18. Efficiency Unleashed: NoCode Revolutionising Operations

We discuss the following with Philip

• What is NoCode? Why does it matter?

• What is a tangible example of business impact?

• Should ops professionals report into the COO or the functional lead?

• How do you get buy-in to internal operations initiatives?

• How do you manage dependencies and scale no-code automations?

• What is the impact of AI on NoCode? What should we do in ops to get prepared?

References

• NoCodeOps

Biography

Philip Lakin is the co-founder and CEO of NoCodeOps, a community and automation management platform (Operator) dedicated to supporting operations professionals that are reimagining the future of internal innovation with no-code. He was previously the Solutions Architect for National Operations at Compass where he built the onboarding program for over 15,000 real estate agents across the United States. He has more than 8 years of experience in operations, internal system implementation, field marketing, and onboarding.

Special note

This special episode was originally recorded as a fireside chat at International Ops Fest organised by Operations Nation. For more information about the event and to sign up for next year’s please visit - https://operationsnation.com/events/international-ops-fest.

Summary & Timestamps

• Operations nation event and COVID-19 experience. 0:06

  • Bethany Ayers shares her experience with COVID-19 and its impact on her health, including TV watching.

• No code ops and operations professionals' loneliness. 1:36

  • Bethany: Operations Nation conference was great, with a mix of ops professionals from managers to CEOs, and content for all levels.

  • Bethany: No code ops explained by Phil Lakin was intuitive and made sense, despite initial confusion with the phrase.

  • Brandon and Bethany discuss the importance of networking and community for operations professionals, with Brandon sharing his experience of feeling lonely in his role before discovering operations nation and the CEO roundtable.

  • Phil Lakyn is asked to define no code ops, and Bethany polls the audience on their understanding of the term.

• Automating lead routing with no-code tools. 7:40

  • No code tools have evolved beyond landing pages and websites to include automations, integrations, workflows, and internal applications, making it easier for non-technical users to build and manage complex systems without writing code.

  • No code tools like Airtable offer more functionality and flexibility than traditional SAS software, allowing users to use the platform for a variety of purposes beyond project management, such as CRM and content calendars.

  • Automate lead routing with no-code tools like Zapier and Slack to streamline the process.

• Centralizing vs. federating ops roles for efficiency. 11:58

  • Philip Lakin suggests that ops roles should sit under the COO to be closer to the solution and faster in making changes.

  • Bethany asks about the placement of rev ops, fin ops, etc., and Philip shares his opinion on the matter.

  • Philip Lakin emphasizes the importance of having rules and guardrails in place when adopting a federated approach to software development, to avoid duplication and ensure alignment across teams.

  • Lakin believes that centralized and federated approaches can both work, but it's crucial to have a clear understanding of the trade-offs and to establish a standardized automation development lifecycle for all departments.

• Automating workflows and dependencies. 16:08

  • Philip Lakin suggests treating internal stakeholders like customers to get better results when asking for their help.

  • Bethany agrees that dependencies are painful and looks for ways to make them easier to manage.

  • Philip Lakin discusses the challenges of managing dependencies in automations, including the need for a centralized system to track and manage dependencies.

  • Lakin introduces a Chrome extension that automates the process of tracking dependencies, making it easier for users to find and manage them.

• AI's impact on no-code development and its future applications. 20:27

  • Bethany and Philip discuss the impact of AI on no code tools, with AI providing an abstraction layer away from manual coding and enabling faster deployment of features.

  • Philip predicts that AI will enable users to create their own tools with minimal coding, but warns of the need for governance, compliance, and collaboration at scale.

  • Philip Lakin emphasizes the importance of balancing technology and people in AI adoption, avoiding a sole focus on technology that can lead to poor customer experiences.

  • Lakin suggests organizing "Show and Tell" sessions within companies to share and learn from each other's AI use cases, fostering collaboration and innovation.

  • Philip Lakin emphasizes the importance of slowing down and documenting automation deployments to avoid tools taking over and ensure successful implementation.

  • He offers to help ops teams with any questions or concerns they may have about deploying automations, freeing up an hour to an hour and a half of his time each week.