of the no-code tools is that they allow users to build applications without the need to manually write coding. Users can simply drag, drop, and configure elements to create functional apps.

Here is a list of the key features of no-code development platforms:

1. Visual Drag-and-Drop Interface

Users can design business applications by dragging and dropping components. For example, with Comidor App Designer, you can start by defining the steps of the workflow and representing them with a user form to collect input from participants in the process. You can then drag and drop fields to customize each form.
Another example is the workflow design and app creation step, where users can easily drag and drop components onto the design canvas, such as tasks, notifications, intelligent automation tools like RPA bots, or AI functionalities.

2. Pre-Built Templates and Components:

No-code platforms provide ready-made workflow templates and functional modules for common use cases such as e-commerce, CRM, and data automation. For example, in Comidor, users can access ready-to-use, process-enabled applications for document approvals, such as invoices, purchase orders, and more. These templates can be easily customized to meet specific business needs without requiring any coding, allowing users to build and deploy applications quickly and efficiently.

3. Workflow Automation:

No-code tools integrate with services like Zapier and native APIs to automate workflows. For example, users can automate email notifications, data entry, or customer onboarding without writing any scripts. Comidor offers built-in workflow automation capabilities, allowing users to create business applications, design workflows and automate processes end-to-end simultaneously.

4. Integrations with Other Tools:

Many no-code development tools provide API connectors for advanced integrations and real-time data transfer. This is crucial, as it enhances application functionality and enables smoother workflows. Comidor offers numerous ways to integrate with third-party systems and applications for seamless data transfer. In addition to supporting integration via API calls, it provides ready-to-use integrators with various systems like Microsoft Teams, Google Calendar, Zoho, Salesforce, and more.

5. AI-Powered Features

Some no-code platforms integrate AI for chatbots, predictive analytics, and automated decision-making. AI-driven design suggestions can also further simplify the app-building process. Comidor offers RPA and AI/ML functionalities to automate repetitive tasks, make predictions, analyze sentiment, classify text, analyze documents, and extract data.

What are the Benefits of the No-code Development 

Nowadays, everyone who develops apps should have a basic understanding of coding and programming. This ensures that you have good communication with your development team. However, we know that simply knowing the fundamentals isn’t enough to optimize business processes. 

So let’s dive deeper into the benefits no-code development brings into software and app development:

1. Accelerated Development

No-code tools accelerate the development process, and your team can work faster.

2. Less Time on Bug Fixing

Developers don’t have to spend excessive time fixing bugs, enabling them to focus on more strategic tasks.

3. Improved User Experience

With fewer development bottlenecks, developers can prioritize enhancing the user experience.

4. Cost and Time Savings

The main benefit of leveraging no-code software is that companies can save money and time. In contrast to traditional development, which is frustrating, expensive, and slow, no-code platforms enable businesses to turn any idea into an app in days instead of months, at a fraction of the cost, needed for traditional development

5. Easier Maintenance

Businesses that invest in no-code software can maintain their applications independently, reducing the need to hire professional developers.

What is the Future of No-code Development?

The no-code movement is transforming app development by making it more accessible, but it will not replace traditional development or professional developers. This is because, as previously stated, the no-code movement is still limited compared to traditional app development.

As no-code software vendors add more features and expand functionalities, these tools become more powerful and complex. This evolution will encourage developers to integrate no-code solutions into their workflows, offering hybrid development services that combine no-code efficiency with custom coding where necessary. So the no-code movement is here to supplement rather than replace traditional app development. This will enable businesses to accelerate app and software development without sacrificing scalability.

Mr. Spiros Skolarikis, Comidor CEO, said “We wrote thousands of lines of code, so you don’t have to write any“. No-code platforms democratize software creation, making it accessible to a much broader audience—potentially increasing the number of software creators. This democratization is not just about convenience. It’s unlocking new economic opportunities, allowing more individuals to build, launch, and profit from their own applications.

What’s more, it is important to mention the rise of AI-powered no-code and low-code tools. As AI-powered no-code and automation tools continue to advance, the future will see even more integration between AI, no-code, and traditional software development, further accelerating innovation and accessibility in the tech industry.

Should Developers Still Learn a Programming Language? 

Many aspiring web developers start with no-coding tools, and this is great because this allows them to create great products easily. However, knowing that no-code will not replace developers may convince more future developers to learn coding skills and get familiar with no-code tools. Let’s see some well-known low-code/no-code tools, below.

1. Zoho Creator

Zoho Creator is one of the most common low-code/no-code platforms that provides businesses with code editors, visual app builders, and pre-built templates to help users create customized applications, automate workflows, and integrate with other Zoho applications and other platforms easily and quickly.

2. Comidor

Comidor offers a visual, model-driven app builder environment to build your applications simply with drag-and-drop functionality. With unlimited customization options, turning fresh ideas into powerful applications is easier than ever before. What’s more, Comidor can be integrated with any system so you don’t miss any information or valuable data and have anything you need in one single place.

3. Retool

Retool is another great no-code tool that makes app development as easy as you could imagine. The platform offers building blocks, drag-and-drop features, pre-built components, and connectors that enable you to connect to major databases. The whole application development is really fast and easy. There is an option to add code where needed and expand the functionality of the platform.

4. Mendix

With the Mendix platform, business users can create apps for any business need. The philosophy behind the platform is the ability to empower every user involved in the development process to take an active part and collaborate with team members in real-time. What’s more, you can leverage AI technologies to make your applications even smarter.

Wrapping up 

The no-code development movement empowers non-programmers, the so-called citizen developers,  to bring their ideas to life without requiring coding expertise. As this trend continues to gain momentum, it is reshaping the way businesses and individuals build software. However, while no-code simplifies development, web development as a whole still presents complexities that require thoughtful planning and strategy.

People must be trained to use these no-code tools because there is still some complexity. However, no-code tools are here to stay and empower citizen developers to build powerful, customized solutions hassle-free. 

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