Requirements engineering for no-code development (RE4NCD): Case studies of rapid application development during crisis

Context: In recent years, a new development approach has emerged, for rapid application development (RAD) supported by platforms that enable low or no-code development (NCD). This approach is designed for developers with limited or no coding expertise and for achieving a very short time-to-deployment. The requirements engineering (RE) and design phases are typically omitted during RAD, thus posing challenges in ensuring a rigorous, sustainable, and flexible application. Objective: To propose an RE method for NCD (RE4NCD) that would respect the limitations in which NCD is conducted yet ensure more rigorous development and outcome. Method: A participatory case study aimed to explore RAD processes as performed with the "Monday" NCD platform and, accordingly, to develop the RE4NCD method. This study was followed by multiple (non-participatory) case studies for the refinement and validation of the proposed method. All case studies focused on civilian management systems that were developed rapidly during a time of war and included qualitative data collection and thematic analysis. Results: The thematic analysis resulted in categories of RE activities to be included in the RE4NCD method, leading to its construction in the first case study, and its refinement and validation in the follow-up case studies. Conclusion: The paper highlights the theoretical and practical implications of RE4NCD, underscoring the potential transformative impact of NCD on the software development industry. It also proposes future research aimed at refining and validating the RE4NCD method, tracking the adoption and evolution of applications in diverse organizations, and applying the method to additional case studies for evaluation and validation.