Feedback, after several years of using a Low-Code platform.

During our last user club and feedback, Benjamin Buffereau and Rosanne Quilly, in charge of the development of business applications for the Brittany region, were kind enough to give their feedback with the Simplicité platform.

The applications developed concern three different audiences:

• The users
• The partners
• Agents in the region

After a quick overview of the responsibilities of the Brittany region and the field of action of the DSI, we are back to the heart of the matter. Why does the IT department choose to use a Low-Code platform?

Why did the Brittany region choose to use a Low-Code platform?

Very early on, the Brittany region decided to anticipate development issues for the needs of the IT department. You have to do it quickly and better in order to unclog the back-log. The choice is strategic for the organization of IS control while improving IT productivity, industrialization, innovation and urbanization.

The first observation made by the Brittany region, the “from scratch”, works, but the limits are numerous:

• You have to reinvent the wheel every time.
• It is difficult to reinvent it (no sharing of “advanced” functionalities).
• Maintaining skills is expensive.
• A certain reluctance to make the oldest applications evolve.
• More and more maintenance, so fewer new applications.
• Less added value for customers...

The second observation concerns productivity. After a necessary period of increasing skills, productivity is increased tenfold. You just have to look at this slide to be convinced of it:

Development Simplicité Low-Code versus Classic JEE Development, pros and cons

After several years of use, what is the assessment of using a Low-Code platform like Simplicité? What are the good sides? What are the disadvantages?

The pluses:

• Faster development: more responsiveness, more productivity.
• Better development: maintainability (Simplicité patches), shared functionalities, reliability.
• A development that is changing: agility, prototyping > implementation, the professions are associated in a co-construction process.
• Deferral of part of the configuration to business users, the first step towards the “citizen developer” without solicitation from development teams.
• Very fast application modification (and/or by user's hand).
• Maturity & adaptability of the platform.
• Significant reduction in “change management” thanks to a similar interface and navigation for all applications (no user training required).
• A healthy relationship with the publisher.

Disadvantages:

• Developers are still indispensable! (But that's not bad news:))
• Increase in skills required.
• Difficulty in finding service providers in a market segment that is still new.
• A community that is still too small.
• The platform is not Open Source (“black box” effect).

Simplicité platform versus Force.com (and others...)

It is impossible to talk about a Low-code platform without making a comparison with Force.com (solution studied in competition with Simplicité). What emerged from this comparison, unlike Salesforce Simplicité, allows you to:

• Set up data models.
• Integrate applications seamlessly into an existing Information System.
• To use JEE/relational technological standards (no proprietary language).
• To offer reversibility.

In addition, and still unlike Force.com, the Simplicité platform allows a choice of deployment: Private Cloud, Public Cloud, Hybrid Cloud or OnPremise, which is a definite advantage compared to the infinity of possible architecture choices for an IT department.

In conclusion? Good reasons to use Low-Code and the possible obstacles...

Is low-code time to go?

Advantages:

• A CIO who wants to get started and get a head start on a mature platform.
• A need to industrialize the development and maintenance of numerous applications.
• Quite repetitive “back office” needs.
• Internal development capabilities (or a desire to come back!).

Possible obstacles:

• Mostly “Front-Office” needs with little business intelligence.
• Integrators are still few outside the Paris region

In general, the feedback on the platform is very positive. It allows applications to be put into production exponentially with a limited number of developers.

In the end, the Brittany region focuses its development efforts on strategic applications for which development “from scratch” would take too long to carry out.

If you have questions do not hesitate to contact, we will be happy to answer your questions.