American Oil and Gas Reporter - May 2023 - 71

SpecialReport: Trendsetters
deciding on the type and scope of approach
to the desired solution. Three key aspects
to consider at this stage are where critical
data will reside, what will be the sources
of record and what security architecture
is required. Assuming these elements can
conform with the organization's policies
and protocols, the next step is choosing
which low-code application development
platform to use.
To identify the most appropriate platform,
begin by short-listing a few lowcode
development platforms. Analyst
resources such as Gartner's Magic Quadrant
and Peer Insights, G2.com and Forrester's
Wave reports can help in this
task. Use vendor websites, internet research,
and meetings with vendor representatives
to clarify and evaluate feature
sets, infrastructure models and licensing
terms. Read customer stories and even
speak to customers in various industries
about their vendor experiences. Keep
in mind that if a specific feature or
module is not available, all platforms
allow for custom code to be introduced
alongside the prebuilt modules provided
by the vendor. Other modules may have
been contributed by the developer community
and shared to a community site,
these in turn can be adapted for your
specific needs.
An important selection consideration
is the availability of developers trained in
the platform. Low-code platform providers
typically list their development partners
on their websites. If an organization already
has outsourcing partners, find out if they
have expertise in any specific low-code
platforms. Outsourcing is generally the
preferred route for the first few projects,
until the platform choice has been comprehensively
validated through executing
representative projects.
Contracts and Licensing
Once the platform has been selected,
the focus shifts to contracts and licensing.
Enterprise-grade low-code platform licenses
can be expensive. Aim for a contract that
clearly defines license parameters. Assume
that your organization's use of the lowcode
platform will increase in the future,
and have provisions that limit price increases
and assure acceptable availability, disaster
recovery and data residency.
Before finalizing a contract, organizations
should complete a platform security
audit with the enterprise IT Security team
and seek appropriate remediation for any
identified gaps. For instance, there may
be legacy considerations that need re-design
in a public cloud context. Ensure
adequate coverage for both web and mobile
implementations. If outsourcing, pricing
and terms should be established with
the development partner. Offshoring could
be a cost-effective option if the organization
has experience working with remote
developers in a different time zone.
While the contract is being finalized,
companies can work with the PM to
identify key subject matter experts and
end users who can contribute business
insight, validate prototypes, and ultimately,
field test the application. Together
with this group, seek agreement on the
feature set that will constitute the MVP1,
and build a roadmap for the next two or
three iterations. Ensure that critical security
requirements are targeted in MVP1
itself, so that there are no surprise roadblocks
in later iterations. Elaborate key
user stories, which can be discussed
MAY 2023 71
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American Oil and Gas Reporter - May 2023

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