{"id":151,"date":"2021-05-13T15:20:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T19:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/mendix\/?p=151"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:02:11","slug":"low-code-the-best-new-technology-breakthrough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/mendix\/2021\/05\/13\/low-code-the-best-new-technology-breakthrough\/","title":{"rendered":"Low-code: The best \u201cnew\u201d technology breakthrough"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Digital transformation gaps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Digital transformation is creating new value for manufacturers. The digital revolution, whether under the banner of Industry 4.0, Smart Manufacturing, or some more overarching initiative, is a high priority to survive and thrive in the new normal. Even before the disruption from the recent pandemic, Tech-Clarity’s research on the digital maturity in manufacturing shows that two-thirds of industrial companies viewed digitalization as either \u201cimportant\u201d or \u201ccritical\u201d to achieving their business strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Importance of digitalization to business strategy<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Our recent survey, Filling Digital Transformation Gaps with Applications<\/em>, shares that manufacturers\u2019 digital initiatives create or uncover process, organizational, and technology gaps. They must overcome these \u201cdigital transformation gaps\u201d to achieve their digitalization goals, such as driving internal efficiencies, creating new business models, or finding new revenue opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filling digital transformation gaps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The urgent need to fill these gaps means that companies must be able to develop more applications, and do it faster than they have in the past. Our survey shows that 96% of industrial companies say the speed they need to create and implement new software has increased. This puts tremendous pressure on IT because backlogs prevent their companies from digitally transforming and reaching their business goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low-code helps fill the gaps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Companies are looking for ways to accelerate application development. Many have been able to improve development productivity by adopting lean, agile approaches. Another approach that\u2019s getting a lot of buzz as a way to further these improvements is low-code development. Low-code is proving to be a valuable tool, although not many industrial companies are using it yet. Our research discovered that only 15% of recently surveyed manufacturers are using it, although another 24% are considering it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Experience with low-code solutions<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

While low-code is not commonplace today, those that use it are finding significant value in it. In particular, our survey found that companies that use low-code find it easier to fill their digital transformation gaps. This creates an opportunity for them to gain competitive advantages over competitors by introducing new applications that help them meet their digital transformation \u2013 and business strategy \u2013 objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A “breakthrough” technology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some see low-code as a promising new technology, but is it really? New technology? No. Promising for the digital transformation?<\/a>  Despite the fact that a full 25% of industrial companies aren\u2019t aware of it, it\u2019s not new. The low-code approach has gone by different names, including model-based programming. In fact, I first wrote about it with Olin Thompson of Process ERP Partners in 2003 in a series of Technology Evaluation articles titled \u201cWhat\u2019s Wrong with Application Software.\u201d In that we pointed out that \u201cEarly adopters are learning that Model Based Architectures create significant efficiencies throughout the application lifecycle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jim Brown in 2003 (when the original article published)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Perhaps we were overly ambitious about how early those early adopters were!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that time, we said \u201cResearch by universities is validating both the approach and the effectiveness. Model based architectures deserve to be on an enterprise\u2019s \u2018technologies to watch\u2019 list.\u201d Now, digital transformation is demanding the application development efficiencies that low-code offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the amount of time, the core value hasn\u2019t changed. Using model-based programming techniques, as we identified all of those years ago:<\/p>\n\n\n\n