In 2021, about 60% of the world’s population was using the internet, and many organizations had an online presence. This means that most companies, especially medium and large ones, had a lot of data. This data wasn’t just from the internet but also included paper-based information from forms, spreadsheets, and other documents. Sometimes, even electronic data was printed on paper.
One solution is to use technology to manage this data. Advanced software tools like process mining, workflow management, robotic process automation (RPA), machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) are already available to transform this data into valuable assets for a company. However, historically, implementing these solutions required skilled IT professionals and a substantial budget.
Here’s the second major problem companies are facing today: a global shortage of skilled IT professionals. There are many software and web-based solutions that can benefit companies, but often, these solutions need to be installed and customized by IT experts. The shortage of these experts is getting worse and is expected to continue in the short term.
How significant is the worldwide shortage of IT professionals?
In 2021, there was a shortage of around 40 million technically skilled workers worldwide. In the United States alone, 69% of employers had trouble finding tech talent in 2020, and this situation isn’t expected to improve. Economists predict that the global talent shortage will grow to over 85 million workers by 2030.While many are familiar with traditional software development, where skilled developers write code to create digital tools.
What exactly is LCNC development?
Think of it as a range of complexity. On one side, there’s software you can make using drag-and-drop features, known as “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) functionality. You can build this software without writing any code, and we call it no-code development. This is an exciting way to create software. On the other side of the spectrum is the most complex work, traditional software development. It requires high-level programming knowledge and professional development experience to build such software.
How does this align with the broader concept of Hyperautomation?
Hyperautomation is a relatively new concept, emerging in late 2019. It’s a systematic approach that businesses use to quickly pinpoint and automate as many processes as they can. To do this, they leverage various technologies, tools, and platforms, including familiar ones like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotic process automation (RPA), and business process management software.
Regular automation, without the “hyper,” focuses on automating specific tasks or workflows a business identifies using software.
Hyperautomation takes a broader approach, aiming to automate and coordinate as much as possible, even involving AI and machine learning capabilities in the process. With LCNC technology, developers can apply hyperautomation to their work, utilizing these advanced technologies that were once exclusive to professional developers.
You’re probably here because you or your company’s decision-makers have recognized that a great solution to handle the increasing amount of data and the shortage of professional developers is to empower employees as ” Citizen developers.”
Two key points to consider:
- Using a visual no-code interface doesn’t demand programming skills. It’s user-friendly.
- While some programming knowledge is needed, creating no-code apps is getting quicker and simpler for professional developers thanks to the low-code tools often included in hyperautomation toolkits.
Employee roles that can participate in the LCNC approach.
The main role that will be benefited is the citizen developers. There are essentially two kinds of citizen developers, and they align with a spectrum of skills:
- Business Users: These are individuals who excel in their specific business domains, departments, or industries. They possess a deep understanding of the business processes that require improvement. Their tasks might include simple analytics, data extraction, user interface customization, and similar activities. They typically lack extensive technical knowledge and have little to no coding experience. We refer to them as no-code users.
- Power Users: These citizen developers engage in low-code development to construct more intricate workflows that span across various lines of business. They’re often known as power users because of their familiarity with systems like SAP. Some of them may have received training in data analysis and coding.
What’s common to both is that they don’t work with advanced programming languages, formal development processes like testing or product lifecycle versioning, and they aren’t responsible for governance and IT security.
Additionally, there are two other roles:
- Professional Developers: : LCNC development has two advantages for professional developers. First, low-code programming can speed up the improvement of software applications. Second, it helps refine no-code tools for citizen developers to automate their tasks and enhance their software tools. When non-technical users can create and deploy items on their own, it reduces backlogs for professional developers, allowing them to focus on more complex, value-added work.
- IT Administrators: They assist in establishing and enforcing company policies concerning software applications, access, product lifecycles, and related matters. LCNC and citizen development can help prevent “shadow IT.” Shadow IT occurs when employees resort to technical workarounds or unsanctioned software to solve problems. This often happens when professional developers have long backlogs. By empowering non-technical users, you reduce the need for shadow IT, which can lead to compatibility issues and security risks.
Who stands to gain from this along the way?
- Non-Technical Business Personnel: If you’re a non-technical businessperson, you likely deal with tasks like data extraction and input, which can be time-consuming. The main benefit of using LCNC tools to automate your work is that once you set up automation, you no longer have to deal with paperwork, data, and spreadsheets for those tasks. This frees up your time to work more creatively, connect with colleagues and customers, and enjoy greater work satisfaction
- Departments and Lines of Business: LCNC development can automate tasks across various departments and lines of business. For example, it can speed up the hiring process by automating job application data extraction. Almost every department has tasks that can be automated, such as invoicing, purchase order management, approval processes, reminders, and more. Any task involving data input, extraction, or collation can be automated, freeing up people for more engaging work.
- Organizations and Companies: When LCNC and hyperautomation are used to build business processes and applications, organizations and companies can benefit in several ways:
- Maximizing the value of existing applications, saving money.
- Increasing customer satisfaction.
- Freeing up time spent on routine tasks for more valuable and creative work.
- Increasing employee satisfaction by reducing tedious tasks.
Common Challenges in Implementing Hyperautomation and LCNC Development:
No Overarching Strategy or Roadmap:
The lack of a clear strategy for hyperautomation implementation can complicate things. A well-defined strategy is essential to outline why and how hyperautomation will be used. A clear vision and strategy should establish specific, achievable goals that act as a roadmap for all employees. Without this clarity, employees may not work effectively together.
Lack of Transparency About Software in Use:
It’s not just about where you’re going; you need to know where you are now. Many software tools are likely already in use within your organization, possibly without proper coordination or IT approval. Understanding the current software landscape, including integration potential, is crucial before investing in new tools. Knowing the adoption levels and required skills for these tools is equally important.
Inadequate Training Opportunities: Training is essential for successful citizen development. Without time and resources for training, it’s challenging to initiate and maintain citizen development practices. Both citizen developers and professional developers, as well as IT administrators, require proper training. Without it, inadequately trained citizen developers may cause errors that consume valuable time in correction. Investing in training upfront can result in significant time and cost savings in the long run.
Intellect Consulting, a leading SAP consulting firm, is your dedicated partner for discovering and implementing SAP BTP’s extensive low-code and no-code solutions. With our team of experts, we’re committed to helping clients from various industries leverage SAP BTP’s user-friendly development tools.