mendix

The Digital
Execution
Manual
VERSION

4.0
 Contents
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Why Digital Execution Matters . . . . . . . 4

“No strategy Low-code at Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

is better than Digital Execution Framework . . . . . . . . . 10

its execution.” Low-Code Center of Excellence . . . . . . 15

Frank Slootman
Bridging the Gap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
CEO, Snowflake | Amp It Up

Summary
Successful digital transformation starts with a willingness to
change. In this manual, you’ll learn how to leverage low-code
and build a Low-Code Center of Excellence to foster that
willingness and help make the changes your organization
needs to achieve your goals.
 Foreword Ray Kok | CEO, Mendix

Mendix has twenty years of experience digital transformation success. You’ll learn
knowing what is required to deliver how to scale-up your low-code platform.
business-transforming enterprise software. We'll guide you through setting up a new
way of working and strategizing. In short,
I’ve talked to Mendix customers all over the
you’ll learn how to execute.
globe, with countless unique use cases. I’ve
seen firsthand how they’re using Mendix Mendix’s founders created the spark
to achieve their strategic goals. It’s nothing we now know as modern low-code
short of inspiring. development. Helping our customers
achieve their goals has and will always be
What stands out to me is that success with
our guiding light. Whether that’s with a
Mendix goes beyond our leading low-code
new feature, integrating with the latest and
platform’s features and capabilities.
greatest technology, or developing a set of
Our accompanying methodology enables practices that you can use to help build out
organizations to achieve transformation an execution function, we are always finding
success in nearly every area of their ways to help you succeed in this rapidly
business. changing landscape.

Technology is only as good as how you That spark has since grown into a
use it. That is why this manual you’re flame. As CEO, I’m proud to carry
about to dive into is so vital. that torch and continue Mendix’s
mission, and I’m excited to present
We’ve indexed all of our experience your Digital Execution Manual.
helping companies execute their digital
transformation strategies and have captured
it within our Digital Execution Practice.

In the following pages, you’ll see why low-

code is the right tool to help you achieve

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Why Digital
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 Why (Digital) Execution Matters
It’s no secret. That’s the one between business and IT.

The gap between organizations’ capacity to strategize Think about it: If a modern business means to
and ability to execute is nothing new. successfully transform into a digital enterprise, then
it needs to leverage the latest technology to meet
Look at 20 years ago: Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton
market demands and customer needs as well as remain
wrote, “95% of a company’s employees are unaware of,
competitive.
or do not understand, its strategy.”i
Who controls, builds, and manages that technology that
Just in 2023, Gartner put out research stating, “61% of
helps achieve digital transformation in an organization? IT.
corporate strategists say poor strategy execution is the
primary reason that new growth initiatives fail. It’s more Successful execution begins with a mindset of giving IT a
of a problem than the strategy itself or the funding of seat at the table and treating it and the technology that it
that strategy, and it stems from a range of issues.”ii delivers as a forethought. Organizations need to allow IT
to not just execute a strategy but help set it.
It’s tough to tell which is longer, the length of time that
organizations have struggled with executing strategies
or the list of issues that cause the disconnect between “61% of corporate strategists
the two.
say poor strategy execution
Poor communication, a lack of governance, an inability
to share a vision, ill-defined KPIs. The list goes on. is the primary reason that
One of the biggest reasons for the gap between strategy new growth initiatives fail.”
and execution in our digital-driven world is another rift.

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 Kotter Method How IT can help
This mindset is incredibly beneficial.
According to Deloitte, high-performing Ideate and deliver software faster
Create a sense of urgency
organizations are “2.5 times more likely
to make technology a top focus to Manage stakeholders effectively
Build a guiding coalition
advance organizational goals, and their IT
functions are almost 3 times more likely
Form a strategic vision Ensure top-to-bottom buy-in of the strategy
to be viewed as ready and responsive to
leverage the emerging technologies.”iii
Find and enable the right people to help
Enlist the right people
Digital transformation success is rare, deliver software
with 70% of digital transformation
projects failing.iv That failure begins Enable by removing barriers Provide good, value-driven governance
with change management: 71%
of organizations say that change Create, manage, and measure the success of
Generate short-term wins
management is the reason for digital a portfolio of strategically aligned software
transformation projects failing.v
Develop a repeatable, sustainable software
How can IT help manage change? The Sustain acceleration delivery model
Kotter model suggests that change—
lasting, sustainable change—happens Promote the success of the software and
when you do follow their 8 stepsvi Institute change the software delivery method

TLDR IT that’s aligned with the business is a necessity for successful

execution. So how does that happen? You need 3 things:

Digital execution Low-Code Center

Low-code at scale
framework of Excellence

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Low-Code
at Scale
3.0

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 Low-Code at Scale
You achieve your goals by hitting objectives. For a strategically- Why a low-code platform that scales?
aligned IT team, those objectives are met, oftentimes, with
software solutions. IT needs the ability to execute quickly. This With every strategy comes risk. Risk must be assumed, but it
means it needs a new way of delivering software. needs to be mitigated, and faster software delivery does that.
The faster you can deliver individual components and test their
It starts with the right low-code development platform. impact, the sooner you can measure if they’re working toward
The right low-code platform allows organizations to increase the your goal or not.
speed of the software delivery lifecycle. It lets you more easily The longer a project takes, the more risk and costs you assume.
integrate with your core systems and deploy to where it makes
the most sense for your business. The right low-code platform Multi-year strategies that are set in stone are likely to fail.
opens channels of collaboration across the business and gives
Execution methods that require years, like traditional
you the ability to leverage technologies like generative AI.
development and waterfall project management, prevent you
This is not news. The benefits and bonafides of low-code from making necessary pivots.
development have been experienced by organizations for a
When you use a low-code platform, you could use it to deliver a
good while:
few applications here and there and do it faster than before. The
→ 80% find low-code improves tech teams’ productivity. sooner you test your idea, the sooner you get it to market, the
sooner you know if you’re going the right way or not.
→ 79% report that low-code helps reduce operational costs.
→ 73% state that low-code is helping their businesses A benefit of using low-code at scale is that you can get more of
improve time to market. your strategically aligned applications to market more quickly and
accurately. This means you produce strategic value more quickly.
So much so that organizations are using multiple low-code
development platforms. Nearly 70% of organizations are using 2 Value compounds as you expand your application portfolio, which
or more low-code platforms.vii Mendix’s platform and methodology allows you to do with speed.
Our most successful customers build hundreds of applications on
That’s a lot options from which to choose. That’s why the right
the Mendix platform.
low-code platform is one you can use at scale.

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 40 + 30 +
Low-code platforms that scale
Applications delivered Apps developed in with you give you the ability to
using Mendix just 2 years modularize software. Modularity like
microservices for example let you
update, experiment, and maintain
your applications without shutting
down or breaking your product(s).

Of course, adopting low-code isn’t

75 500
just the answer. You need to apply

%
it to cases that deliver measurable
impact in your organization. Which
is why Mendix developed the Digital
Execution Framework.

Reduction in development time, Apps produced with the realization

delivering over 120 apps of their digitalization goals

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 Digital Digital Transformation + Strategic Objectives

Execution Vision + Program

Governance
Architecture +
Technical Governance

Framework Portfolio Delivery + Ops: Agile Team(s) Value

Gartner suggests that the primary reason

for failure of digital transformation
Foundation Experts
initiatives is “the inability to bridge
enterprise execution gaps for change.”viii

Mendix’s Digital Execution Framework is

our proven, adaptable methodology for
helping companies close those execution
gaps. It’s designed to connect IT’s
methods and strategy to the rest of the
“The inability to bridge enterprise
organization’s strategic objectives. execution gaps” leads to digital
transformation failure.viii

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 Digital Execution Framework

Establish strategic objectives Mobilize the team(s) and establish the

set by the organization. processes they’ll use to develop and
deliver the software portfolio.

Digital Transformation + Strategic Objectives

Create technical and
Ensure that the efforts of
business architectures
both the business and IT
that adhere to company
are aligned with the overall Vision + Program Architecture +
Governance Technical Governance standards and policies
strategy, and that Mendix
but also support the
applications support this.
goals of the strategy.

Portfolio Delivery + Ops: Agile Team(s) Value

Plan for and iterate Measure and

on objective-aligned communicate the
software delivered by IT. Foundation Experts value created by your
software portfolio.

Define your deployment Manage specific

strategy, development resources on areas
standards, and platform like security, UX,
usage parameters. cloud, and testing.

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 The 5 Ps Promotion
Share the successes you’ve garnered with your portfolio and
communicate the changes you’ve made to your software
delivery motion. This gives a shared understanding around
the IT and business strategies.

People
Find the right people with a diverse range of skills who come Portfolio
from different departments in your organization to drive the An effectively managed software portfolio that’s aligned with
initiative and deliver your strategy and continue well into the your business strategy helps ensure you’re meeting your
future. Upskill and put them in the right environment to work goals and continuously delivering value.
in with key results to help measure against goals.

Process Platform
Embrace a new way of rapidly delivering software. If you can Select a platform that scales with you, limits your technical
deliver your software faster then you can market test it faster. debt, and helps you leverage technologies like GenAI is vital
This means you can iterate more quickly. to success.

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 The 3 Ss
There are different stages to consider as you adopt the
platform, adjust your processes, rearrange your people,
and reprioritize your portfolio. Each stage helps you
establish your Low-Code Center of Excellence.

Start Structure Scale

Quick wins and quick learnings are the Repeatable success is the name of the Sustainable impact is a key quality
big takeaways for Start. This stage is game for this stage. Structure is where of the Scale stage. At this point, you
where you establish your low-code you take the successes of Start and turn are working to make sure that your
vision, identify your first team, and them into processes that best fit your CoE steers your low-code capability
deliver your first solution. business. In this stage, you welcome through appropriate governance.
more people into the process, document You’re deploying applications at scale
best practices, and increase your and implementing automated testing.
portfolio by quantity and complexity. Finally, you’re ensuring low-code is
appropriately being used across the
broader organization.

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Low-Code
Center of
Excellence
5.0

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 Low-Code Center of Excellence
Why a CoE? By establishing a Low-Code Center
of Excellence, you put into place
In the next few pages, you’ll see how a Low- When you adopt a low-code platform, a coordinated effort to introduce
Code Center of Excellence could look. However, it’s helpful to know how you’re going low-code development into your
the first thing you should know is that no two to use it at the onset and how you’re organization and begin repeatable,
Low-Code CoEs look the same. The methods going to use it in the future. You need sustainable value realization by way
in building one up are generally the same, but a platform that grows with you and of software delivery.
ultimately, a good Low-Code CoE matches your also enables growth.
A Low-Code Center of Excellence
organization’s needs and structure.
Adopting any technology is like helps you activate and maintain:
playing a board game. Read the
instructions and figure out how to → Change management and
play it with others, and you’re bound adoption
to have a good time. Open it up and → Awareness and visibility
start putting pieces together without → Architectural and technical
knowing where they go, well, you governance
could luck into success, but chances
→ Vision and program governance.
are you’ll end up quitting the game
early. → Specific expertise

Because low-code comes with

such huge, business-changing
implications, it requires you to put
the right pieces in place to realize its
full potential.

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 Program Owner

Digital Transformation + Strategic Objectives

Enterprise Architect

Low-Code CoE Who’s Who Executive Sponsor

Vision + Program Architecture +
The central roles you’ll find in a Low-Code Governance Technical Governance Technical Leader
Center of Excellence are the Program
Your Experts
Owner, Enterprise Architect, Executive
Sponsor, and Technical Lead. There Portfolio Delivery + Ops: Agile Team(s) Value
could be multiple people in these roles
depending on your organization’s size.

Foundation Experts

Program Owner Enterprise Architect Executive Sponsor

This person orchestrates the adoption Ensures Mendix is integrated into the tech Senior leader in charge of advocating for
and enablement of the Mendix platform. stack and aligns with the organization’s the adoption and use of Mendix’s low-
They serve as a bridge between strategic organization. Key responsibilities code platform. Generally at the C-level.
leadership, stakeholders, and the delivery include: Key responsibilities include:
team. Key responsibilities include:
→ Position Mendix in the tech stack → Provide guidance on strategy/vision
→ Establish and manage the CoE → Provide architectural governance → Ensure strategic alignment at
→ Provide program governance and → Define cloud and integration executive level
delivery management strategy for low-code → Manage stakeholders
→ Provide portfolio governance → Support technical leads → Advocate for support at C-level
→ Manage stakeholders → Build awareness of Mendix + → Allocate budget and resources
→ Manage resources and budget the value its helping to drive → Support awareness and visibility
→ Capture program and app value (Vision + Program Governance,
(Digital transformation + Strategic objectives)
Architectures + Technical Governance)

→ Build awareness of the center of

excellence and the value its driving
(Digital transformation + Strategic objectives,
Vision + Program Governance, Architecture +
Technical Governance, Portfolio, Value)

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 Technical Leader
Generally a solution architect or lead
developer depending on your org, Building up Your Low-Code CoE
this person leads the people building Getting low-code to scale means building up your Low-Code
applications. Key responsibilities include: Center of Excellence bit by bit. You can go at your own pace,
→ Provide guidance on technical but there are certain steps you must take through the Start,
requirements Structure, Scale stages to ensure you’re scaling properly.

→ Establish software development Not all parts of your CoE will be fully activated when you start.
methodology
At Start, you’re focusing on building your team and creating an
→ Change management for developers operating rhythm so you can build the foundation for future
→ Define development team set up stages. You may only use a few fly-in experts and are just getting
→ Establish low-code development your feet wet with the Mendix platform.
standards At Structure, you begin to do more with the platform, which
→ Assist in hiring technical positions means bringing in more experts and establishing governance
the value its helping to drive around your program and technology.
(Architecture + Technical Governance,
Foundation, Experts) At Scale, you’re firing on all cylinders. Your portfolio is aligned
with your digital transformation and strategic objectives. Your
delivery teams are operating with program and technical
Your Experts
governance, and are producing software that drives value.
Depending on your organization and your They’re using the full capabilities of Mendix’s low-code platform
developers’ expertise, you may require to do this.
experts to help deliverin these areas:
Let’s dive deeper into what your CoE will look like at each stage.
→ Security
→ UI/UX
→ Cloud
→ Integration & Data
→ Testing & QA
(Experts, Delivery)

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 Start
At the Start stage, your goal is to deploy your first
applications. To do that, you need a small team in place,
a roadmap of where you want to go, and a plan for
enablement around using low-code development.

Vision + Program Governance Architecture + Technical Governance Delivery + Operations

Establish who your executive Get your enterprise architect involved Enable your first software delivery team
sponsors are
Identify a Mendix solution architect Begin Agile and DevOps way of working
Hire or appoint your program owner
Establish high-level positioning of Create a talent pool of potential
Create a transformation roadmap Mendix in the IT landscape contributors

Identify a sourcing strategy Determine your architecture strategy

Portfolio + Value Foundation Experts

Choose your first application, one with Build your starter app template Identify the experts needed
few integrations for your first app
Initiate a design system
Ensure first application can deliver
Define your deployment strategy-
immediate, noticeable value
private, public, on-premises?
Celebrate and promote first application
Create a training + enablement plan
to go-live
Establish development standards
Run value assessment on your first
application

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Structure
What worked in Start? What didn’t? When you enter the
Structure stage, it’s time to take your learnings and turn the
successes into processes and best practices. This helps
you build out your team, create more teams, and begin to
expand your portfolio into different use cases.

Vision + Program Governance Architecture + Technical Governance Delivery + Operations

Identify and develop a business unit Create a platform decision framework Join and/or establish an active Mendix
sponsor community
Establish an architecture review board
Define a team growth strategy Formalize BizDevOps way of working
Begin microservices architecture
Define financial models and budget approach Expand training and enablement
structure

Portfolio + Value Foundation Experts

Choose apps with opportunities that Define reusable component strategy Have experts do deep
align with strategic initiatives dives on their specific
Create integration strategy
topics (e.g., integration,
Track benefits via a value framework
Determine which connectors to use mobile, AI, etc.)
Organize showcases to promote and how
successes and welcome new ideas
Define approach for quality assurance
and test automation

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 Scale
At Scale, your Center of Excellence has a footprint in most if not all
business units in your organization and your portfolio of applications
reflect that. You may even have multiple CoEs. The software you deliver
will have composable foundations, meaning you don’t start from scratch
with every project. Most things are self-sustaining with a train-the-trainer
program to keep enablement going, and an automated CI/CD pipeline.

Vision + Program Governance Architecture + Technical Governance Portfolio + Value

Establish a footprint in all business Cement a microservices landscape Institute a regular value report
units or departments of your to create a composable enterprise
Create an application gallery
organization, where appropriate

Delivery + Operations Organize frequent

Determine if those business units or
community events like
departments need their own Low- Foster fusion teams to support
hackathons and meetups
Code CoE software development across the
business and IT
Define a strategy for business
developers
Foundation Experts
Put a continuous improvement
process in place Automate your CI/CD pipeline Ensure experts are still
dedicated to their
Uplevel your training program to
areas of expertise,
train-the-trainer
especially with
Automate QA and testing multiple CoEs

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 Bridging
End Notes
the Gap i Kaplan, Robert, and David Norton. 2015. “The Office of Strategy
Management.” Harvard Business Review. October 2015. https://hbr.
org/2005/10/the-office-of-strategy-management.
You might know where you want to go. You might
ii Wiles, Jackie. 2023. “The 5 Pillars of Strategy Execution.” Gartner.
have a vision of the destination. But if you don’t July 12, 2023. https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/the-five-
know how to get there, you’ll never make it. To pillars-of-strategy-execution.

bridge the gap between strategy and execution iii “The New CIO: Business-Savvy Technologist.” n.d. Deloitte Insights.
and sure that the bridge is structurally sound and https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/cio-insider-
business-insights/the-new-cio.html.
efficient, you need more than technology.
iv Forth, Patrick, Tom Reichert, Romain de Laubier, and Saibal
The Mendix platform provides the technological Chakraborty. 2020. “Flipping the Odds of Digital Transformation
Success.” Boston Consulting Group, October 29, 2020. https://www.
means to get you there. bcg.com/publications/2020/increasing-odds-of-success-in-digital-
transformation.
With it comes a methodology for making the small
v “The Low-Code Perspective.” 2024. Mendix. November 11, 2024.
changes you need to make every day. It comes https://www.mendix.com/resources/low-code-perspective/.
replete with a roadmap for adoption, a plan for
vi Kotter, John. 2024. “The 8 Steps for Leading Change.” Kotter
scale, and a framework for execution. International Inc. 2024. https://www.kotterinc.com/methodology/8-
steps/.
Mendix is primed to help you turn your strategic
vii “The Low-Code Perspective.” 2024. Mendix. November 11, 2024.
ideas into tangible outcomes. https://www.mendix.com/resources/low-code-perspective/.

viii 2024. Gartner.com. 2024. https://www.gartner.com/

document/4009100.

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