The fascinating thing about the statement is that the mechanism they refer to could be no-code platforms or the lean startup method. It proves a point we have felt for a long time, that these two powerful tools for startups are very aligned and when utilised together can give any startup a major advantage.
So many growing businesses are looking to maximise the lean startup method and it is not for just startups. Let us look at how no-code and lean are aligned and how to ensure you make the most of both.
The Similarities in the Advantages
One way of understanding how closely these two modern development trends are connected is to assess some of the major advantages that they bring.
Faster to Market
One of the goals of the lean startup method is to learn quickly. It advocates not waiting to build a massive, fully functional product but focuses on the concept of the minimal viable product. The idea is that you deliver the first version of the product that is good enough for a user to try and provide feedback.
One advantage of this approach is getting to the market much faster than traditional approaches and it’s this same principle that drove the evolution of no-code development and so many of the platforms that are prevalent now.
With no-code, the route to making your MVP is so much faster that it allows companies to test out new products and changes to their strategy within a couple of weeks. No wasting time with prototypes or long development cycles.
By combining the lean startup principle of learning quickly and the no-code platform's ability to deliver an MVP in double quick time, a business is able to learn what customers want and quickly evolve new products and validate ideas.
Pivot at Speed
Another strategy within the lean startup method is reviewing data and making swift decisions about whether a new idea or product is not working.
By utilising no-code products, it is possible to develop an MVP, test it out and if it’s not working, make alterations to the product without wasting too much time and developer resources. The mantra of the lean startup method is that the quicker you learn, the faster you reach the end destination and no-code is the quickest development route.
Eliminate Waste and Deliver Value
One of the principles of the lean startup method is to eliminate waste. For the process that means not wasting time on things that don’t add value to the customer. It means delivering value to the customer as quickly as possible and forgetting anything that doesn’t deliver that purpose.
Enter no-code platforms, where all the things that deliver value are the focal point and the functionality that a customer won’t derive value from is pre-built into the platforms. No customer feels value in the login screen of a product, it’s wasted time if you are coding that for each new project. No problem, no-code removes that wasted effort.
This continues throughout the development cycle with no-code platforms - registrations, account management etc… all elements that the customer won’t see value in and in the world of lean is considered waste.
As Eric Ries preaches, the best way to learn is by doing stuff and no-code tools help those following the lean startup method to keep doing stuff quickly and without wasted time on repetitive tasks where you don’t learn.
Mitigating the Concerns With Lean
As popular and powerful as the lean startup method is, it is not without its flaws and those that point out areas of concern. One reason why we firmly believe no-code is the best partner for lean is that it helps to work around some of those shortcomings.
Errors Have Serious Consequences
Fail fast. That’s the ethos behind the lean startup method. The faster you fail, the faster you will get to the right answer. This certainly has its benefits and is behind a lot of great modern tech businesses that were able to learn and pivot quickly.
However, some errors can have serious consequences and the faster you code, the more errors you get. One criticism of lean is that the errors are too many. Enter no-code platforms, that help reduce these unplanned errors.
Due to the nature of the platforms, with so many features pre-built, the chances of errors are lowered. Errors on repetitive tasks, common due to complacency, cannot happen because they don’t need coding at all.
Testing Becomes the Backlog
For many, the issue with constant releases and going for feedback is keeping up with testing this new code. You want the customer to get value quickly but you don’t want them to have a bug-ridden product that puts them off.
With so much of the product built into the platform's templates, the testing is automatic. Many elements within the product you build won’t need testing at all, allowing you to focus on just the new features and stop the test team from becoming the bottleneck.
Constant Distraction
One final criticism that is often levelled at the lean startup method within growing businesses is that however quickly you are producing new product, it will take a lot of valuable resources away from other areas and creates a culture of constant flux.
This can cause product managers to lose patience and risk stopping projects before they have had a chance to succeed.
With no-code platforms requiring far fewer developer resources to build each iteration, the distraction is less and product managers can afford more patience to truly test out an idea and avoid ‘false negatives’. It is also much easier to find external resources to work on these ideas because the costs and distractions are so low…
Outsourcing Becomes Easier
Any product manager within a growth business has to balance wanting to try new ideas whilst allowing enough resources to ensure the core products are evolving and being properly maintained. One solution is using external resources but a hybrid is not always easy to manage.
By following a no-code approach, it is much easier to have external contractors working on new product ideas within a platform your internal teams access and ultimately take control of at the appropriate time.
You’ll know they are working within the boundaries of the platform, so it will be compatible with the rest of your code/products. You will have confidence that your internal team will be comfortable picking up the new product iterations. Additionally, documentation (often a problem with outsourcing) will be built into the platform.
The key to success is finding the best possible contractors and building a team of no-code experts that understand lean principles, are highly skilled in chosen platforms and have the intelligence to work to business objectives.
This is where a platform like WeLoveNoCode comes to the fore. By having a free consultation with our experts, you can build a roadmap for how to run lean projects and get advice on finding the top 1% of no-code developers on the market.
If your business strongly believes in a lean startup method, are looking to expand its resources to test and produce more products at speed, then the best route is to embrace the no-code approach and we would love to support you on that road, as the most experienced people you can find.
