As a software development firm that’s been building custom software for nearly 20 years, we know that, many times, building from the ground up is the best and only option. But, in certain instances, it may make more sense to use a low-code or rapid development platform.

A rapid development platform is just what its name implies. All development is done in a drag-and-drop development environment, which can cut down on the time it takes to complete IT projects.

There are many instances when going this route is best. Here are four:

Process automation—when an organization wants to replace a list of manual processes with front-office and back-office business applications. Rapid development can build apps that are intuitive to use, bring together data from multiple systems and streamline processes to increase operational efficiency and reduce operational costs.

Application modernization—when an organization has a number of existing apps that need modernizing in order to reduce the complexity of their IT landscape, increase their IT agility, reduce maintenance costs and replace COTS licensing.

Customer experience—when an organization wants to create modern digital products, services and frictionless customer and partner experiences across touchpoints. This can be a gamechanger in differentiating themselves from competitors, increasing revenue, improving customer retention and decreasing customer acquisition costs.

Workplace innovation—when an organization wants to create employee-facing applications that are intuitive to use, bring together data from multiple systems and enable digital business processes that make employees’ lives easier.

Case in point is a manufacturing organization we’ve partnered with for several years. The company had a long queue of IT projects. About 80 of the projects were automating and innovating internal processes. Another 80 were modernizing aging legacy systems. It’s the perfect scenario for a rapid development platform.

After leading the company through an extensive due diligence process, we chose OutSystems. This platform goes beyond the traditional definitions of no-code/low-code development, single-track mobile solutions and citizen development by transforming the way enterprises build, deploy and evolve their critical applications. It offers visual, model-driven development with AI, DevOps and cloud in a modern application platform.

OutSystems reduces costs and risks by enabling continuous deployment across all platforms without breaks in the lifecycle by providing:

• Rapid productivity throughout the application lifecycle—you create your apps and integrate in weeks or less, not months
• Speed and code—you develop with a visual model while retaining complete flexibility to integrate custom code
• Multi-experience development—you can develop an application that runs on any device or platform; risks, development time and costs are significantly reduced with error-free, automated deployments.
• Open platform—you protect your investment in large back-end systems by integrating with existing systems of record and/or data sources
• Enterprise-grade platform—you can build and manage very large portfolios of applications created by teams of developers just as easily and quickly as a single app
• Reduced costs—the costs of application maintenance can be reduced to a fraction with automated dependency management and holistic application lifecycle management (ALM)
• No lock-in—there are no runtime interpreters or engines required to enable OutSystems applications; the platform generates apps with a standard architecture

After completing OutSystems’ customized training program, our development team saw significant results almost immediately. Read the case study to hear about our experience in the client’s own words.

If you have a long list of IT projects and are looking for a certified OutSystems partner to champion your rapid development efforts, give us a shout. This could change everything in your IT world.