Companies are rarely short of good ideas. But a good idea, if not implemented, has no real value. Focused on time-to-market, business teams in large companies are constantly innovating to keep up with the acceleration of the market. The need for applications and software is exploding thanks to their ideas. But, faced with a lack of IT resources to implement these good ideas, innovation stalls. To remedy this problem, it is high time to change the paradigm and methodology. 

Towards a new software culture

In a world of pervasive innovation, we see a real problem of corporate culture. Some large companies can take years to adopt the very technologies that startups are excited about. Where it takes a startup a few weeks on average to adopt a new IT tool, it takes several months, even years, in a large company. This gap can be explained in part by the historical presence of a very strong security software culture. Although security should not be neglected, it is essential to make room for a creative software culture .

Aware of this problem, many large companies have introduced design thinking into their organisations, which allows for greater creativity in teams. This method of managing innovation gives rise to a myriad of new ideas which, all too often, do not have the opportunity to be put into practice due to a lack of IT resources. Some companies have chosen to implement startup factories to accelerate innovation - but this movement is still too timid.

The cultural revolution towards a more creative and innovative software vision is too often slowed down by technical obstacles causing a number of frustrations in the business teams, whose daily life is centred around innovation and the acceleration of time-to-market. 

👉 80% of new products and services will be created outside of IT by 2024 (Gartner)

Friction on the line between business and technical teams

The need for applications and software, both for internal and external use, is exploding and technical teams are under pressure, particularly due to recruitment difficulties linked to the lack of available developers. At the same time, business teams are more than ever focused on innovation and continuous creativity. This situation creates tension between these two professions. Frustration is created on both sides while the company, at the same time, "sleeps" on a pool of potentially value-creating ideas. In increasingly competitive and fast-moving markets, with a growing need for innovation, this is counterproductive.

Management must adapt to this new reality. Let's not forget that today only 0.3% of the world's population can code, so it is no longer possible to assign responsibility for all software creation needs to the IT department alone. It is necessary to change the paradigm and enter a new era. 

The agile method: a hitherto incomplete equation 

Over the past 30 years, innovation in large companies has been achieved through the adoption of Agile. But this is no longer enough, because agile or not, you need developers to get projects up and running - and it is precisely this technical resource that companies are lacking. 

Although the Agile method is the most suitable for application and software development, many companies are now finding that it cannot meet all innovation needs. To be a success lever, the equation must integrate : Design Thinking + Agile Method + Nocode.

👉 What is Nocode project management?

The company needs to recognise that business teams are a major asset in creating applications - and therefore value - because they are the ones who understand the complexity of the industry in which they operate. However, they need to be taught techniques such as abstraction, which will allow them to design applications via Nocode solutions without the need for programming knowledge. Where learning code takes 2-5 years, abstraction and Nocode take only a few months due to a much shorter experience curve.

This equation will rebalance the relationship in the company. On the one hand, business teams will regain control of their ideas by being able to implement them independently. On the other hand, the technical teams will be relieved to focus on the more technical projects. 

Searching for hidden nuggets in your company

The adoption of this new equation requires the identification of promising profiles from within the company; those who shadow IT, i.e. who implement IT tools without the approval of their management or IT department, are the candidates with the greatest potential. 

Employees who practice shadow IT have only one desire: to work more efficiently and to bring more performance to their business. Previously considered as "rebels" in the face of the company's more traditional methods, it is time to put them forward and to value their know-how. 

They are a strength for the company. In addition to having a real desire to participate in the development of applications to improve their daily lives, they will be able to quickly integrate the concept of abstraction. They must become the "builders", those who will spread the word internally through their enthusiasm and creativity, in order to facilitate change and the adoption of new solutions. 

The Nocode tools should not be seen as simple additions to make daily life easier, but as superpowers to increase individual and collective productivity. The combination of the "Design Thinking, Agile Method and Nocode" method is thus a springboard to allow the business to take its revenge on the technique, and to unlock innovation in companies. 

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