Traditional, full-code waterfall application development, with its focus on a sequential define-develop-test-deploy-maintain approach has given way for many enterprises to low-code/no-code development

1. Low-Code/No-Code – The Fast Track to Custom
Enterprise Solutions
By Jamie Fernandes, Chief Product Officer, ETQ
Description: The growth drivers to low-code/no code application development, its
challenges and limitations and a real world example of effective deployment.
Not long ago, it wasn’t uncommon for a new application deployment to take a year
or more. Today, that timeframe is measured in weeks. What has changed?
Traditional, full-code waterfall application development, with its focus on a
sequential define-develop-test-deploy-maintain approach has given way for many
enterprises to low-code/no-code development, a faster, more accessible method for
developing and modifying applications using intuitive tools without extensive
coding. Low-code and no-code development systems fulfill ever-increasing
demands for fast application delivery and highly customized automation
workflows.
In addition to putting control back in the hands of users who know their needs best,
low- code and no-code systems are also credited with improving developer
productivity by enabling professional developers to streamline aspects of the
development process.
According to Gartner, the no-code/low-code platform market is forecast to grow
almost 20% in 2023 to $10 billion and reach $12.3 billion in 2024. This growth is
not surprising when you consider the following:

2.  Tech Talent Shortage. The market for low-code/no-code platforms is driven in
large part by a global shortage of skilled software developers, a situation that is
expected to continue throughout this decade. Low-code/no-code platforms
enable companies to quickly get development projects off the ground without
the need for professional developers.
 Focus on Cost. As companies become ever more mindful of their tech spend,
low- code/no-code solutions can offer an accelerated, less expensive alternative
to custom software development which involves professional developers, longer
development cycles and more comprehensive support programs.
 Need to reduce IT backlogs. Low-code/no-code is also having a significant
impact by reducing application enhancement backlogs in IT departments, and
application requests from end users that haven’t yet been addressed. In many
companies, this backlog is years long. With no-code/low-code, users can
actually create and/or modify applications themselves rather than waiting in a
queue for their needs to be addressed.
 Agile Development. Many companies today follow the Agile methodology of
software development, where teams work together in incremental cycles to
continuously improve. Key drivers of Agile development are flexibility and
speed. Low-code/no-code application development can empower those teams
with a faster approach to continuous software development based upon pre-
defined elements and templates and drag and drop interfaces.
 Growth in cloud-native applications. Growth in low-code/no-code is driven in
part by the increased adoption of cloud-native technologies as organizations
rapidly embrace the benefits and availability of the cloud. The advantages of

3. cloud-native software development include increased agility, lower hosting
costs, faster time to market, and improvements to user experience.
Varian Medical Systems Leverages Low-Code/No-Code to Ensure
Compliance
Today’s enterprise software providers are increasingly opening up their code to
enable greater customization and innovation of critical systems. Take for example,
Varian Medical Systems, a leading manufacturer of medical devices and software
for treating cancer and other medical conditions. As a global life sciences
company, it must adhere to FDA regulations and those of other regulatory bodies
around the world.
While its quality management system was able to provide a good level of visibility
and oversight to meet the specific requirements of its market, Varian wanted to
customize the system to add a new layer of compliance management and
streamline core field action processes. It used low-code/no-code modules within its
quality management system (QMS) to enable compliance and standardization of
key processes and integrate with other quality records, such as meeting records or
complaints and risk assessments, to more easily gather information supporting the
field action.
Understand the Landscape and the Limitations

4. While low-code/no-code development is on the rise, helping companies roll out
almost-ready-made solutions quickly, cost effectively and with less risk, it is
essential to understand that it can come with sacrifices to scalability, flexibility and
integration with existing tools.
Solutions won’t always have a customized front-end, they may not have industry-
first capabilities and they’re often viewed as software commodities. Yet, maybe it
isn’t always about the technology that drives the outcome, but the user experience
it delivers.
One of the hallmarks of a successful organization is striking the right cost/benefit
balance. For today’s organizations, faced with labor shortages, tight profit margins,
and a need for speed, knowing when heavy-lifting custom software development is
required and when low code/no code offers a better, more cost-effective approach
can mean the difference between success and failure.
Jamie Fernandes is Chief Product Officer at ETQ, where he leads the product
management, user experience, and market strategy functions for the company’s
popular Reliance quality management software (QMS).