Understanding Low-Code and No-Code (LCNC)
The world of application development is evolving rapidly, and at the forefront of this transformation is Low-Code and No-Code (LCNC) platforms. These innovative tools empower users to create applications with minimal or no programming knowledge, lowering the entry barriers for development.
While both Low-Code and No-Code fall under the same umbrella, they serve different purposes:
- Low-Code integrates traditional programming with visual development elements, making it ideal for developers with some technical expertise.
- No-Code, on the other hand, eliminates the need for coding entirely, utilizing drag-and-drop components and visual development tools. This approach allows both technical and non-technical users, including citizen developers, to build applications effortlessly.
Empowering Business Users with LCNC
Beyond simplifying development for IT professionals, LCNC platforms enable experienced business users to build applications and automate repetitive tasks without requiring deep technical skills. This shift allows business users to become citizen developers, bridging the gap between IT and business functions.
The Rise of Citizen Development
Citizen development is a game-changer, addressing the global shortage of professional developers. It fosters a culture of innovation by empowering business units to create their own solutions without relying entirely on IT departments. As a result, organizations can improve efficiency, reduce human errors, and enhance customer experiences.
The Typology of LCNC and Pro-Code Developers
The emergence of citizen developers has led to a structured categorization of developers based on their skills and the level of customization required:
- High and low variations exist within the dimensions of customization demand and developer expertise.
- This typology helps in defining the right development approach for each use case, ensuring that businesses maximize their productivity through the right blend of LCNC and traditional development.
What is SAP Build?
SAP Build Products
SAP Build is SAP’s Low-Code/No-Code platform designed to provide a unified development experience. Each SAP Build product functions independently but integrates seamlessly within the SAP Build Lobby, offering lifecycle management, monitoring, and component sharing. Users can develop applications using prebuilt templates and modules that support drag-and-drop functionality.
Using SAP Build to Compose Low-Code Solutions
The Value of SAP Build
SAP Build is a low-code platform that allows citizen developers to visually compose and automate applications, processes, and business pages to enhance their daily tasks and workflows.
Citizen development plays a crucial role in digital transformation, enabling business users to create applications and automate processes efficiently. For instance, a citizen developer can streamline repetitive tasks by recording steps and automating them with Robotic Process Automation (RPA). This approach not only leverages business expertise but also saves valuable time, allowing employees to focus on higher-priority tasks.
Building low-code solutions with SAP Build is as intuitive as crafting a slide deck for a presentation. Developers can start with a blank canvas, dragging and dropping templates and prebuilt components to create applications. Process automation follows the same principle, with over 1,300 prebuilt components available for seamless automation.
Benefits of SAP Build
SAP Build provides numerous advantages for both citizen developers and professional developers. Additionally, Business Analysts and other roles benefit from SAP Build’s rapid prototyping capabilities, allowing them to test ideas quickly and enhance solution quality while reducing time to market.
SAP Build Governance Capabilities
Governance and Citizen Development
Good governance of citizen development is essential for low-code success. While low-code tools revolutionize the application and process development experience, they also introduce new challenges for IT and business leaders. The IT organization must ensure that no shadow-IT arises and that citizen developers are enabled to build applications that are secure, scalable, and compliant with corporate standards. This enablement includes early stakeholder involvement, specific training programs, and robust documentation.
The Governance Triad at a Glance
Governance consists of three key elements:
- People – IT professionals, line-of-business contributors, and fusion teams that ensure compliance and best practices. Establishing a Center of Excellence (CoE) helps provide oversight and guidance.
- Process – Creating an IT Trust Blueprint to define security, compliance, and governance policies, along with best practices and training programs.
- Tools and Technologies – Implementing extensible DevOps practices, API management, access control, testing, and monitoring to ensure scalable and secure solutions.
Governance in SAP Build
To successfully scale SAP Build across an organization, SAP envisions an IT-led Center of Excellence (CoE) responsible for:
- Scaling Development Safely – Implementing guardrails with built-in security, curated APIs, and prebuilt artifacts.
- Low-Code DevOps – Integrating enterprise-class DevOps, lifecycle management, and CI/CD practices.
- IT and LoB Collaboration (Fusion Development) – Encouraging co-creation models between IT, business, and citizen developers.
- Governance Operations – Using CoE frameworks, best practices, and enablement toolkits to guide developers.
Digital Center of Excellence Toolkit for SAP Build
SAP provides a prebuilt Digital Center of Excellence toolkit to help IT administrators manage and collaborate with citizen developers efficiently. This toolkit simplifies governance and provides a structured framework for scaling low-code development.
Summary
The growing demand for automation and applications and a shortage of professional developers have made SAP Build a crucial tool. By enabling business users to create applications, automate workflows, and design business sites without coding, SAP Build bridges the gap between IT and business innovation. Effective governance ensures that citizen development remains secure, scalable, and compliant, preventing shadow-IT risks. Companies embracing Low-Code and No-Code position themselves at the forefront of digital transformation.
