There is a lot of talk currently about automation, particularly, low-code automation. What is it and why do I care?

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Low-code automation platforms, like Waylay, offer a low-code environment for users to build and execute a range of automation capabilities from a mostly drag-and-drop environment. Not only is the designing and building of rules low-code, but the ingestion of data that is needed for automating the process can also be done in this manner. Real-time reports, dashboards and other widgets and capabilities are also offered in this low-code context. 

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This allows domain experts and subject matter experts to be able to implement their requirements within a very short period. More importantly, this approach removes the dependency on IT, at least for smaller changes and user-initiated requirements. This is analogues to macro capabilities in spreadsheets a few decades ago. Users still needed the domain knowledge to create what they needed, but the learning curve to build the capability was nowhere as steep as learning to be a programmer.

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Users are empowered to build and use what they need. Ultimately, the type of users we are discussing here are the domain experts and SMEs in their respective fields. If we are able to empower them with the tools to build and execute capabilities based on their expertise, without the need for IT resources, there is less room for “translation errors” between requirements and acceptance—one of the pitfalls of drawn-out projects. Users can simply implement what they need as they need it—a periodic and more formal upgrade process can then look at how to normalize and incorporate these new capabilities across a broader user-base

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Of course, this will need to be guided by what can be entrusted to the users, a disciplined change control process and of course, best-practice. Users will need to have a clear understanding of the boundaries set by IT on what is within the scope of the users’ control and what is not.

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Empowering your users with the ability to make changes they need to the system, also means change becomes decentralized and local, and eventually normal. The need to batch numerous user enhancements into planned periodic releases, with all the overhead of regression testing and production cutovers, is drastically reduced. 

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Low-code automation platforms provide an opportunity to dramatically change how we work. We can bring capability closer to the end-user or SME, empowering them to build and execute their vision with little dependency on IT.  We can dramatically reduce the cycle-time from idea to operational capability. We can reduce the dependency on IT, and we can manage change better by moving it closer to the end-user.  

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