Low-Code BPM: Fact or Myth?
Blog: BPM Leader
Low-Code BPM is the new buzzword drawing tremendous interest within BPM & Tech Communities. BPM Software has got several buzzwords over the years starting from Pure-Play BPM, Intelligent BPMS and now Low-Code BPM.
In this blog, we will look at whether it’s just another hype-word or is there more substance to the Low-Code bandwagon.
What is Low-Code BPM ?
As the name suggests, Low-Code BPM refers to the capabilities provided by BPM Platforms to be able to develop process applications with minimum hand-coding. The idea is to provide development capabilities to non-developers or citizen developers. But wait, wasn’t this the very purpose of BPM Software Platforms?
The promise of BPM was always to provide power in the hands of Business and IT Users, so they don’t need to depend on professional developers to build process based applications. Unfortunately, the technology available then didn’t live up to that promise.
That’s not the case anymore, advancement in technology has finally overcome that limitation. Modern BPM Platforms a.k.a Low-Code BPM Platforms have not only simplified application development but also reduced development efforts manifold.
Let us look at few scenarios where Coding was an absolute must, earlier:
1. User Experience Capabilities
BPM Platforms have always provided capabilities to develop form-based user interfaces. The problem was, every now and then business required certain unique capabilities in terms of data validation, extraction, data manipulation, conditional rendering across devices, etc. Such scenarios were not covered out of the box, thus coding was the absolute must unless you were happy to compromise on the capabilities.
Low-Code BPM platforms do away with these limitations by leveraging modern HTML5 based UI with complex scenario and rule management capabilities.
2. Custom Business Rules
Traditional BPM Platforms heavily depended on external rules engine for business rules management. In the absence of advanced BRM systems, came the all too familiar situation of hand-coding and to get the job done. But that didn’t help matters in the long run.
Modern Low-Code BPM platforms have an integrated Rules Engine which enables Rule Management, Rule Standardization, and Reusability.
3. Unique Case Management Capabilities
Though Case Management was a late entrant in terms of capabilities added to BPM Suites, the features were basic at best. Time and again businesses came up with requirements such as reopening of completed cases, case linking, case hierarchy management, etc. As these scenarios were not captured by the Case Management engine it required substantial development efforts.
Again, Modern Low-Code BPM Platforms have sophisticated Case Management engine which does away with customization needs whatsoever.
4. Integration Capabilities
No matter how simple your process application is, it will need to communicate with external applications for information exchange. In the absence of necessary connectors, businesses had to depend on System Integrators or Product Vendors to develop those connectors.
Again, Low-Code Platforms have ready to use connectors to most enterprises systems and in cases where no connector exists, they provide extremely easy to use GUI based integration protocols such as Rest API, Web Services, and DB Connectors.
5. Custom Reports
Management Reporting was another challenge which required substantial development efforts. As the data in question existed in separate systems.
Most Low-Code BPM platforms come with an integrated Reporting Module which can extract data from the BPM and external systems to provide a consolidated view for better decision making.
The above list covers just a few use-cases which warrant hand-coding in absence of a Low-Code BPM Platform. Do you have a list of your own, which can benefit by using Low-Code BPM Platforms? Do let me know.
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