In chess tactics is typically the ability to gain some advantage, by combining moves together, that results in your opponents losing a piece or a pawn. Chess strategy is to gain a long term advantage, typically positionally in nature, such that you can over time overpower your opponent. Business is similar to chess, and you need both tactics and strategy to succeed. In this article I will write about low-code strategical advantages, providing your business with long term positional advantages, as a result of understanding low-code from a strategical point of view, instead of looking at it from a tactical point of view.
According to Gartner 65% of all software projects will be delivered using low-code and no-code constructs before the end of 2024. Low-code's primary feature is cost reduction. This implies that regardless of how profitable you are today, "everybody else" will be able to outperform your business 3 years down the road unless you embrace low-code while you're still profitable to prepare for the future. In finance this is called "hedging", which implies you're doing a counter bet on your existing profit earnings, in order to create insurance for the future, in case the market changes.
Is Low-Code a fad?
If Gartner is right, you will be positioned for the future as low-code gathers more momentum, having a long term competitive advantage. If Gartner is wrong, you've spent no more than 5% of your resources researching something that didn't turn out as you wanted. Of course, Gartner isn't wrong, but it's none the less important to weigh all advantages up against all disadvantages when you're thinking strategically about your enterprise.
Most people would want insurance on their car, not because they've got plans to crash it, but rather because of the "what ifs". Even for a company with zero interest in low-code, that is 100% certain of that low-code is a fad, such an insurance is inexpensive, and prepares your enterprise for the "what if" scenario. Hence, if low-code is a fad that will pass becomes 100% irrelevant now. Worst case scenario you've gathered intelligence and experience with low-code, allowing you to apply intelligent decision making processes, based upon facts and knowledge, instead of guessworks and feelings. This too is a strategical advantage for the record.
When thinking strategically, you need to think like a hedge fund trader, executing some bets against your own belief, in case you're wrong, and the "what if" scenario becomes a reality.
Our inability to imagine exponential growth
Humans have problems imagining exponential growth. Researchers have proven this over and over again. As a specie we simply don't have the mental framework to imagine something growing exponentially. This implies that something that's a "small annoyance" today might become an avalanche of trouble in the future. Unless you're prepared for exponential growth, it will grow like a snowball, rolling down the hillside, ending up destroying your village.
Imagine observing a single bacteria for then to say "that little thing isn't dangerous, it's so small, it can't possibly do any harm". 24 hours later, that single bacteria has turned into 48 trillion bacterias, overtaken your immune system entirely as it grew exponentially. Low-code and software development automation is in exponential growth as I am writing this.
To understand low-code, you need to stop using your intuition based decision making processes, ignore your past experiences and data, and think about it strategically. You don't wait with washing your hands until you're sick. You wash your hands before you become sick from bacterias, such that you can avoid becoming sick tomorrow. Even if you believe low-code is the dumbest thing ever invented, you still need to prepare for it, the same way you prepare for bacterias by washing your hands.
Conclusion
Low-code is here to stay, regardless of your existing belief. However, if you don't believe me here is completely irrelevant. You still need "insurance for the future". If you need help with your low-code initiatives, we at Aista happens to be low-code experts, and we'd love to hear from you, and help you get started. Feel free to reach out to us, and start the talks.
Worst case scenario it's an inexpensive insurance. If we're correct, it's the difference between existence and non-existence for your enterprise.
A famous chess player once said; "You can play 40 perfect moves, for then to watch one single move invalidate everything you did right. To become a better chess player you need to study what you did wrong, not what you did right". To transform this into a low-code strategy for the enterprise, you need to think about it strategically asking yourself the question; "What if?"
