After a thorough examination of the various options, the low-code platform from Simplifier was chosen. Based on the platform, the company was able to establish a standardized technology basis in the affected division. The reusability of various elements, such as connectors or app templates already used in other applications, as well as the use of the entire application lifecycle within the platform also played an important role. By replacing the various and complex toolchains, a standardized process could be established that is even more sustainable and efficient thanks to the use of existing elements. In short, Simplifier ensures that all applications run on one platform, can be adapted at any time and no compromises have to be made in terms of IT governance – regardless of whether an employee or the service provider creates an application.

With Simplifier, the company was able to create a standardized technology basis to flexibly deploy internal and external resources – with 100% IT governance.

In addition, the low-code platform not only supports different devices (out-of-the-box), but also dispenses with a compilation process. This speeds up deployment enormously. Thanks to the use of all apps via the Simplifier Mobile Client, a large number of applications can be started and used via an app interface (so-called app-in-app concept). This means that not every published application has to be released separately via the app stores. These functions lead to enormous time and therefore cost savings, especially with the high number of applications required, and significantly shorten the time to market. Thanks to Simplifier’s collaborative approach, it is also possible for employees from the specialist departments and the IT department to work on the same app at the same time.

The platform’s strong SAP focus was also convincing: Simplifier offers its own SAP namespace for interfaces, which supports the entire range of SAP transactions in the SAP ECC core. The large selection of standardized and configurable interfaces allows the company’s SAP and non-SAP systems to be connected quickly and easily. Nearby SAP functions such as user authentication via SAP SSO also increase usability in everyday use and ensure a high level of acceptance among employees.

Due to the high level of urgency, the first apps required were created by a Simplifier implementation partner. Despite commissioning external service providers, the company always maintained an overview with Simplifier: The graphical configuration ensures traceability of the application development process at all times. The next step was to focus on citizen development in order to optimize and further develop the resulting apps in-house. Together with the company, Simplifier developed a training concept tailored to its individual needs. Both the app builders and the requirements managers were comprehensively trained and enabled to create applications. This means that the company is no longer dependent on the availability of external service providers, but can use them flexibly in combination with internal resources. The IT department can assign the necessary roles and rights for application creation to the specialist departments and service providers. This ensures that the apps developed comply with higher-level IT governance and that no uncontrolled shadow IT is created. Following the successful establishment of Citizen Development, over 40 employees from the specialist departments are now involved in the development process. The approach is particularly valuable in times of skills shortages: not only does it significantly speed up application creation and relieve the backlog, it also ensures that IT experts can focus on the finer details while Citizen Developers lay the foundations.

In this way, the company was able to launch ten apps with Simplifier in the first year despite limited personnel resources. The ROI was already achieved by creating and commissioning one app and was therefore less than a year. It was not only the significantly reduced development costs that played a role here: in combination with the faster roll-out, the benefits of the application created were able to take effect after just a short time. The company was able to significantly increase efficiency in the corresponding process and reduce process costs and expenses for bug fixes.

With the help of the standardized platform, the company can now react more quickly to new needs and requirements. The time-to-market for new apps and updates has been reduced to 50% compared to individual development thanks to the low-code platform. At the same time, the standardized technology basis has almost completely solved the problem of inefficient duplication of work and uncontrolled shadow IT across plants.