𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗜𝗜: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸
For decades, our relationship with workplace technology has been, in a word, complicated. The pandemic only made it more so.
The stats are astonishing. Two in three employers cannot find qualified candidates to fill their open IT positions. By 2024, the deficit of software developers in the US alone will hit 500,000. Supply and demand for techies are out of whack and, most alarmingly, there's no end in sight.
The effects of this labor market imbalance are profound and difficult to overstate. Nearly three in four technology leaders cannot focus on their strategic priorities. Countless other firms, departments, teams, and leaders have struggled because IT can’t deliver the tools they so desperately need. Adding salt to the wound, business units now need new applications to address the logistical challenges posed by pervasive remote and hybrid work.
Brass tacks: Organizations are at a crossroads. They need to solve these thorny tech problems. Now. But how?
In Low-Code/No-Code: Citizen Developers and the Surprising Future of Business Applications, world-renowned workplace technology expert and award-winning author Phil Simon squares this circle. His thirteenth book deftly illustrates how, thanks to powerful new tools and a new breed of employees, organizations are finally fulfilling critical business needs and reducing their reliance on pricey software developers.
Low-Code/No-Code is an invaluable treasure trove of insightful analysis, synthesis, examples, and advice that has arrived at the perfect time.
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: This timely book explores issues surrounding workplace technologies, including GUI-based and other no/low-code tools.
Prose: The prose throughout this manual is straightforward, clear, and aimed at readers of all proficiency levels.
Originality: Simon's book is informative and practical; the examination of the changing roles of technology and how employees use it in workplace settings is especially convincing.
Character/Execution: This book sets out to explain the benefits (and disadvantages) of allowing "citizen developers" in an organization to use low/no-code tools while letting the programmers focus on higher-priority or more difficult projects. The author lays out his case clearly and explores both sides of the issue.
Date Submitted: November 09, 2022
“All companies are tech companies,” Simon reminds readers. In that spirit, in no-nonsense language, he walks readers through the circumstances that have resulted in technologically astute employees having access to development tools—CMS systems, “spreadsheets on steroids”—that allow even non-coders to build powerful, low-cost applications. This rundown is brisk and engaging (one chapter is titled “A Comically Brief Overview of Conventional Business Technology”), as are Simon’s considerations of how to integrate citizen developers into established organizations, and his presentation of various Low Code/No Code philosophies and approaches, including the sound advice of generating “templates, examples, design guidelines, and a style guide.”
Simon deftly addresses potential reader skepticism, while real world case studies (including examples from his own work and teaching, plus Toyota, family businesses, a trucking company, and more) persuasively back up his contention that “citizen developers” are “subject matter experts” who understand better than IT departments the nuts-and-bolts basics of what individual applications must do to improve workflow. He argues, “Allowing proper software engineers to focus on more complex development projects represents an objectively better use of their valuable time.” Employees and management eager to unleash worker creativity will find much inspiration here.
Takeaway:The practical, persuasive case for empowering employees to develop custom apps in the workplace.
Great for fans of: Katherine Kostereva and Burley Kawasaki’s No-Code Playbook, Project Management Institute’s Citizen Development: The Handbook for Creators and Change Makers.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
I'm pleased to announce that two foreign translations of the book are coming soon.
We're live.
More information here:
https://www.philsimon.com/blog/technology/13th-book-low-code/
