How no-code platforms can help with automation governance

What is important to consider before you take on any process automation solution is the scale and ownership of your process automation project. It depends on how soon you want or need to digitize, as well as who will be responsible for maintaining processes that are built that may require changes further down the line.

If the business needs a few pain point solutions, then IT can build and maintain these processes. If you are automating multiple processes, however, then IT's ability to turn these processes around quickly and commit to their continued maintenance can be problematic.

Given that this resource is usually overstretched, organizations are then left with no alternative but to bring in a partner to implement process automation solutions. This can be a costly exercise, as not only do solutions need to be built externally, but they also need to be maintained.

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It is common for organizations to encounter other issues such as a change in personnel within that partnership. The person who once used ‘their’ logic to create workflows may have moved companies and their coding is often not ‘logical’ to another coder, which can introduce delays.

The benefits of using a no-code platform

There are many benefits to using a no-code platform, the main one being that the barrier to entry is lowered for digitizing processes. More people can create workflows than with a product that requires coding and working with multiple products.

Read PEX Guide: What is low-code app development?

A no-code platform significantly reduces the learning time required to build solutions and automatically records performance metrics that demonstrate value to the business user.

FlowForma uses built-in features for workflow, data, and communications management that make the creation of solutions easy for businesspeople. It reduces technical complexity and risk when digitizing processes. It provides a clear path that matches the way that business users think about processes and systems, with features that give users a helping hand when they need. Designers can test as they build and refine their solution as soon as they get feedback from people in the field.

Even if business process owners create solutions themselves, IT will always play a part. Ultimately, IT teams are the owners of IT risks. They provide the tools to the users and have some responsibility to ensure that the tools are used well.

The role of no-code platforms in process governance

FlowForma Governance empowers IT to quickly create sandboxes for process managers, enabling the business to test within their own sandbox without any risk to a production environment. Here they can build flows and test different processes before applying to IT to have them promoted for day-to-day use by the business. It is a ‘win-win’ which eases the reliance on IT but ensures that nothing goes awry and that they get the final say before anything goes ‘live’.

Slick interfaces look nice, and we are naturally drawn to applications with exceptional user interfaces, but the ability to create your own workflows consistently, quickly and with flexibility is key when pressure is on to digitize at pace.

This article was originally published as Power Apps & Power Automate Alternatives for Digitization.

Are you leveraging a no-code platform? Let us know more about your experience by leaving a comment below.