Phil Simon's Blog, page 14

Episode 74: Audio Excerpt From Low-Code/No-Code

Here’s an audio excerpt from my new book Low-Code/No-Code: Citizen Developers and the Surprising Future of Business Applications.

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What’s the Difference Between Low-code and No-code Tools?

What exactly is a citizen developer?

What’s the difference between low-code and no-code tools?

In this short video, I cover some key definitions in the new book.

The post What’s the Difference Between Low-code and No-code Tools? appeared first on Phil Simon.

How to Switch LC/NC Vendors

When it comes to low-code/no-code, I know a thing or six. I couldn’t have written the new book otherwise.

Here are two of them.

First, vendor consolidation is an inevitability. There’s just no way that the status quo is sustainable. Consider the vast amount of choice in the contemporary LC/NC universe:

Click to embiggen.

When it comes to choice, the word abundant comes to mind.

Second, breaking up with an LC/NC tool is hard to do. (Cue Better Off Dead reference.)

Here are a few tips on successfully managing the breakup and transition to the new vendor.

Consider the Timing

There may not be a perfect time to retire an LC/NC tool and introduce a new one, but there are certainly objectively bad ones. Here are a few:

Right after a major and unexpected employee departure, reorg, or layoff.Right before a critical, planned company event. Examples here include a merger, acquisition, or move to a newer location.During the holiday season.Communicate the Change Well in Advance

“I’ll just notify the workforce via a company-wide e-mail on Friday that [insert name of tool] is going away on Monday”, said no intelligent leader ever.

It’s best to give employees as much advance notice as possible, particularly because there’s no magic “covert app” button. Put differently, citizen developers will have to recreate their bespoke apps in your organization’s preferred low-code/no-code tool. That takes time.

Speaking of which …

Err on the Side of Caution

Plug formulas into your spreadsheet all you like, but we suck at making absolute estimates. (More here.) For this very reason, Scrum teams rely on Fibonacci sequences and other relative estimation techniques.

Think that the process for porting over apps from Vendor A to Vendor B will take a month?

Great.

Plan for two.

Contingency planning is especially important with databases and lightweight systems. Data export and import probably won’t go as smoothly as you’d like.

Offer Training in the New Tool

To be sure, citizen developers are a smart and creative lot. What’s more, there’s a great deal of overlap among vendors’ LC/NC tools. (Execs at Stacker, Buildbase, Zoho, Retool, Adalo, Blaze, Bubble, and Appy Pie all pay close attention to what their competition is doing.)

A day’s worth of training sends a strong signal to employees that management respects them.

At the same time, though, it’s folly to assume that even rockstar citizen developers will be able to pick up the new tool on their own time and dime. A day’s worth of training sends a strong signal to employees that management respects them. They won’t have to recreate their apps with a new LC/NC tool in addition to their day jobs.

Simon Says

Vendor lock-in makes switching tools challenging. Being thoughtful about the transition minimizes the pain involved.

Feedback

Have you switched LC/NC vendors before? Any tips for others on how to stick the landing?

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Episode 73: Building a No-Code Company With Jon Darbyshire

Jon Darbyshire joins me today. He’s the CEO and co-founder of SmartSuite. We talk about efficiency, automation, how he started his company, Notion, VC funding, and whether we’ll ultimately all wind up using a single app.

 

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Publication of Low-Code/No-Code

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I am pleased to announce that Low-Code\/No-Code: Citizen Developers and the Surprising Future of Business Applications is out. So far, I’m just seeing it on Amazon. The other dominoes should start falling shortly. The paperback is up now, the ebook is coming later this week, and the hardcover should be dropping next week.\n

Based on my interactions, pre-sales, and the number of inquiries for custom editions and bulk orders, number 13 is striking a nerve. Pre-orders for the Kindle edition have been strong:\n

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It’s not hard to understand why. LC\/NC tools\u2014like the one that runs this website\u2014are exploding. Citizen development is gaining momentum.\n

Against this backdrop, Low-Code\/No-Code has arrived at the perfect time. The book’s endorsements are humbling. At the risk of being immodest, it is an invaluable treasure trove of insightful analysis, synthesis, examples, and advice.\n

I hope that you’ll check it out.","tablet":""}},"slug":"et_pb_text"}" data-et-multi-view-load-tablet-hidden="true">

I am pleased to announce that Low-Code/No-Code: Citizen Developers and the Surprising Future of Business Applications is out. So far, I’m just seeing it on Amazon. The other dominoes should start falling shortly. The paperback is up now, the ebook is coming later this week, and the hardcover should be dropping next week.

Based on my interactions, pre-sales, and the number of inquiries for custom editions and bulk orders, number 13 is striking a nerve. Pre-orders for the Kindle edition have been strong:

It’s not hard to understand why. LC/NC tools—like the one that runs this website—are exploding. Citizen development is gaining momentum.

Against this backdrop, Low-Code/No-Code has arrived at the perfect time. The book’s endorsements are humbling. At the risk of being immodest, it is an invaluable treasure trove of insightful analysis, synthesis, examples, and advice.

I hope that you’ll check it out.

Updated: November 1, 2022\n

[image error]I am pleased to announce that Low-Code\/No-Code: Citizen Developers and the Surprising Future of Business Applications\u00a0is out. So far, I’m just seeing it on Amazon. The other dominoes should start falling shortly. The paperback is up now, the ebook is coming on November 4th, and the hardcover should be dropping next week.\n

Based on my interactions, pre-sales, and the number of inquiries for custom editions and bulk orders, number 13 is striking a nerve. Pre-orders for the Kindle edition have been strong:\n

[image error]\n

It’s not hard to understand why. LC\/NC tools\u2014like the one that runs this website\u2014are exploding. Citizen development is gaining momentum.\n

Against this backdrop, Low-Code\/No-Code has arrived at the perfect time. The book’s endorsements are humbling. At the risk of being immodest, it is an invaluable treasure trove of insightful analysis, synthesis, examples, and advice.\n

I hope that you’ll check it out.","tablet":""}},"slug":"et_pb_text"}" data-et-multi-view-load-tablet-hidden="true">Updated: November 1, 2022

I am pleased to announce that Low-Code/No-Code: Citizen Developers and the Surprising Future of Business Applications is out. So far, I’m just seeing it on Amazon. The other dominoes should start falling shortly. The paperback is up now, the ebook is coming on November 4th, and the hardcover should be dropping next week.

Based on my interactions, pre-sales, and the number of inquiries for custom editions and bulk orders, number 13 is striking a nerve. Pre-orders for the Kindle edition have been strong:

It’s not hard to understand why. LC/NC tools—like the one that runs this website—are exploding. Citizen development is gaining momentum.

Against this backdrop, Low-Code/No-Code has arrived at the perfect time. The book’s endorsements are humbling. At the risk of being immodest, it is an invaluable treasure trove of insightful analysis, synthesis, examples, and advice.

I hope that you’ll check it out.

BUY KINDLE VERSION .rv_button.closed:after {content:"\47";}.rv_button.opened:after{content:"\46";} jQuery(document).ready(function() {// Hide the divjQuery('#reveal').hide();jQuery('.rv_button').click(function(e){e.preventDefault();jQuery("#reveal").slideToggle();jQuery('.rv_button').toggleClass('opened closed');});});

UPDATED: 10.31.22

AMAZONBULK ORDERSSIGNED COPY

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The Virtuous Cycle of Citizen Developers

Virtuous cycles are powerful things. They also go by the monikers network effects and flywheels. In a nutshell, growth begets further growth.

It worked for Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, Uber, and scores of other companies, although not always to society’s benefit. (Hello, Zuck.)

In this short video, I explain the momentum behind citizen development.

And, no, you won’t find this video on TikTok. 

PRE-ORDER THE KINDLE VERSION OF LC/NC

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Episode 72: Making No-Code Happen With Chaya Gutnick and Avi Hercenberg

Chaya Gutnick and Avi Hercenberg join me to talk about the staggering amount of choice in the LC/NC world. Other topics include consulting, enterprise systems, HubSpot, Apple, SmartSuite, and supply chains.

 

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Book Trailer for Low-Code/No-Code

I’ve done trailers for my other books, so why stop now? 

Enjoy a quick video on my forthcoming opus.  

PRE-ORDER THE KINDLE VERSION OF LC/NC

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Excerpt From Low-Code/No-Code

Below is an excerpt from my forthcoming book Low-Code/No-Code: Citizen Developers and the Surprising Future of Business Applications.

Jessica Angerstein is amazing. 

Note that a few minor things may change between now and publication.

LEARN MORE PRE-ORDER KINDLE VERSION .rv_button.closed:after {content:"\47";}.rv_button.opened:after{content:"\46";} jQuery(document).ready(function() {// Hide the divjQuery('#reveal').hide();jQuery('.rv_button').click(function(e){e.preventDefault();jQuery("#reveal").slideToggle();jQuery('.rv_button').toggleClass('opened closed');});});

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Custom Editions of Low-Code/No-Code Available

Introduction

When Reimagining Collaboration dropped, I decided to offer custom versions of the book. Today, I’m pleased to be announcing the same with Low-Code/No-Code: Citizen Developers and the Surprising Future of Business Applications.

Here’s how it would work.

Executives agree with the general message of the book. Still, they want to put their own spin on it and give it to their employees, prospects, and/or customers. They’ll do this by writing four- to five-page forewords with their individual takes on the fascinating future of work and what their organization is doing to prepare. Ideally, their takes align nicely with the core themes of Reimagining Collaboration. What’s more, the execs’ names and titles would adorn the cover of this version of the book. Finally, we could put the organization’s logo on the cover, probably in the upper right-hand corner.

Click to embiggen.

Target Audiences

I can envision a number of different homes for bespoke versions of my book. In no particular order:

Consulting firms.Low-code/no-code startups and established vendors. Conferences whose organizers want to reward attendees with bespoke version of the book. Code academies. I can envision a number of different homes for bespoke versions of this book.  Other Logistics

I’ll start with the paperback version.

At the risk of stating the obvious, versions will cost far less than their hardcover counterparts—although both are on the table. To make the per-unit price cost-effective, an organization will need to purchase no fewer than 200 copies. Larger orders will drop the per-unit price considerably. If we hit 1,000, then the number really plummets. Oh, and copies—no matter how many—do not include rights to the book’s intellectual property. That stays with me.

As for the hardcover, the price is more expensive, the order minimum is higher, and the time to produce them will be longer—about 90 days as of now.

LET'S DO THIS

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