In a recent interview Unilever COO, Mr.Nitin Paranjpe, evoked a compelling thought from Miles Hilton-Barber– “When was the last time you experienced something for the first time?”
These words resonate with me every time I think about our NewgenCreate event, held on 1st December 2021 in Nairobi.
It was no mean feat we accomplished! We managed to bring together 23 people from 14 different organizations and asked them to do something they had never done before – create a ready-to-use business application using Newgen’s low code platform in the shortest possible time!
The Motive Behind NewgenCreate
Historically it has been a de facto principle that developing a new business IT application requires multiple quarters, if not years. Such long cycles led to a sense of frustration within “consumers” of the IT application (i.e., the business teams). The IT teams tried to solve this problem of long development cycles by adopting “ready-to-deploy” point solutions.
While they were happy with the initial speed of deployment, the business teams often complained that the point solutions were difficult to change. It forced them to change their working methods to adapt to the system. The point solution approach and its “one size fit all” philosophy was a serious roadblock. Two organizations offering the same product may have very different internal working styles that enable them to offer a “unique” product/service experience. And this “unique way of working” ensures competitive differentiation. Hence accommodating this uniqueness is paramount for any IT application to be effective.
Exploring the Power of Low Code: Addressing the “Build vs. Buy” Dilemma to Circumvent Trade-offs
Low Code Application Platforms (LCAP) have evolved as the third option, which aggregates the best of both worlds – i.e., the speed advantage of the buy approach and fit-for-purpose benefit of the build approach. The power of low code allows fast development without the need to write thousands of lines of program (code), and the platform provides a canvas to create applications – exactly as per one’s requirements, hence no compromise on unique ways of working.
NewgenONE Digital Transformation Platform is one of the world’s leading LCAP platforms, featuring in multiple analyst reports and being used by many large enterprises as a pivot for their digital transformation journey.
We envisioned NewgenCreate to let organizations experience the real power of low code by leveraging NewgenONE to develop business applications quickly. Going back to Miles Hilton-Barber’s words, we wanted to give people an opportunity to experience something for the first time. There is no better way to demonstrate the power of low code than to let people experience it. And experience they did!
The NewgenCreate Success
NewgenCreate saw participation from multiple industries, including banks, public sector organizations, large management consulting firms, and more. After a short 3.5 hours of training, the teams were asked to design a ready-to-use business application within a time limit of 4 hours.
Teams from the banking industry were tasked with designing an application for processing letter of credit applications, while the non-banking industry participants were asked to develop an application for handling customer service requests. All 13 teams were able to create their business application, and the fastest team did it in about 3 hours! The team from NCBA Bank was declared the winner.
NewgenCreate demonstrated the power of low code and also reinforced the technology and innovation quotient of our Kenyan friends. It is no surprise that Kenya has been the hotbed for innovation in Africa and globally as well. We at Newgen are happy to be part of this country’s digital transformation journey, powering automation in large banks, insurance companies, public sector organizations, and many more. There is a thriving ecosystem comprising Newgen customers, partners, and practitioners who deliver on the promise of low code.
Asante Sana Kenya, for the amazing response! We look forward to another such event soon.
Take a quick look at the glimpses from the NewgenCreate event.
