Low-Code Development Platform Comprehension in Building Business Software: A Case Study

Low-code development platforms (LCDPs) have been touted as computing tools that can equip novice users to create business software quickly without the need for formal programming expertise. LCDPs have also been viewed as attractive alternatives that reduce the time and resource constraints often associated with traditional software development. Gartner anticipates that LCDPs will be used to develop approximately 70% of all new business software applications by the end of 2025. Yet approximately one half of application developers studied possessed insufficient knowledge of these platforms, with some managers and traditional technologists expressing outright skepticism toward platform effectiveness. A lack of organizational comprehension related to LCDPs’ identity and capabilities, appropriateness of use, and success criteria result in wasted time and resources that contribute to this problem. In this flexible qualitative single case study of one medium-sized business in the northeastern United States, such concerns from literature are affirmed through the firm’s experiences with a popular LCDP: Microsoft Power Platform. The findings from this study indicate that pervasive organizational access to this platform combined with inadequate comprehension of tool purpose, deficient management support, functionality limitations, and scant formal governance are rationale that drive the need for enhanced organizational knowledge and usage. The results of this examination also reveal that, through formalized development practices, enhanced user training, and increased collaboration among developers and other stakeholders, improved LCDP comprehension may equip organizations to build more effective business software using these tools. Finally, the concerns that propel these improvements are viewed through a Christian worldview.