How to Build a Successful Low-Code Development Team

Low-code development is transforming how businesses create applications, offering faster delivery and reduced technical barriers. To build a successful low-code team:

1. Key Roles:

   • Low-Code Developer: Builds and customizes applications.

   • Business Analyst: Bridges business needs and IT.

   • UX/UI Designer: Ensures user-friendly designs.

   • Solutions Architect: Plans scalability and security.

   • Project Manager: Oversees team coordination and delivery.

2. Essential Skills:

   • Platform expertise (e.g., Mendix, OutSystems).

   • Problem-solving for business challenges.

   • Strong communication across technical and non-technical teams.

   • Knowledge of AI, IoT, and microservices.

3. Finding Talent:

   • Use specialized agencies, certification programs, or internal development.

   • Retain talent with career development programs and competitive benefits.

4. Team Structure:

   • Tailor team size and roles to platforms like Mendix or OutSystems.

   • Adopt agile workflows for faster, more efficient development.

5. AI Integration:

   • Leverage tools like OutSystems Mentor or Mendix Maia to automate tasks and enhance productivity.

6. Tracking Performance:

   • Measure delivery speed, application quality, and team efficiency.

   • Use tools like AppDynamics for monitoring and improvements.

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Key Team Roles and Required Skills

The success of low-code platforms depends on combining technical know-how with business understanding. With 77% of organizations now using these platforms, having the right team and skills is crucial.

Key Team Roles

Here are the core roles needed for effective low-code development:

KeyBank's transformation highlights the power of a well-structured team. Dominic Cugini, Chief Transformation Officer at KeyBank, shared:

"It's probably been 2+ years since we said, 'I can't do that.' With OutSystems, we can challenge ourselves to figure out a path to yes."

These roles are the foundation for building the skills needed to excel in low-code development.

Essential Developer Skills

Low-code developers need more than just technical abilities - they must also communicate effectively across teams. Joost Landgraf, Principal Consultant at CoolProfs, explains:

"When you're a good developer, low-code will just accelerate your way to the end result."

Key skills include:

• Platform Expertise: Deep knowledge of platforms like Mendix or OutSystems, along with relevant certifications.

• Problem-Solving: Ability to tackle complex business challenges using low-code solutions.

• Cross-Functional Communication: Collaborate with non-technical stakeholders effectively.

• Technical Foundation: Skills in reactive web development, AI/ML integration, IoT, RPA, and microservices architecture.

To succeed, organizations must encourage collaboration across teams, maintain IT governance, and support citizen developers.

Finding and Keeping Low-Code Talent

As the use of low-code platforms continues to expand, companies are struggling to find and keep skilled professionals to meet the growing demand. Building effective talent strategies is key to ensuring the success of low-code teams, as shown by transformations across various industries.

Top Talent Sources

With the increasing need for low-code expertise, businesses are turning to a range of recruitment channels to find the right talent. These professionals play a crucial role in driving digital transformation efforts.

For example, a European fintech company collaborated with the recruitment agency Deployd to successfully switch platforms. This move reduced licensing costs by 40% and enhanced application scalability. However, once the right talent is hired, retaining them becomes just as important.

Staff Retention Methods

Keeping skilled low-code professionals is essential for maintaining team performance. Companies like Deployd, which boasts a 98% retention rate, have implemented strategies to keep their employees engaged and motivated.

Some of the most effective retention strategies include:

• Career development programs: Offering platform certifications, cross-platform training, leadership tracks, and mentorship opportunities.

• Competitive benefits: Providing performance incentives, development budgets, flexible work options, and regular skill advancement opportunities.

"Deployd's expertise in low‐code recruitment is unmatched. Their ability to find top‐tier talent globally has transformed our team."

Organizations using these approaches have reported impressive results. Businesses leveraging low-code platforms have seen an average revenue boost of 58%. This highlights the value of having skilled professionals who can maximize the potential of low-code solutions to drive growth and innovation.

Team Organization and Management

For low-code teams to thrive, they need a structure tailored to their platform, agile workflows, and effective communication. Companies achieving success in this space often rely on well-defined strategies to get the most out of their teams.

Platform-Specific Team Setup

BAE Systems exemplifies this with its use of Mendix. With just 13 developers, they've delivered over 40 applications since 2020 by adopting a "Mendix-first" approach for evaluating solutions. Similarly, Luz Saúde has scaled its efforts with OutSystems, managing 522 applications through a team of 120 in a software factory model. Their systems handle over 15 million daily web service hits.

These team setups, combined with agile practices, enhance performance and efficiency.

Agile Methods in Practice

Switching to agile has been transformative for many organizations. ProRail, for instance, moved away from waterfall methods and saw development hours cut by five times. Research also shows that organizations using low-code platforms experience an 8% boost in agility compared to those that don't. Teams can further improve by refining their backlogs more frequently, simplifying agile ceremonies, addressing dependencies earlier, and experimenting with shorter sprints.

"Projects are delivered more quickly now. We wowed the business with much shorter time to value, and have gotten IT even closer to the business, giving us quicker solutions." – Johan van der Linde, ICT Manager at ProRail

Agile workflows not only speed up development but also set the stage for better communication.

Team Communication

Clear and open communication is the glue that holds low-code teams together. Cross-functional collaboration is essential, as demonstrated by BAE Systems. They actively involve business users in the development process. As Christopher Hill explains:

"We're taking some of those people who are not IT but are technically-minded from the business and providing them with the tools to build simple applications in Mendix"

A Low-Code Center of Excellence (CoE) can also encourage ongoing learning and collaboration, whether implemented in a centralized or decentralized way. Luz Saúde has seen the benefits firsthand. According to CIO Ivo Antão:

"Recently, we've been oversubscribed with health professionals volunteering to join our agile squads. That's because OutSystems gives us the development speed to turn their ideas into reality in days instead of months"

AI Tools for Team Efficiency

Low-code development teams are turning to AI tools to get more done in less time. According to McKinsey, combining AI with low-code platforms can boost developer productivity by up to 45% while also cutting development costs.

AI Development Tools

Top low-code platforms now come with built-in AI features designed to improve both speed and quality. For example, Mendix offers tools like MendixChat for in-Studio Pro guidance and Logic Bot to predict next steps.

Here’s a quick comparison of key AI tools across popular platforms:

A real-world example? PostNL uses Mendix's Machine Learning Kit to handle 1.5 million delivery requests daily with sub-millisecond response times - all while keeping customer data safe.

"As a company with a small IT department, OutSystems GenAI features help us accelerate development while minimizing security vulnerabilities. I wouldn't risk implementing generative AI tools such as ChatGPT on my own."
– David Lloyd, Director of IT, Park Industries

Task Automation

AI is also changing how low-code teams tackle repetitive tasks. Research from Microsoft shows that 96% of developers report faster workflows when using AI tools. This frees up time for more strategic work. Key areas impacted include:

"A flow that once took four hours now takes 40 minutes with Copilot in Power Automate."
– Jakub Skalbania, CGO, Netwise, acting CTO, Nsure

To make the most of these tools, teams should prioritize high-impact use cases while keeping data security and compliance top of mind. Establishing a low-code center of excellence can help organizations manage AI automation effectively and maintain proper governance. These advancements work hand-in-hand with agile methods, enabling teams to consistently deliver high-quality low-code solutions.

Team Performance Tracking

Keeping track of performance metrics is essential for maintaining both productivity and quality. By measuring results, teams can effectively evaluate agile processes and AI-driven improvements.

Success Metrics

Focus on metrics that match your business goals:

Performance bottlenecks can severely affect system efficiency. Tools like AppDynamics or Dynatrace can help teams quickly spot and resolve issues using AI-driven observability.

Performance Improvement Steps

Once you've identified key metrics, focus on actionable steps to boost performance.

The PDCA framework (Plan-Do-Check-Act) offers a structured way to drive continuous improvement. Here are some strategies:

• Short sprints (1–2 weeks): These allow teams to quickly gather feedback and make adjustments.

• Automated testing and monitoring: Use these to detect and resolve bottlenecks faster.

A well-known example of continuous improvement is Toyota's Creative Idea Suggestion System from 1951, which boosted employee engagement and led to long-term performance gains.

To stay ahead, regularly monitor CPU, memory, and network usage. Dive into logs to identify errors or slow transactions, profile critical code components, and review database performance. These ongoing checks ensure your low-code team stays efficient and effective.

Conclusion

Building a successful low-code team requires the right mix of talent, structure, and tools. Research shows that highly aligned teams can achieve 21% higher profitability, and Gartner estimates that by 2025, 70% of all new applications will be developed using low-code platforms.

The effectiveness of agile, cross-functional teams is clear. Steve Vanaria, Vice President of Customer Success at Appian, highlights this:

"Low-code optimized teams have lower costs both in terms of labor (less people, fully utilized) and product (truly cross-functional and collaborative teams are much more likely to build the right product)"

Real-world examples also demonstrate the impact of low-code. Daniel Olausson, co-founder of Prodikt, shares his experience:

"Sustainability data and calculations are such a complex beast. Translating that into written requirements that then would have been handed off to a dev team would have been a nightmare and extremely time-consuming to get right. Low-code allowed me to work hands-on with the software as a domain expert, side by side with other developers. It radically shortened the development time of the platform"

To make the most of low-code, consider these strategies:

• Train specialists to become versatile "generalized specialists" who can handle multiple aspects of development.

• Create training programs to fully utilize the platform’s capabilities.

• Stay flexible and agile in your approach.

• Encourage collaboration between business and IT teams.

Related Blog Posts

• Low-Code ROI: Measuring Business Value and Cost Savings

• Low-Code Security: Best Practices for Enterprise Applications

• 5 Common Low-Code Implementation Challenges and Solutions

• Low-Code vs Traditional Development: Cost Comparison Guide