During a digital transformation several hard code issues will emerge, jeopardising the existence of every organisation. Key digitalisation issues are: workload, resources, Business IT collaboration and the Digital Engine Room emergence.
Hard coding started with automation of business processes and data registration in main frames. Hard coding boosted growth & speed during the last decades, and every organisation has adopted hard coding for application development (Frontend) and data management (Backend).
Hard code and its programmers cannot meet the current digitalisation demands by only using hard code technology. This article takes a deep dive into hard code limitations, how they exacerbate over time and how to solve these issues.
Definition “Transformation to the digital era”
“The digital era recreates the physical world by registering it in code, so-called digital twins. Through these digital twins the physical world is controlled”
This means it is highly important to understand the possibilities, risks, pros and cons of technology you currently use to create digital twins. When your digital transformation is completed, your business success is dependent on your ability to control and manage these digital twins.
Note
All integrations, automation and data processing are called “data flows” in this article.
Digital transformation puts the pressure on hard coding
1. Creating, updating and testing of data flows
Data is the most important asset, but fast and reliable data processing really creates customer value. The world is changing at increasing speed demanding integrations, automations and data processing (data flows) to be written, re-written and released fast. Data processing into information enables management to make decisions fast. Most decisions focus on organisations’ digital twins, demanding business process changes or additional data processing. All this is currently written in an ever-expanding hard coded backend only understood by programming experts.
How this issue exacerbates
More and more data requires processing according to test procedures and security standards which all take time. Not to mention the documentation of all these changes which bogs down your organisation. Worst-case scenario this will cause your organisation’s “Kodak moment” unless you do something.
Sensible use of hard and low coding
A Backend shown in a graphical interface build on low code technology enables speed to write, rewrite, test and release updated data flows. This low code backend also provides documentation using one-click. This low code co-exists with hard coding where IT experts decide if data flow creation is done in hard or low code.
2. Resource shortage
Digital transformation requires more complex data programming, and these skills are scarce. The developer shortage runs in the millions and the loss of revenue in the trillions according to this Forbes article.
Hard coding is often depended on key individual knowledge. When they leave organisation's it is very difficult to replace them, causing potential threats for your business operation.
How this issue exacerbates
Keeping up with competition and new governmental regulation demands focus on digitalisation. The workload increases to get these programming jobs done. This puts even more pressure on your existing workforce to deliver in shorter time frames. Design short cuts may be a short-term solution but creates a long-term risk. When risks become an issue, they are time consuming and if more problems emerge simultaneously your company might face “the Kodak moment”.
This can be partly solved by education or training, but the urgency and size of the problem requires people to think out of the box as this ZDnet article states.
Sensible use of hard and low coding
Low code technology automates hard coding. Low code simplifies data flows and presents them in a graphical format. A low code backend uses standard tools assuring fast deployment of external resources guaranteeing business continuation. By the same token citizen developers perform simple programming jobs and experts focus on more complex programming jobs. This is how Forbes predicts the impact of low code on the future of work.
3. Need for Business IT collaboration
Valuable article “Delivering better IT faster” from Deloitte (IT is the business).
It emphasizes using data to improve the bottom line. Many of their suggestions, like intelligent integration, are realised by Business IT collaboration. However, miscommunication between these groups threaten any digital transformation.
How this issue exacerbates
All information must instantly be available to make decisions. Note: NOT data but information, meaning the processing of data into information is crucial, i.e., the need for speed!
Market trends will change faster due information availability. The Business side must understand how markets are changing, meaning IT must deliver up to date information fast. Business and IT collaborating is therefore a must. The issues described above might jeopardise collaboration and worst case causing your company’s “Kodak moment”.
Sensible use of hard and low coding
To enable Business IT collaboration trust is essential. How to establish trust when programming work is not understood by the Business? Working in a solution with an interface showing the programming work graphically is a major step forward. Creating visible data flows to create new dashboards and report information is a leap forward, creating trust between Business and IT. Low code also enables a much faster update and release of existing data flows.
4. Data flows become your organisation’s data-engine
This is the ultimate effect of digitalisation, again demanding you to think out of the box. This data-engine is the ongoing data processing and represents your business. Controlling this engine means controlling your business. Backend and connected external interface issues become immediately visible in a dashboard. Business and IT have a mutual interest in solving these issues as soon as possible.
How this issue exacerbates
Writing digitalisation in hard code will blow up the black box to unmanageable proportions. Risks will increase equally in number and impact, potentially causing distrust, and jeopardising Business & IT collaboration. The previous mentioned issues must be managed in collaboration by IT and the Business. Without a firmly established trust between these groups your company’s “Kodak moment” might be nearby.
Sensible use of hard and low coding
People responsible for a data-engine need an overview how data is processed, the maintenance performed, the updates (releases) of data flows and most importantly monitoring the emerging issues. This demands a dashboard showing all major and minor events happening in a Backend. The Chills low code backend is equipped with a dashboard performing all functions to control this data-engine.
Conclusions
Starting a digital transformation effects every organisation dramatically, public and private. Its organisation shape, the leadership pyramid, your value creation, employee position and appreciation, technology in use and, who your customers are, etc.
Our expertise is low code technology, and our low code Chills backend still enables the use of hard coding. Because we want businesses to differentiate from their competitors which requires a combination of hard and low coding. Low coding simplifies a backend where possible with hard coding still accessible for programming experts.
Start testing low coding small scale and upscale when your business ready for it.
Bård Øvrebø - CTO Chills
Fredrik De Vries - CEO Chills