Businesses are embracing no-code development for its many benefits: It costs less than traditional software development, it increases their agility and productivity, and it takes strain off of their IT departments by enabling non-developers to create and quickly modify custom apps.
But one of the most underrated benefits of using a no-code platform is the confidence it creates in your software — and your processes.
From ideation to testing in minutes, without coding
Traditional software development doesn’t adequately incorporate the feedback of all stakeholders in your business processes. As a result, the solution you end up with often makes some people’s jobs easier while complicating things for others.
No-code development happens closer to the people who are using the software, so you can avoid the “development waterfall” and get straight to a working app that you can use immediately.
Here’s how
Gather all participants and stakeholders involved in your process. This includes those conducting field inspections and those relying on the resulting data. Engage them in discussions about the design of your app. Field techs, analysts, safety managers, and quality directors each have unique skills. Similarly, accountants, executives, veterans, and rookies bring diverse insights. Their varied backgrounds can offer valuable input as you refine your process.
What is the first step? Can that question be answered with a “Yes” or “No,” or are there other possible answers? Are there times that the question isn’t applicable? Would a photo help the supervisor check the work? Are there patterns that could help validate an entry?
For instance, a veteran maintenance worker understands the need for specific precautions in icy weather. If these precautions are included in your digital checklist app, a rookie might follow them even in warm, dry conditions. However, when both team members discuss the necessary steps, the app developer can add a prompt: “Is the weather icy?” This way, the app only shows extra precautions if the answer is “yes.” This approach incorporates the veteran’s experience without complicating the process for the rookie.
And because you don’t have to know how to code to build the app, anyone can sit at the computer and create it — in real time — using a drag-and-drop interface.
When the meeting is over, you don’t leave with a bunch of notes scratched out that you have to translate to consultants or a team of developers. You can literally walk out with a mobile app in hand that your team can start testing, right then.
No-code development makes iteration easy
Will you create the perfect app on the first try? Most likely not. But no-code platforms make it easy to iterate on what you’ve built — as often as you need to — without incurring additional cost.
As data comes in from the field, managers can see in real time who is following the correct procedures and who isn’t, or see when a worker is having difficulty in a specific location and send someone to help. They can look at photos and have confidence in the work that’s being done and sign off on it faster, or recognize patterns of failure that indicate that modifications to the app are needed.
And once those changes are made, your mobile teams need to only sync their devices to access the latest version of your app. That’s it.
Want to know more about how no-code development works? Watch our webcast, Not All Heroes Write Code, to see how no-code platforms are empowering ordinary employees to do extraordinary things.