Proponents of no-code application development point out the many benefits no-code brings to the workforce. No-code gives non-technical employees the ability to automate processes to do their jobs more effectively and take greater satisfaction in their work. It’s a big reason investments in no-code and low-code (NCLC) are predicted to quadruple in the next five years, according to a study by ISG.
But what about managers? Can line-of-business (LoB) decision-makers and team leaders also gain advantages from no-code?
The answer is an unequivocal yes. Across business functions – sales, marketing, customer service, HR, finance, facilities management, and more – no-code gives managers powerful new tools for managing teams and running the business.
Managing Better, Faster, Stronger
A no-code platform enables teams to create their own web forms, applications, and workflows. Team members select software components from a digital library, dragging and dropping them onto a virtual canvas to create applications or processes. The tool enables employees to map the process flow, design the user interface, enable data inputs and outputs – and, ultimately, optimize their daily tasks.
These capabilities deliver dividends to business leaders, as well. No-code technology empowers managers with functionality to:
1. Clarify roles and responsibilities
Because no-code enables employees to map and automate workflows, it clarifies and codifies the roles and responsibilities involved. Before teams can digitize a workflow, they need to identify who owns the process, who initiates it, who receives alerts and gives approvals along the way, and who accepts data outputs or the final deliverable. If a workflow step integrates with other processes or functions, the workflow designers need to identify those stakeholders, as well.
Once the workflow is implemented, all team members – and their managers – can clearly see who makes decisions or takes actions, and when those activities occur. That gives managers insights into process performance, and it ensures that processes are repeatable and predictable.
No-code likewise gives managers control over automation governance. Instead of conceding digitization to the IT department, managers and their teams have direct input into how processes are automated and the outcomes they drive. In that way, no-code is a powerful tool for business process management (BPM).
2. Enhance people management and transparency
Managers don’t always have a complete picture of the activities of their direct reports on a day-to-day basis. Team members likewise often lack visibility into co-worker tasks and what happens after a process flows from one team to another.
No-code can help. No-code gives managers a digitized record of workflow or project progress and who took which actions at each step. Managers have up-to-date and accurate insights into process performance that enable them to identify and resolve any bottlenecks or roadblocks.
Similarly, no-code enables managers to identify their organization’s problem-solvers. Team members who become effective users of no-code find opportunities to improve processes and innovate new solutions. That helps managers home in on high performers who drive the business forward.
3. Improve communication and collaboration
Organizations invest significant budgets in tools that facilitate communication, from instant messaging applications to full-blown collaboration platforms. Often overlooked is the power of no-code to connect and align teams for greater productivity and innovation. That capability can be transformational for managers.
Digitizing workflows with a no-code tool can bring teams together to accelerate and improve processes. Workflow stakeholders – including the owner, initiator, reviewers, and output recipients – all can work together to achieve the best results.
Moving forward, no-code-enabled workflows ensure that all team members are on the same page with process steps, status, and outcomes. Managers then find it easier to coordinate and optimize the efforts of various contributors to workflows and projects.
4. Boost engagement and productivity
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations have struggled to engage employees and achieve efficiency improvements. No-code is a powerful tool for helping managers energize teams and drive productivity.
Workflows automated by no-code are faster, more accurate, and more predictable. Processes automatically advance step by step, with alerts when stakeholders need to take action. Tasks move through the workflow efficiently and reliably, avoiding slowdowns and stoppages.
What’s more, no-code makes continual improvement fast and simple. When the business needs change, employees can easily ideate, test, and refine processes to meet the new requirements. Team members iterate to reach the best solution – and achieve empowerment through ownership.
Research bears this out. The use of NCLC platforms had an 80% positive impact on user morale and an 83% positive impact on workload and work satisfaction, according to a recent Microsoft survey.
5. Advance strategy and innovation
Finally, no-code can help leaders advance the organization’s strategic goals. No-code applications and workflows free up managers from concerns about rote tasks to focus on innovations and initiatives.
In addition, no-code enables managers to achieve better alignment between the LoB and the IT function. IT is relieved from having to constantly produce new apps, with fewer pressures to attract and retain high-cost application developers. It can then support the business with more complex initiatives and business models.
Ultimately, a no-code application platform provides managers with a proven, cost-effective way to leverage digital transformation to drive the business forward. Managers gain a powerful tool to engage and align their teams, along with effective capabilities for advancing their business goals.
