A new article published by me on the Campana & Schott Web site.
This way, companies get the business apps they really need.
More and more employees expect to have access to apps that are just as simple and practical for their work as they do for their personal devices. New platforms – such as the one we have presented here – make it easy to create individual applications yourself. However, there are a few points to keep in mind to avoid uncontrolled growth.
A warehouse worker is on his way to work. The great sunrise is directly captured and uploaded to Instagram. Arrived at the workplace: The first delivery contains some broken parts. This has to be documented correctly: fill out a paper form by hand, get the camera from the office, take a photo. Then transfer the photo via USB and send it by e-mail to the responsible colleagues. The completed form is then sent by regular mail. You then wait several days for confirmation or feedback. In the meantime, 43 likes on Instagram.
The difference between private apps and traditional professional processes is growing. No wonder that employees in business departments are increasingly pushing for new solutions. But the IT department often puts on the brakes because it first has to clarify important issues such as DSGVO compliance, process integration and general responsibilities before the introduction. The road to an app is correspondingly arduous and protracted.
Increasing pressure due to increasing digitalization
Such a gap between desire and reality triggers frustration among all involved. And the pressure is increasing in the wake of the current Corona situation, which is leading to greater digitization of many work processes. Companies have recognized this contrast between modern apps and traditional workflows. But large, company-wide programs such as “Enterprise Agility,” “Strengthening Business-IT Alignment” or a “Digital Strategy 2025” are often conceived and launched top-down. The result: the actions often fail to meet the concrete expectations and needs of employees and are not accepted in everyday life – or simply take far too long.
Digital employees, on the other hand, want to act as digital designers and immediately use practical solutions that support them in their daily processes. In doing so, they primarily want to increase efficiency and productivity. But they often lack the options or skills to do so. Then they may go out and get the applications they need on their own. The result: uncontrolled shadow IT.
This is precisely where companies should start. They must succeed in equipping digital employees with tools and skills to turn them into digital designers. This goes hand in hand with a cultural change, adjustments to organizational forms and processes, and the introduction of a suitable toolset such as a low-code platform.
The advantages of a low-code platform
A low-code platform enables the development of applications using visual and graphical functions instead of traditional text-based programming techniques. This means that creating new apps is not only faster, but also easier. This means that it is no longer necessary to be an IT expert to build an app. Even qualified employees from the business department can click together an app themselves from sample templates and adapt it to their own wishes. This is often referred to as Citizen Development.
This means that it is not just “another platform”. Rather, it forms an important building block for the agilization of the company. With a low-code platform, requirements can be met where they arise – directly at the requestor.
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To learn more about this topic read the full article (in German): Von digitaler Arbeit zur digitalen Gestaltung
