Zero-code packages

There are a number of enterprise software packages on the market that purport to offer flexible functionality with zero coding. This is certainly an appealing notion – that a non-technical business user could configure software to the unique requirements of any business without learning a programming language or hiring a professional software developer. However, it should be kept in mind that any change that affects the behavior of software in production, whether it is code, configuration, data or environments, could cause defects or failures in the business system. Writing code is only one step in a professional software production lifecycle. The need for repeatable analysis, testing, build, and deployment does not go away because the system is modified via a dragand- drop interface instead of a high-level programming language. When evaluating a zero-code package, ensure that the the product supports these processes and that you have the necessary IT support structures in place to implement them.