Unlock the power of your systems by extending SAP  Pritesh Pattni Unlock the power of your systems by extending SAP  If you’re already using SAP in your business, you’ll know that it brings considerable benefits. SAP is global leader in in enterprise applications, helping businesses to run more efficiently, serve their customers better and plan for growth with confidence. SAP is constantly innovating, with its latest version, SAP S/4HANA supporting AI and machine learning capabilities, giving customers even more insight and value.  You can take advantage of that value by extending your own SAP system – and this is easier and more cost-effective than you might think. If you’ve previously gone through a complex digital transformation to bring SAP into your business, then relax – when you work with the right technology partners, extending your SAP system can bring a number of benefits:  Supporting growth – as your business grows, your technology needs to be able to keep pace. Failing to update your technology can cause technical debt, which in turn will slow your business down. Instead, choosing to plan and implement a structured extension of your existing system will mean you have the right technology in place to support your growth plans.  Reduce maintenance worries – if you extend your SAP applications in a planned way, you can ensure that the core of your system remains ‘clean’. It’s important to work with the right people and technology when you extend, so that any work is centred around the continuity of your existing systems. Done properly, this will help to maintain a system that works well and requires less maintenance in the long term.  Customisation – you will have already configured your SAP application to meet your business needs. But as those needs change, SAP may not cover some of your new business areas, or may require adaptation to keep pace. Extending SAP allows you to customise the system to the way your business works, giving you the best possible value for your investment.  Integration – one of the worries about adding new technology to your business is how it will integrate with your existing systems. Working with a tech partner that is a SAP specialist means that you can extend capabilities without compromise. SAP has a dedicated integration suite which helps to maintain integrity across systems.  Future-proofing – you don’t know what’s around the corner. So extending your SAP capabilities allows you to put your business in the best place to handle unexpected events. That way, there are no sudden, unexpected costs, and you can be confident that your business has the technological capability to react positively to change.  Better employee experiences – extending SAP isn’t just about processes; it’s about people. Your employees can get frustrated with technology that doesn’t quite work the way they need it to. But you can create personalised experiences that help to make your team more efficient and – even better – happier in their work.  Scalable SAP transformation with OutSystems  At ISB Smart Solutions, we’re a proud OutSystems partner. We use OutSystems to support clients who are extending their SAP, because we know it delivers a fast, reliable solution.  OutSystems is a low code pioneer. Low code is a method of software development that lowers costs, reduces the manual errors associated with ‘hard coding’ and delivers flexibility and accuracy to end clients. Using OutSystems means we can build customised extensions for SAP users.  And, of course, because we are also an SAP partner, we have an in-depth understanding of the way SAP works, so our dedicated team can make sure your SAP project is successful at every level.  How can we help?  We use OutSystems and SAP to build the exact digital solutions you need. We’ve helped a wide range of businesses extend their SAP systems to meet their specific needs. These include:  Customer and partner portals Inventory management mobile app Rebate management applications Field services mobile app Order tracking portal What are you missing? Where is your greatest need or your biggest challenge? Instead of being frustrated that your current SAP system doesn’t support your plans, talk to us about how we can help you to extend the power of SAP to get you where you want to be.  Contact us to find out more. Recommended Posts​ Manage and reduce technical debt Manage and reduce technical debt Pritesh Pattni Manage and reduce technical debt  We often write about technical debt. That’s because it’s an issue for many companies – large and small. Of course, the… Read More What causes technical debt – and how can you solve it? What causes technical debt – and how can you solve it? 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Manage and reduce technical debt Pritesh Pattni Manage and reduce technical debt  We often write about technical debt. That’s because it’s an issue for many companies – large and small. Of course, the bigger your company, the more likely you are to have considerable technical debt – particularly if you have grown by merger or acquisition, where many IT systems come together.   Similarly, if you have an internal development team, time and cost pressures can also create technical debt. Whatever the type and level of technical debt in your business, you need to be able to both manage and reduce it to create the operational and financial efficiencies you need.  Recognising your technical debt  Of course, you can’t manage your debt if you don’t know it exists. So the first step is to understand the different types of technical debt, and recognise how each type of debt has occurred. You can find out more about this in our article, Recognising Technical Debt.  Once you have understood the technical debt in your organisation, there are some important steps to take.  Create a Debt Register  Just as you would create a risk register, a technical debt register will help you to catalogue your debt, and note your progress in managing each one. Your register doesn’t need to be complicated – you need just four or five fields:  Description – what is the debt and which part of the business is it in?  Impact – what impact does this debt have on the business? This should be both current and future.  The fix – how can this issue be fixed? Can you do this with internal resources or do you need external support?  The cost – what is the cost of fixing the debt? This includes both direct resources, and any downtime or other impacts on the business.  Priority – where does this individual technical debt sit in your priorities?   You’ll need to work with people across the business to build an accurate register. This will give you a good starting point – and remember that you may need to update it as and when new technical debt issues are discovered.  Prioritise wisely  Understanding how to manage the prioritisation of your technical debt is fundamental to successfully managing and reducing your technical debt. The inherent danger is that you look for the quickest wins – but in many cases, the pressure to deliver quickly has caused the problem in the first place.  Instead, you need to take the time to balance the long-term quality of your technical debt fixes with the ability to get them fixed sooner rather than later. In practice, this means understanding the resources you will need in order to manage the debt, including test-driven development, regular reviews and understanding how the systems in your business interact with each other.  Technical debt management in practice  The way you manage your debt will depend on your resources. If you have a dedicated development team, you’ll need to be able to incorporate your technical debt plans into their existing workload.  This might mean getting results more slowly than you would like, but unless you have the resources to hive off a dedicated team to work on this, it’s probably the most reliable way to address your problems.  For larger debt issues, or those where downtime needs to be minimised, you could dedicate some sprint time to specific areas. You could also implement a process where debt is managed as it’s discovered – it will need to be added to your project plan, but you will be able to see the impact of fixing the debt on the rest of the system.  If you don’t have a large development team to hand, you may want to outsource some or all of the management issues. This might mean bringing people into your business on a contractor basis, so they can immerse themselves in the issues, or you may want to send out a specific project to a team you trust.  Measuring your progress  Use your debt register to measure your progress using agreed KPIs. Metrics such as code complexity, code churn, and bug frequency can indicate the state of technical debt in the system. Tools like static code analysers can be used to highlight code smells, duplicated code, and overly complex functions that may signal debt. By tracking these metrics over time, teams can see the impact of their efforts and ensure that debt is being systematically reduced.  Reducing technical debt  All the above processes, designed to manage technical debt, can also be used to reduce it in the long term. Having a top-level awareness of the opportunity for technical debt, plus a register to manage and mitigate the debt, and developing a culture of technical debt fixing and management in your teams should mean that you have a better focus on the problem, and a proven way to deal with it.  At ISB Smart Solutions, we help businesses improve their systems by using low code development, which is less likely to create technical debt in the first place. As a proud partner of OutSystems, one of the world’s leading low code platforms, we can show you exactly how this approach can help your business to become more efficient.  Contact us to find out more. 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What causes technical debt – and how can you solve it? Pritesh Pattni What causes technical debt – and how can you solve it?  Technical debt is present – to a lesser or greater degree – in every company. The term refers to the technical problems that arise from short-term or cost-based decisions that affect the quality of the technology solutions within the business.   There are several key causes of technical debt. Some of these are easy to identify, while others are only discovered when they create other problems in the business. In some businesses, new leadership – such as a change of CIO or CTO – can result in an audit to uncover technical debt. This helps the business understand where the potential weaknesses may be, and put a plan in place to strengthen the technology stack across the organisation.  The central causes of technical debt  Usually, technical debt is incurred by taking short cuts. This often happens for a variety of reasons, including:  Time pressure – development teams are under pressure to meet tight deadlines in order to get a product to market, or release a new feature internally. This pressure often means that testing isn’t thorough enough, or code isn’t properly written. While the application itself might work in the short term, there will be issues that are difficult to fix – such as adding new features or finding bugs in the system – and can cause significant problems for the business in the long term.  Poor design thinking – developing a new piece of technology takes time, thought and a clear strategy. Where that thinking hasn’t been done, the resulting application can lack scalability, usability and have other performance issues. There are several reasons why this might happen – design might be outsourced with a poor brief, for example, or an internal team may not have the strategic design experience to manage this important stage of the development process.  Inadequate documentation – while it might seem less important than the technology, documentation is vital for ensuring that people can understand the design and development strategy and the way the application has been coded. Failing to do this means that future team members are effectively working blind. Any changes they make could undermine the original code, resulting in performance problems. This knowledge gap is a common form of technical debt, and it can have a  substantial impact.  Limited testing – testing is a critical part of the development project. It’s not just about making sure the end user can use the application properly – it’s about checking the application for bugs and for maintenance issues, so that there is complete confidence before release. Where testing is rushed or inadequate, you cannot be sure that the application is fit for purpose. Potential problems can be missed. Fixing these, in the long term, results in time and cost implications.  Project brief changes – it’s not unusual for new application requirements to change. It’s all part of the process, with project owners looking for additional features or functionality. The way these updates are managed, however, has a serious impact on the potential for technical debt. Unless a clear system is in place to raise, discuss, design and test new features, the project can become confused, with several people ‘owning’ coding areas and poor communication resulting in functional problems.  Lack of collaboration – projects need to be regularly reviewed within the team  – and beyond – for them to be successful. Daily meetings, along with using collaborative online project tools, help teams to keep track of progress and responsibilities. This avoids problems caused by working in silos, which can result in things being missed, or duplicated.  Underskilled development teams – to keep costs down, organisations may use inexperienced developers. While they may have the appropriate coding skills, a lack of project experience can result in problems down the line. Saving money in this way will result in far more cost in the future.  Legacy technology – one of the most common causes of technical debt is the technology that’s already in the business. Platforms or solutions that are no longer supported by the original manufacturer, or that was developed in-house but never updated, will create inefficiencies. They may also be unable to work alongside newer technologies, restricting the value of investment in those new solutions.  Identifying technical debt  It’s all very well to know what the causes of technical debt are – but if you can’t identify it in your organisation, you will still struggle to solve the issues it creates. There are some key signs that you might have technical debt, including:  Development speed is slower than expected.  There are frequent bugs and recurring usability problems.  Systems go down more often.  Developers find that code is difficult to modify or extend.  New team members don’t have access to reliable documentation about the application.  Testing records are incomplete.  Easy updates are slow to release.  Maintenance takes more time and costs more money.  You can’t scale the application when you need to.  Manufacturers have stopped updating or supporting existing technology.  When you discover technical debt, you need to do something about it. Failure to pick this up can negatively impact your business. Investing in solutions to resolve technical problems – and make sure they are fit for the future – is an investment in your bottom line.  You might want to think about:  Severity – how much is the technical debt impacting your team’s ability to develop and release features or maintain the system?  Risk – is the debt leading to potential security vulnerabilities, system instability, or performance issues?  Cost – how much time and effort is required to address the debt compared to the time spent working around it?  Visibility – is the technical debt causing noticeable issues for customers? Have you had complaints?  This will help you to prioritise the technical debt that needs addressing first, and start to put a plan together. At this point, it’s worth talking

Patterns and features to get more from your systems. Pritesh Pattni Patterns and features to get more from your systems.  Low-code development platforms (LCDPs) have revolutionized the way software is built and deployed. These platforms enable developers to create applications using graphical interfaces and pre-built components, drastically reducing the time and effort required for traditional coding. According to Gartner, by 2024, low-code application development will be responsible for more than 65% of application development activity.  Essential low-code features  LCDPs have a range of features that support developers to build applications faster, more accurately and with scalability built in. These features include  Drag-and-drop interface  Pre-built patterns  API integrations  Data management  Security and compliance  Analytics and reporting  These features help development teams to design and build high-functioning, user-friendly mobile and web apps – from the simple to the highly complex.  Low code patterns  Pre-built patterns, like those available from the leading low-code OutSystems platform, are available to developers. These patterns are common user interface components and are available for both mobile and reactive web applications, and for more traditional web applications.  Patterns are usually customisable, which means you can change the way they look and feel – including adding extra elements, depending on what you need to achieve.   For traditional web applications, patterns include:  Content  Controls  Layout  Navigation  Numbers  Responsive  Structure  Utilities  For more common mobile and reactive application development, OutSystems offers a range of pattern options:  Adaptive – allowing the app to be viewable on multiple devices and screen sizes, giving the user the best possible experience, whatever device they are using.  Content – these allow you to organise content and have pre-built patterns for common elements such as notifications, chat screens and error messages.  Interactive maps – this pattern is fully customisable, and there is also a static maps option for including in non-interactive communications such as email.  Navigation – a central part of a good user experience is being able to easily navigate around your app. These patterns allow you to manage the way you organise content and direct the user journey.  Numbers – patterns to help manage numbers on an application include progress bars, ratings and counters.  In more general terms, patterns also include:  Reusable components: a library of reusable components that can be easily integrated into different applications.   Microservices architecture: an approach to build applications as a collection of loosely coupled services. This delivers flexibility, easier maintenance, and the ability to scale individual components independently.  Event-driven architecture: event-driven patterns enable applications to respond to real-time data and user actions.   Workflow automation: use low-code features to automate complex business workflows. This helps to streamline processes and build efficiency into your application.  Patterns and features from ISB Smart Solutions  Our team at ISB Smart Solutions has developed additional features to create several high-level, reusable patterns or methods which are available to be integrated into any new application. There are currently 17 unique patterns available, which can be used alongside our standard OutSystems development to build a responsive, customised app that is designed to meet your particular business challenges.  These include:  Data upload tool: ISB has followed industry standards to create a framework to load data into OutSystems with standard data load validation, performance and history tracking.  ERP integration: send or receive ERP business objects to or from OutSystems, using the integration framework in a proven, standardised way.    DocuSign integration: the DocuSign integration framework allows for DocuSign to be connected to OutSystems. Within the management of the framework, mapping is configured and developed for required data into a document developed in DocuSign or Adobe.  Multi-currency: Within the multi-currency framework we have built the ability to maintain conditions for spot rates, weekly or monthly rates.   Security group management: this is for employees, IT support, customers or vendors who need to access specific functionalities, reports, screens or processes. Our framework allows you to create groups and assign the required reports, screens or processes based on the type of user.   Bringing speed and flexibility to your next development  The patterns and features available on the OutSystems LCDP, alongside the additional features, patterns and methods that we have built at ISB Smart Solutions gives you access to flexible, intelligent application design without the need for an expensive, long-term hand-coding project.  Your application gets to your people – or out to market – faster, and can be continually updated or added to, so your users get the most from it. Scalable with your business and with all the required security elements built in, this development method brings the momentum you need for your next project.   Contact us to find out more. Recommended Posts​ What causes technical debt – and how can you solve it? What causes technical debt – and how can you solve it? Pritesh Pattni What causes technical debt – and how can you solve it?  Technical debt is present – to a lesser or greater degree – in every… Read More Low Code – the accelerated way to extend applications Low Code – the accelerated way to extend applications Pritesh Pattni Low Code – the accelerated way to extend applications  Business efficiency is the order of the day. In challenging economic and… Read More The best of both worlds: How SAP and OutSystems combine for advanced outcomes The best of both worlds: How SAP and OutSystems combine for advanced outcomes Pritesh Pattni The best of both worlds: How SAP and OutSystems combine for advanced outcomes  There’s no doubt that… Read More Where next? 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Low Code – the accelerated way to extend applications Pritesh Pattni Low Code – the accelerated way to extend applications  Business efficiency is the order of the day. In challenging economic and market conditions, business growth relies on having visibility across the organisation and being able to manage day-to-day processes as efficiently as possible.   It’s common for businesses to have disconnected IT systems and disparate data sources. After all, growing businesses take on the technology they need, when they need it. This often translates to systems working in silos, without the connectivity that the business really needs in order to drive strategic growth.  This is a challenge that businesses know they have. The problem is that it’s seen as too time-consuming and expensive to fix. The thought of starting a huge IT transformation project puts many business leaders off.   There’s a cost-effective, high-performance alternative, though: Low Code Application Platforms – or LCAPs.  What is an LCAP?  LCAPs are a revolutionary shift in software development, enabling businesses to create applications with minimal hand-coding. Platforms use visual development environments, drag-and-drop features, and pre-built templates to simplify the app creation process. This ‘democratisation’ of application development drives faster and more accurate development and allows teams across the business to collaborate to build technologies that meet business needs.  LCAPs are useful on many levels – they are great for designing and building new applications, and also for extending or upgrading existing applications. This is important, because organisations are often using solutions that have been hastily put together to solve a particular problem – and a LCAP approach can help to extend that application into something more useful, more intuitive and able to flex as the organisation changes.  What are the attributes of an LCAP?  LCAPs shouldn’t be confused with ‘no code’ technologies. In our opinion, LCAPs are best used, not by citizen developers with no coding experience, but by developers who understand the principles of software design and development.   That understanding means that your application is in good hands from the very beginning, and developers can take advantage of the attributes of an LCAP without compromising the fundamentals of good application product design. The key attributes of an LCAP include:  Drag-and-drop features  Pre-built templates  User-friendly visual development environment  Easy customisation  Reduced need for coding expertise  Easy to modify for continuous improvement  Security and compliance built in  Scalability to support business growth  LCAP use cases   The versatility of LCAPs makes them useful in a wide range of scenarios. In the healthcare sector, for example, LCAPs may be used to develop patient management systems, telehealth applications, or compliance tracking tools. In the financial sector they can be used to build customer onboarding platforms, fraud detection systems, and regulatory compliance solutions. Retail businesses can leverage LCAPs to develop inventory management systems, e-commerce platforms, and customer loyalty programs.   LCAPs are valuable for businesses who want to build internal applications that streamline processes or allow the business to gather, analyse and report information in a particular way. They can also help with building external applications which help to improve customer experience, give suppliers an easier way to manage their relationships or allow investors to stay up to date.  In short – there’s very little that an LCAP can’t do to help your business.  The OutSystems LCAP  OutSystems is one of the world’s foremost low code platform providers and is regularly recognised as leading the way both in technological innovation and the results it delivers for its customers.  As an OutSystems partner, we know just how good the company’s enterprise LCAP offering is. Earlier this year, it was named by Gartner as a ‘Leader’ in Gartner’s 2023 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low Code Platforms (LCAP).  OutSystems is consistently a leader in this field because it focuses on allowing developers to manage high-performance software development at pace. Developers and can design and build without any of the hold ups often associated with hand coding. And, because OutSystems can easily integrate with other systems, it can be used to address a wide range of business needs without disrupting day-to-day operations.  Most importantly – and one of the main reasons that LCAPs are seeing such a high adoption rate – is the ability to continuously evolve, improve, extend and update applications. This flexibility and scalability means organisations can stay ahead of the game without committing to large budgets or timescales – and get a far superior outcome. Contact us to find out more. 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The best of both worlds: How SAP and OutSystems combine for advanced outcomes Pritesh Pattni The best of both worlds: How SAP and OutSystems combine for advanced outcomes  There’s no doubt that implementing an ERP system into your business is a game changer. Streamlining your systems, automating your processes and supporting compliance and reporting, an ERP system puts your business in a position to make more informed decisions.   Many businesses choose SAP as their ERP system. SAP is a global leader in technology solutions, and its ERP solutions are used in businesses all over the world. It brings business functions together, reduces silo-based working and enables real-time insights. It works for businesses with one location in one country, or multiple locations around the world.   It might seem like introducing SAP is all you need to put your business in a prime position for growth, but there’s more you can do. And that’s where OutSystems plays its part. OutSystems is a low code platform that allows developers to design and build fast, intelligent applications. By integrating with SAP, OutSystems allows businesses to tailor-make the applications they need, based on the information that SAP holds.  Why do you need SAP and OutSystems?  Of course, many businesses assume that investing in an ERP is enough. And depending on your ambition, it can be. If your business wants a true competitive advantage, however, or just wants to make life easier for its staff and its customers, it needs to take the next step.  That step is to see how you can truly exploit the insights within SAP to leverage ERP benefits faster. It’s often true that just investing in ERP technology isn’t enough. Of course, the technology is there to help you, but it takes time to work out what it can deliver, how that information is most useful to your business and how to use it to direct and support your strategy.  What you need is effectively an ERP add-on. A way to make SAP truly bespoke to your sector, your customers and your business plans. For us, that solution is OutSystems.  What about integration?  Businesses are often nervous about integration. That’s usually because they’ve had their fingers burned in the past. But today’s leading suppliers know that seamless integration is a central criteria when you are selecting a system. So, they make sure that they have the ability to integrate without unnecessary downtime, preparation or cost. We talk about ‘extending’ SAP – that’s because OutSystems increases what’s possible with SAP.  Let’s look at how this works:  Out-of-the-box ability to connect to major enterprise System of Record platforms like SAP.  Wizard-style tool that ensures security and scalability.  Easy for developers to integrate both SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA  Ability to create a customised connection and more using the SAP Extensibility API  Full end-user authentication integration  Working with your development team, you can integrate SAP and OutSystems quickly and easily. Fully instrumented, integrations can generate error logs and performance metrics without the developers having to write any code. This allows any problems to be identified and managed quickly.  What can you do with SAP and OutSystems?  Using both technologies together gives you endless opportunities to make your business work smarter. 1. Optimising internal processes  Every business is looking for efficiencies. Investing in SAP is a big step towards this, and building dedicated new processes using OutSystems can take you to the next level. For example, you could transform inventory tracking, speed up accounts preparation, and improve compliance reporting.  2. Improve customer service  Where businesses have very similar product or service offerings, customer service can be the make-or-break area. Use OutSystems and SAP to improve your customer complaints process, design more efficient transportation routes, speed up time from enquiry to proposal or build personalised customer engagement.  3. Engage your teams  Build an app that your field sales team can use on the go – both to deliver sales pitches to prospects, and to log relevant sales information. Create a better intranet offering that allows interaction with holiday planning, rota management or wellbeing benefits. Use the power of OutSystems to update processes that free up staff time.  These are just a few of the ways you can use intelligent applications, based on information from SAP to build efficiency, high performance and better outcomes into your business.  Flexible and scalable  Businesses need to be able to pivot quickly. They need access to the information to make informed decisions and they need the ability to roll that information out across staff, customers, stakeholders and regulatory bodies fast. As they grow, businesses need their systems to grow with them. This delivers the flexibility they need to look at new markets, launch new products, open new facilities and take advantage of both market and economic trends.  Using SAP and OutSystems together gives businesses this flexibility and support for growth. As a low-code platform, OutSystems doesn’t need long and costly development times: applications can be designed, tested, refined and reworked quickly, so that they are giving the right outcomes and the best value for money.  The best of both worlds  Smart businesses want smart technology. And using SAP and OutSystems together delivers exactly that. That’s why, at ISB Smart Solutions, we are proud to be both an SAP & an OutSystems Partner, and proud to have integrated OutSystems and SAP into our own solution, Waste & Recycling One.  We deliberately chose the platforms we thought were best suited to rapidly building and testing ideas and processes without incurring unnecessary cost or taking too much development time. It’s proved to be a great decision, giving our customers the best of both worlds.  Contact us to find out more. 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How OutSystems handles technical debt Pritesh Pattni How OutSystems handles technical debt  Technical debt has a significant impact on a business. It’s not just about the IT department – technical debt concerns every department in the business. That’s because it affects operations across the business, often resulting in inefficiencies, reduced productivity, squeezed margins, higher long-term costs, and poor commercial performance.  So, it’s in everyone’s interest to identify the levels of technical debt in your business and to remedy those issues as quickly and reliably as possible – without leaving the business open to further technical debt in the future.  There are several ways that technical debt can appear. In most cases, issues occur because of rushed or poor technology decisions in the past. Sometimes, these are down to budgetary concerns, where cheaper options, or those with limited capacity are chosen ahead of better technology. Technical debt can also be the result of:  Poor coding – this is especially true where in-house development teams are coding without the required standardisations or processes, or where they are under pressure to produce applications as fast as possible, rather than being able to concentrate on accuracy and proper architecture.  Inadequate documentation – technical teams change, and people come and go. But the technology remains in place, without a documented knowledge base, new team members are unable to understand the system properly, update it accurately or build on it properly.  Legacy infrastructure – this is one of the most common forms of technical debt. Servers may be outdated, running slowly or unable to cope with more recent technologies. This can result in downtime, expensive maintenance and some applications being unable to work to their full potential.  Lack of external support – where older systems are being used in your business, you may not be receiving the quality of external support you need. Third parties may be unable to support their product anymore, or products may no longer be compatible with each other, leading to gaps in knowledge and information. At the same time, the business may still be paying for expensive contracts or subscriptions that are no longer delivering proper value.  These are just some of the more common areas of technical debt – you may find that your business has other issues. The real question is – what can you do about it?  Technology: cost vs time vs quality?  We’ve seen that most technical debt arises because one of the above issues – cost, time or quality – usually wins out over the others. Low cost or time-efficient solutions often result in technical debt, but businesses are wary of higher quality solutions because they incur additional costs and take more time to evaluate and implement.  To help businesses reduce technical debt, we need a solution that balances cost, time and quality. For us, that solution is low code.  Low code development platforms are increasingly becoming the go-to option for businesses who want to create agile, high-quality applications that meet both cost and time criteria. We believe that using low code gives businesses access to reliable coding that allows them to go to market faster, delivering business objectives without the risk of technical debt that hand coding often incurs.  It’s important to note that, while low code reduces the need for much of the traditional coding we’re used to, it does still require significant development skills to ensure that the architecture, processes and documentation are high quality, and that the finished application has the design, functionality and up-to-date approach that today’s businesses expect.  For that reason, we partner with OutSystems – one of the world’s leading low code platforms, both to create brand new applications, and to help businesses attack their technical debt with a proven, cost-effective solution.  How can OutSystems handle technical debt?  The OutSystems low code platform has been operating successfully for more than 20 years, giving developers and tech teams the ability to plan, design and create applications based on standard architectures and frameworks. This means there is no need for any hand-coded elements or engines, eliminating many of the issues that commonly cause technical debt.  For example, when new code is written or existing code updated, OutSystems runs a feedback engine which immediately picks up any potential problems, alerting developers straight away, and providing guidance on the best fix or solution. This, alongside inbuilt application analysis, ensures that not only is the code accurate, concise and clean, but the operation of the whole application is as efficient as possible.  Where businesses have identified technical debt that is having an impact on the wider business – for example, significant processes being managed by Excel spreadsheets with no integration to other essential systems, OutSystems low code offers a win-win solution.  Why? Because it allows departments from across the business to have an input into solutions, and developers – either inside the business or from a third party – to manage complex applications easily and collaboratively. All this within stringent standards of architecture and application security.  At each stage of the development process, OutSystems is working continuously to ensure that the application is secure, efficient and properly tested so that businesses can reduce their technical debt and achieve a more streamlined solution without the dreaded expense or time investment of a traditional hand-coding approach.  Contact us to find out more. 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The synergy of design, code, and development Pritesh Pattni The synergy of design, code, and development Like all disciplines, digital development works best when all the various elements are used collaboratively, and where new approaches are created based on the input of experts in each area. Depending on the type of development, new technologies can be expensive and time-consuming to create, and this is only exacerbated when some parties are consulted late in the day, or assumptions are made. That’s why uniting design, code and development is seen as the best approach for a successful technology project. In this article, we look at why this synergy is important. What is design? For technology projects, design is the process of creating visual and functional concepts that  are focused on delivering a great user experience. This often covers a range of design expertise, including graphic design, user interface design and user experience design. Working together, these designers use their experience and understanding of aesthetics, usability and psychology to build a visual approach that attracts users while accurately representing the end brand. What is code? Code, in the context of software development, refers to the instructions written in a programming language to define the behaviour and functionality of a system or application. It covers both frontend code, which is focused on the user interface and interaction, and backend code, which manages data storage, processing, and communication with servers and other systems. Code is used to translate design concepts into executable software, employing algorithms, data structures, and software architectures to bring ideas to life. There are usually two approaches to coding: traditional hand coding and low code. Hand-coding is where every element of the code is written by a professional developer and is often used on complex projects. Low code is an approach that uses a drag-and-drop interface to create certain elements of a project, reducing time and cost, and ensuring reliability. The type of coding used on a technology project will be determined by the type of project, timescales and budget. What is development? Development is the term given to the broader process of creating, deploying, and maintaining software solutions. It is often used just to describe the technical aspects of coding, but it also involves the strategic planning and management required to deliver successful products. Ideally, development teams will collaborate across disciplines, including design, engineering, quality assurance, and project management, to build software solutions that meet user needs and business objectives. Why collaboration matters To run a successful technology project, all these elements must come together. Design, with its focus on aesthetics, usability, and user experience, lays the foundation for intuitive interfaces and engaging interactions. Whether it’s crafting visually compelling layouts or mapping out user journeys, design serves as the initial touchpoint, drawing users into the product. Design – both for aesthetics and for usability – is a critical part of the process, giving coders the direction they need to create a workable solution. But ‘design’ and ‘code’ shouldn’t work in a vacuum. Of course, coders could wait until the design process is complete, and then take over, but the project will be far more efficient when designers and coders work together from the very beginning. This is where creativity and technical understanding can work together to create not just a functional and high-performing solution, but to manage the project in the best way from end to end. Designers provide developers with the blueprint for innovation, while developers empower designers with the tools to realize their vision. This synergy fosters a culture of creativity and refinement, where ideas evolve organically through continuous feedback and open conversations. Beyond individual projects Of course, collaboration helps individual projects to succeed. Sometimes, all the elements of design, code and development are based within internal teams, which makes this teamwork easier. On other projects, the project development team may be internal, while the design and coding is outsourced. In cases like this, it’s essential to bring teams together regularly to establish and build good relationships to help the project run smoothly. Beyond individual projects, this focus on collaboration is being encouraged across the technology industry. Leaders understand both the commercial benefits of working more collaboratively, and the fact that this approach delivers better outcomes for users. Agile methodologies, using iterative development and cross-functional teams, has blurred the lines between design and code, removing the risk of siloed thinking, and producing more efficient and effective results. Why low code is a good collaborative option In the context of uniting design, code, and development, low-code platforms offer several advantages over hand-coding approaches. First, they enable rapid prototyping and iterative development cycles. This helps to bring technologies to market faster, and results in more reliable end applications. Low code also streamlines the development process by eliminating complex technical details. This means the development team can focus on high-level functionality and business logic, rather than getting tied up with every small detail. By reducing the amount of hand coding required, using low code can increase productivity and efficiency, and drives faster, more cost-effective delivery. At ISB Global, we are a proud OutSystems partner. OutSystems is regularly named as a platform of choice for collaborative teams. It’s an open platform that accelerates development without compromising quality, and leaves room for easier adaptation and scalability. We use OutSystems low code both for our own market-leading application, Waste and Recycling One, and for the development projects we work on for clients. Contact us to find out more about how low code and collaborative working could help your business to build stronger technologies. Recommended Posts​ What is the true cost of technical debt? What is the true cost of technical debt? Pritesh Pattni What’s the true cost of technical debt?  Technical debt comes in a variety of guises, and occurs for many different reasons. 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What is the true cost of technical debt? Pritesh Pattni What’s the true cost of technical debt?  Technical debt comes in a variety of guises, and occurs for many different reasons. However your tech debt is accrued, it has a future cost for your business – both in terms of the operational impact on your business, and the cost of getting your tech into a better position.  We’ve talked in other articles about the seven main types of technical debt. The reasons that software developers can create technical debt will vary – and they will be different for each type of debt. These include:  Prioritising speed over accuracy – sometimes, this is done in the knowledge that technical debt will occur. Developers and project leaders decide that it’s more important to release software quickly than to make sure it’s perfect. In some cases, there is a plan to manage software updates and releases to deal with that debt, but in others, teams simply take the hit without having a plan to improve quality.  Lack of clear communication or collaboration – this often happens when more than one organisation is working on the software. For example, part of the development work may have been outsourced, but without the details of requirements, testing or outcomes fully explained. But it can also happen internally, particularly with larger teams, and this can have serious consequences for customers and users.  Pressure to go to market – this can be particularly prevalent in traditional hand-coding projects, which often take longer because they require more people and use slower processes. Software is a highly competitive market, and success can be entirely down to getting your product to market ahead of the competition. But in the rush to get to market, project managers or senior leaders in the organisation may put developers under pressure to cut corners, reduce testing or remove features. The product gets to market first, but doesn’t have the quality it needs to achieve a market-leading position.  Learning ‘on the job’ – this can happen when developers are working with a new system, language or database. There is often a significant learning curve, and so things may be missed, or incorrectly coded. This will result in technical debt, but it also improves the capabilities of the development team and they will build the knowledge they need to improve the software in the future.  For organisations, getting into technical debt also happens for a variety of reasons. When you combine these with the software development technical debt issues, you can see that one can compound the other. Organisational technical debt can occur where:  Fast solutions, not best solutions – as organisations grow, they need more technology. Often, this technology is critical to the next stage of growth, so there isn’t the time to evaluate the options properly. This leads to solutions being implemented that solve the immediate problem, but are not scalable or adaptable.  Cost-cutting – any technology vendor will tell you that many organisations place the cost of a solution at the top of the priority list. So businesses will often end up with a solution that was cost-effective at the time of purchase, but becomes increasingly inefficient and ineffective as time goes on. That initial saving often turns into a long-term cost.  Legacy systems from business change – when organisations merge, or a smaller organisation is acquired, it can lead to issues with legacy systems. Although this is often taken into consideration operationally, businesses may not assess the full cost of the technical debt caused by opting for one system over another.  The true cost of technical debt will vary from company to company. But we’ve highlighted this example from a McKinsey report on technical debt because it illustrates just how quickly it can build, and the strategic cost it can have.  “A large B2B business faced an agonizing quandary: its leadership team was considering dozens of modernization initiatives that could bring a $2 billion margin expansion opportunity. But 70 percent of them depended on technology that would cost a staggering $400 million—much higher than expected. The reason for such a high price tag? Its tech stack had become massively complex after years of building quick workarounds and one-off solutions to favor speed over good design for the long term.”  What this shows is that organisations shouldn’t wait to assess their technical debt. They should start to look now at what is working and what isn’t, and find a low code development partner that can help them get back in the black.  Why low code? Because it transforms the way that developers work, producing more cost-effective, flexible and scalable applications that work with the organisation, not against it. At ISB Global, we are a proud OutSystems partner. OutSystems is a globally-leading low code platform that delivers secure, efficient and versatile software to meet any challenge. Just get in touch with us today to find out more. Recommended Posts​ The synergy of design, code, and development The synergy of design, code, and development Pritesh Pattni The synergy of design, code, and development Like all disciplines, digital development works best when all the various elements are used… Read More Is your software future-proofed? Is your software future-proofed? Pritesh Pattni Is your software future-proofed? 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Is your software future-proofed? Pritesh Pattni Is your software future-proofed? As we move rapidly towards full digital transformation, businesses are relying on a raft of software solutions to help them manage their day-to-day operations, store critical data securely, and drive the strategies that promote growth and long-term success. Not all software is equal, though. Older systems are often slower to use, less easy to interrogate, don’t integrate with other systems and can even be at a stage where the software company no longer offers updates or support. Today’s software must be designed and developed with an eye to the future. Whether you are building a system in-house, or buying systems in from elsewhere, the scalability, flexibility and adaptability of the software system must be key considerations. In this article, we talk about why this is so important, and how taking a low code approach could deliver the future proofing you need. Software is changing In fact, this isn’t a recent occurrence. Like all fundamental technologies, software development is changing all the time. Developers live in a fast-paced and competitive environment, where users have certain expectations and demands, and businesses want more software for their money. This can pose problems for the hand-coding approach – the traditional method of software development where developers hand-write their code from scratch. That’s because this is a more time-consuming way to write software – and therefore more expensive. It can also be more prone to errors or bugs, simply because it relies entirely on human authoring and testing. This is why, over the past 20 years, we have seen the emergence of a low code approach. Low code development uses a visual drag-and-drop interface, using pre-designed elements to improve both the speed of development and its accuracy. The ability to use a dedicated platform also promotes better collaboration between developers and their clients – whether they are internal or external – and also allows software to be built that can be updated or scaled quickly and easily. How low code supports future proofing So, low code reduces development time, removes much of the error risk, and helps developers to build flexible software. This in itself supports future-proofing, and there are a number of benefits to this approach: Agile development – using low code platforms supports a more flexible development lifecycle, which allows developers and organisations to respond quickly and accurately to changes in business requirements, market demands or competitive features. The ability to be able to quickly design, test and deploy software applications to help businesses flex to maintain or improve market position. Scalable approach – rather than going through a cycle of constantly upgrading or changing software to meet the demands of a growing business, a low-code approach allows developers to expand the current application to meet new needs. This may be extending functionality to a new department, bringing on board a business that has been acquired, or simply upgrading the software to allow for a more efficient approach. Less technical debt – ‘technical debt’ is a term used to describe software that can no longer deliver what the organisation needs. This slows down productivity and can actively get in the way of growth. With a low code development solution, the code is simpler, the ability to change or adapt is greater and so technical debt declines. Better security – this is a core requirement for all today’s software. Organisations are at constant risk of attack and need to demonstrate that they have put the security of their systems and their data first. While some businesses just focus on security, others also have to demonstrate compliance with both government and regulatory requirements. So today’s development is not just about building a future-proofed user experience; it’s about ensuring the organisation is always meeting or exceeding its security and compliance requirements. Why we use OutSystems OutSystems is a pioneer of the low code approach, and has been developing its platform for the past 20 years. It’s built up a loyal following among professional developers, who can see the numerous benefits of using its intelligence to build software faster, while also retaining control over design and architecture. We are a proud OutSystems partner, using its low code technology to build our industry-leading platform, Waste and Recycling One. We also use OutSystems to build discrete applications for clients, giving them the high quality, future-proofed development they are looking for at a price they can afford. 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