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As for getting started, it's obvious to start with processes that are currently managed using paper forms, spreadsheets, or manual workflows involving email. These are often underserved processes, such as warranty claims.

Company executives must recognize that they must be digital (i.e. software-driven and highly automated) and that low-code is the key to the digital journey. They should also have a clear idea of how the company's business model and value streams will benefit from a more digital approach (e.g. digital channels for reaching customers, more automation, the ability to respond to market changes, etc.). The IT department should generally be involved in choosing the low-code product and ensure that the product's features meet the basic development requirements and all of the company's technical and security requirements. Either the IT department or the specialist department can manage and support the platform — it simply depends on the organization. Depending on the company and use case, application development on the low-code platform should be carried out either by an ultra-agile “digital” team or by the relevant SMEs themselves. A very practical way to start is to train process improvement experts, project managers, or operations managers in low-code development; these people are usually experienced in solving business problems. What you should NOT do is simply buy low-code because there is hype about the idea and then use it in a foreclosed IT team using traditional development cultures and methods (e.g. waterfall). Low-code is a very practical way to an agile, iterative mindset that involves experimenting with technologies. Low-code with the addition of digital-savvy specialist departments is even better.

This is a real advantage, particularly for smaller companies that don't have the same development resources as a large company. In the long term, many business people — both in SMEs and in larger companies — will become low-code developers in addition to their business tasks. There's no reason to have an “IT” person build or modify the application you need when the businessman who truly understands the need can do it. I've seen very effective SME models where IT only performs non-business-related technological tasks (e.g. deploying and supporting laptops, the Internet, etc.), while all application development is done by the “business department” on low-code platforms. Ultimately, the artificial division between businessmen and technologists will disappear. Development knowledge (i.e. the ability to build or modify an application) will no longer be mysterious but will represent general business expertise. Business professionals will have a wide range of technical expertise, and some basic knowledge of common low-code platforms will be expected for many business functions — such as spreadsheets and email today.

Forrester chose the term “low-code” (rather than “no-code”) for two reasons:

Virtually all low-code products on the market allow the developer to write some code in specific situations or areas of the product (even the “no-code” products)

In companies, most large projects require a certain amount of coding — at the time that term was coined, there was rarely a “code-free” implementation.

In my opinion, it is not yet clear whether “coding will always be the key” for most classes of business applications. I've seen several examples of large enterprise applications written entirely without code, and I know a few large companies that even see this as an architectural ideal. But in reality, low-code teams still frequently write some code to complete applications, particularly large applications.