The Ultimate Guide To Low Code Automation

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The Ultimate Guide to

Low-Code Automation
www.bizagi.com/contact Copyright © 2021 Bizagi. All rights reserved.

Right Now, Low-Code is High-Priority
The demand for agile digital solutions to solve business challenges has
never been greater. Those innovations are needed fast, but there’s a
growing shortage of IT resources to bring them to life. In this digital age,
traditional approaches to developing applications simply won’t cut it.
Neither will traditional ways of doing business or getting work done.
Low-code is the way forward, but it won’t work if it’s treated as just a new
way of creating code. Low-code is not just a development tool to speed
up automation within the IT team, but a way to speed transformation by
calling on more of the business to make it happen.
Though low-code has been around since 2016, it really came to the
fore in 2020 when companies needed to adapt fast due to Covid-19.
The ability to quickly roll out new applications at scale and automate
optimized processes and apps is now a must-have for organizations to
survive and succeed.
By 2025, 70% of new applications developed

by enterprises will use low-code or no-code
technologies (up from less than 25% in 2020).
Gartner

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The Ultimate Guide to Low-Code Automation www.bizagi.com/contact Copyright © 2021 Bizagi. All rights reserved.
Leveraging low-code automation effectively
creates a huge opportunity if you’re willing to take
on the challenge. This ultimate guide explores all
you need to know about low-code, including:
1 2
What is Low-Code The Citizen Developer
Automation? Revolution
Go to section Go to section
3 4
The Role of Low-Code Best Practices for
in The Enterprise Adopting Low-Code
5 6
6 Results You Can Expect Measuring the ROI of
to See from Low-Code Low-Code Platforms
Automation Platforms

3
What is Low-Code Automation?
Many technologies can be described as ‘low-code’, even

Microsoft Excel. In this guide what we mean by low-code is the software
development approach that requires very little coding to create an
application. This approach makes it easier for non-technical business
users to get hands-on with transformation projects and decrease reliance
on developers and software engineers. According to Forrester Research
“Low-code platforms can help development teams work faster and
increase enterprise-wide software production by empowering “citizen”
developers.”
Rather than writing complex code to automate business processes, users
can implement visual tools to design with drag and drop features. The
words ‘low-code automation’ are often used to describe this specific area,
because the core of the low-code application is a process model, and by
turning that process into a model-driven application, some or all of the
process steps can be automated.
However, its more than just coding with pictures, which introduces the
same silos and technical debt as traditional development, its about the
business process forming the skeleton of the application, and it being
open to change when needed.
“Low-code platforms employ visual, declarative techniques instead

of traditional lines of programming. Both developers and non-
developers can use these products, and they require less training
to start. Common features include reusable components, drag-
and-drop tools, and process modeling. Individuals or small teams
can experiment, prototype, and deliver apps in days or weeks.”
John Rymer, Forrester Research

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Traditional development vs low-code
Traditional development relies on lines of code being

written from scratch by IT to create a computer
program, where all rules and actions are manually
formulated. Traditional development does have
a few advantages, such as complete control and
customization, it requires highly skilled people to
develop and deploy applications – and those people
are in short supply. But when it comes to low-code: the
process is the application.
Low-code’s ease of use and intuitive interface is based
on visual models along with drag and drop functionality.
This allows for faster innovation than traditional code,
which can take months to write. The visual interface
can be used by non-technical people, helping to speed
up deployment and scale operations. The pre-built
components also result in few bugs (a common issue
Even within the practice of coding, there are multiple
when manually writing code) and lowers the risk of
languages that code can be written in depending on the
mistakes.
programming requirements. This can lead to problems
Traditional code is difficult to understand for people in communication between departments if they have
who don’t have in-depth knowledge of the subject, used different languages. Low-code can benefit the
so there will often be a disconnect in communication whole organization by making process the common
between the business and IT functions. Business will visual language. This means that both business and
talk in terms of customer service levels and return on IT functions can describe any business requirements
investment, while IT will naturally better understand the in terms of a visualization. This unifies the business,
technical limitations and think in terms of logic, objects, enables realtime collaboration and provides a reinforced
entities and functions. understanding of project objectives.

5
Low-code vs no-code
The benefit of low-code over no-code is that it still offers No-code is even more straightforward than low-code. It
the flexibility and scope to include some scripting. is entirely based on a visual interface & configurations,
The features and capabilities of your application can be often using pre-built templates. However, the
customized, giving the owner more options. parameters when using no-code are limited – you can
only create something that is based on pre-defined
Different platforms may be more applicable depending
items. Complex requirements will quickly highlight the
on your ambition and plans. Selecting the right type of
limits of a 100% no-code approach.
low-code platform for your requirements is crucial to
the success of your program. There are two main groups No-code should be used for simple applications which
that tools will belong to: need to be deployed quickly.
1 2
Business friendly low-code automation Code generating low-code platforms

platforms
These are often designed solely to increase IT
These are designed to enable non-technical or productivity and not designed to be accessible for
semi-technical staff outside the IT organization business users to take part in the project. Whilst
to be involved in or lead automation and these tools can be valuable, that value is limited by
transformation projects, depending on the size of your IT team in the same way it would
requirements. Some business-friendly low-code be if you were leveraging traditional development.
tools are limited to simpler projects, but the most Such platforms therefore tend to repeat the same
powerful tools are those that fit into this business problems as using code.
friendly category, but are also powerful enough to
deliver against complex requirements.

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Select the right approach for each project
Simple Medium Complex
No-code Low-code Traditional development
Based entirely on a visual Build apps using visual Use code to build
interface using pre-built models, adding scripts where applications from scratch
components, but limited necessary for customization
scope for apps Relies on skilled developers
Can be used by those with
No technical knowledge moderate IT knowledge or Slow and error prone
required technical skills

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The Citizen Developer Revolution
What is a citizen developer?

A citizen developer is a subject matter expert, usually with
little IT experience or expertise, who is able to create their own
applications, automations and data insights by making use of easy-
to-use software, such as low-code or no-code platforms.
As organizations ramp up their digital transformation plans to keep
up with competitors, it has put pressure on IT teams to deliver
new business applications. It’s not always easy to find new IT talent
with the knowledge required to build applications from scratch.
The advantage of low-code is that employees outside of the IT
department can now help them to meet this challenge of keeping
up with new developments.
Enabling citizen developers to map and automate their own
processes, they don’t have to wait for developers to write code
and develop applications for them. This means that ideas can be
realized more quickly, seeing faster solutions to business problems.
According to Gartner, 41% of employees outside of IT are now

involved in either building or customizing technology solutions
for their organization. The analyst predicts that half of all new
low-code clients will come from business buyers that are outside
the IT organization by the end of 2025.

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You want to do it right, as well as
doing it fast.
IT-approved low-code automation platforms are

an effective way to avoid Shadow IT, as they offer a
standardized approach to automation. This means
that business users can help themselves, while IT
can rest happy in the knowledge that best practices
are being followed on an approved, secure platform.
Low-code platforms will never eliminate the need
for technology specialists and developers. But those
teams will be more able to focus efforts on creating
business value through sophisticated applications.
Using a low-code automation platform also
empowers business users to be more involved in
transformation. Using visual process as a common
language, citizen developers can create their own
apps and join in with automation. For IT, this helps
free up time to focus on the most sophisticated
and business critical transformation projects while
business units can continue to innovate.

9
The Role of Low-Code in the Enterprise
Every enterprise runs on countless processes. Productivity, profitability,

customer satisfaction and regulatory compliance depend on those
processes being followed. In low-code automation, a process model
forms the core of the application. You design a process model, then
add additional details and automate it. This process-driven approach
means it’s easier to make rapid changes than it would be with
traditional code.
Designed for business agility

In today’s world its essential to be able to respond quickly to changes
in the business by quickly and efficiently updating your operations and
applications. Low-code really enables this thanks to it visual interface to
build process models and one-click deployment. Most elements within
your application will be reusable, including forms, data models and
business rules. So, you can see results fast by using re-using your own
components and starting with accelerators.
Forrester reports that the current usage of low-code platforms
indicates that software development can be propelled to 10 times the
speed of traditional processes. The benefit of speed continues past
the initial deployment phase. If there are changes required, it is quick
and easy to update processes. Low-code offers speed, but also quality;
errors are common in manually coded applications. But the predefined
components when building processes in low-code mean you can roll
out new solutions or updates at speed while also maintaining a high
standard of quality.

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Delivering transformation at scale
The ultimate goal of most transformation projects is complete digitization
Simpler low-code projects with or automation. Low-code platforms allow you to start by building and
low-IT involvement enable the deploying apps and processes. Once you see success from this process, you
citizen developer to take the can then replicate this by taking the reusable elements and templates and
lead within IT governance re-applying them elsewhere in the business.
Your team of citizen developers will also be able to help power your
transformation. They will be able to get hands-on with building and
automating processes, rather than handing these tasks off to the IT
department who likely already have a backlog of tasks and requests.
Enable collaboration to drive transformation

Using low-code platforms as you would traditional code can lead to you
repeating the same problems. One of the leading benefits of low-code is
that it facilitates a new way of working to drive transformation across the
organization by enabling business and IT to collaborate. Many companies
still take the approach that the business function can throw a problem over
the fence to IT and then wait, often months, for them to solve it. This is not
efficient, can lead to misunderstandings and multiple versions of a solution
Complex low-code projects before the final product is delivered.
with high IT involvement use
process as a common language The business should always be included in every step, but at the moment
to ease collaboration is shut out by the complex programming and coding languages used by IT
to develop solutions. By making process the common language, everybody
in the organization can describe a business requirement in terms of the
process. For example, “we need to generate this policy within two hours
because that provides us with a competitive advantage and improves
customer experience.” When you are trying to orchestrate processes end-
to-end across your organization, communication and collaboration are of
the utmost importance.

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Best Practices for Adopting a Low-Code Approach
1 2
Start small, think big Identify the citizen developers

already in your business
For big complex projects, adopting an agile
methodology can be hugely beneficial when Anyone with subject matter expertise can be
using a low-code platform. Start by creating a citizen developer with the right attitude. It’s
and automating one process, then when often people in business functions who have
you see success, you can easily replicate it a progressive mindset with ideas of how to
with other process and in other areas of the make the business better but have previously
business using your approach from the first been unable to present or build the solutions
process as a template. themselves.
It also provides the opportunity for process Of course, they do need to have moderate
improvement at the beginning of your tech skills, as low-code platforms will still
project. If you don’t see the success you involve some scripting, although the level
were hoping for with your first deployment, of complexity depends of the requirements
you can make incremental changes to see of the particular process. They also need to
increased efficiency and success before you understand how their solution aligns with
scale your operations. Obviously, one of the the rest of the organization so that it doesn’t
benefits of low-code development is that operate in a silo and ensure the project
even once process applications have been complies with company policies and best
deployed across the enterprise, it’s still easy practices. You don’t need to wait to start
to make changes and improvements. identifying your citizen developers, its best to
get going as soon as possible.

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3
Compliance and consistent
governance are met across
Create a center of excellence the organization
Your low-code project should be supported

by a center of excellence: a central
hub for sharing best practice, process Design standards & best
documentation and templates to ensure practices to bake traceability,
alignment and help realise qualities of scale adaptability and resilience
as you roll out your project. into your project
A center of excellence helps to ensure:
Your team all has access to
the same information and
can build their knowledge
Processes are continually

improved with an
iterative methodology
An arsenal of reusable
A stable environment is components to save
maintained through quality time and money
assurance and platform testing
Find out more in our ebook, How to Create a Center of Excellence for Digital Transformation

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6 Results You Can Expect to See from Low-Code Automation Platforms
There are many benefits of using a low-code platform. These are some of the
results you can expect to see once you have deployed your solution:
Ease of use
Visual modeling and drag and drop interfaces are
much easier to understand and use than traditional
coding, so you can enable citizen development across
your organization by allowing those with little coding
expertise to visually map out process and automate
them to create new applications.
Agility
You’ll quickly see the benefits of being able to make
agile changes to your applications. When the process
is the application, it’s simple to change the workflow
and quickly make changes to your application without
having to worry about complex coding. So you can
keep up with the evolving market place and changing
customer needs, implementing changes as soon as they
are required.

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Fast deployment Legacy integration
One of the immediate benefits of low-code is the speed It can be frustrating when you deploy a new application
of deployment. Processes can be built quickly and and it runs in a silo, not communicating with your
implemented alongside your other applications and current systems. Thanks to the wide availability of
systems using pre-built connectors and API. Processes connectors, widgets and APIs, low-code platforms can
can then be automated and applications deployed in easily integrate with legacy systems that are already in
just one click, significantly speeding up launch time. place within an organization’s infrastructure.
Ensured best practice and compliance Scalability

You have peace of mind knowing that your processes Keep up with the change of pace by easily deploying
have been modelled, documented and automated applications and rapidly scaling them across your
according to best practice and in a compliant manner. organization. The templated approach to building and
Plus, a low-code platform allows you to easily amend automating applications on a low-code platform means
and evolve applications as regulations change. that once you see success in one area of the business,
you can replicate it elsewhere quickly, cheaply and
efficiently.

15
Measuring the ROI of Low-Code Platforms
In a 2021 survey, Forrester found that over 60% of organizations are

reconsidering their process automation strategy in light of new work patterns
or economic circumstances. The pressure is on for organizations to find
the most effective way to automate business processes in order to remain
competitive and delight customers.
As seen in the previous chapter, the qualitative results seen from deploying a
low-code solution are abundant. These benefits are accompanied by statistical
figures that make up a solid case for investing in a low-code platform. Forrester
carried out a Total Economic Impact Study to examine the business value that
enterprises may realize by deploying Bizagi’s platform. The study, in which
Forrester interviewed five Bizagi customers, revealed that the average ROI
was 277%, with the composite organization seeing benefits of $33.3million
over three years, versus costs of $8.6million, equating a net present value of
$24.7miilion.
ROI Benefits Net Value

288% $33.3M $24.7M
Measuring the ROI of Low-Code Platforms

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Low-Code Automation with Bizagi
Bizagi’s platform supports complex IT-led enterprise projects and simpler

departmental projects for citizen developers. Automating both types of
project on one platform introduces significant cost savings for customers,
and it means that successful no-code apps have room to grow into low-
code apps. This combined with reduced reliance on the IT department led
to an average saving of $6.5 million over three years.
Additionally, productivity gains were calculated at $19.6million over three A professional services organization
years, with productivity gains cited by all organizations as the major estimated average user efficiency
outcome of their process automations with Bizagi thanks to the elimination
of manual tasks, fewer data entry errors, less inquiries and reduced audit- gains of 40% due to various business
related efforts. process automations.
A logistics company repurposed

several FTEs by achieving an
“One of the characteristics of Bizagi is that it is very easy to automation rate of more than 90%
use. For many of our flows, our operational team can just take for a duty billing process.
care of them and actually draw and design them in Bizagi.
This empowers our team and reduces our reliance on IT.” A financial services organization saved
VP of Service Delivery and Operations more than 500,000 hours per
Financial Services Organization. year for its front-office workers by
automating processes with Bizagi.

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One Platform.
Every Process.
Try Bizagi for free today
Learn more about Low-Code
Calculate your Low-Code Automation ROI

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EBOOK

The Ultimate Guide to

www.bizagi.com/contact Copyright © 2021 Bizagi. All rights reserved.

By 2025, 70% of new applications developed

Right Now, Low-Code is High-Priority

Right Now, Low-Code is High-Priority

Many technologies can be described as ‘low-code’, even

“Low-code platforms employ visual, declarative techniques instead

What is Low-Code Automation?

Traditional development relies on lines of code being

What is Low-Code Automation?

Business friendly low-code automation Code generating low-code platforms

What is Low-Code Automation?

Simple Medium Complex

No-code Low-code Traditional development

What is Low-Code Automation?

What is a citizen developer?

According to Gartner, 41% of employees outside of IT are now

The Citizen Developer Revolution

IT-approved low-code automation platforms are

The Citizen Developer Revolution

Every enterprise runs on countless processes. Productivity, profitability,

Designed for business agility

The Role of Low-Code in the Enterprise

Enable collaboration to drive transformation

The Role of Low-Code in the Enterprise

Start small, think big Identify the citizen developers

Best Practices for Adopting a Low-Code Approach

Your low-code project should be supported

Processes are continually

Best Practices for Adopting a Low-Code Approach

6 Results You Can Expect to See from Low-Code Automation Platforms

Ensured best practice and compliance Scalability

6 Results You Can Expect to See from Low-Code Automation Platforms

In a 2021 survey, Forrester found that over 60% of organizations are

ROI Benefits Net Value

Measuring the ROI of Low-Code Platforms

Bizagi’s platform supports complex IT-led enterprise projects and simpler

A logistics company repurposed

Low-Code Automation with Bizagi

Try Bizagi for free today

Learn more about Low-Code

Calculate your Low-Code Automation ROI

Low-Code Automation with Bizagi

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