How to leverage no code to streamline data and operations

A core value of HearstLab is operating with a startup mentality: being innovative, intentional, and fast, to move the needle forward. One way we keep pace supporting the 70+ women-led companies we have invested in is by leveraging no/low-code tools and automations in nearly everything we do. 

As the Lab’s Operations and Data Manager, I’ve seen the vital role no-code has played in democratizing the development of digital processes. Instead of writing complex code, no-code software harnesses intuitive, user-friendly tools and interfaces to develop minimum viable products (MVPs), custom applications, and automations.

What are the advantages of no-code?

• Faster & Flexible Development: No/low-code platforms enable rapid application development by eliminating the need for manual coding as well as offer a wide range of templates and integrations, allowing for customization and scalability
• Cost-Effective: No-code helps business functions build their own solutions as they need them, allowing leadership to be more strategic about where they allocate dev spend
• Organization (and joy!) in the workplace:  Automating data entry and clean-up frees folks up to focus on more powerful, fulfilling work. Plus, interfaces and apps built on no-code to organize and deliver that data gives teams instant access to what they need to make data-backed decisions

At HearstLab, we like to say we “run” on the no-code platform, Airtable. Airtable is a cloud-based software that functions like a spreadsheet with relational database capability. This means users can store, organize, and manage data not only with the ease of a spreadsheet but also with the additional functionality of linking related data across tables, much like in a traditional database.

Some of the processes we manage with Airtable and no-code automations are:

• Event management. We hosted 6 live pitch competitions last year. Airtable helps us manage the entire process from storing and reviewing applications, to automating outreach and tracking registration.
• ‍Our website content. Airtable acts as a CMS for our Webflow website. By the time a startup joins our portfolio, they’re already in our system. A sync with Webflow makes sure they’re automatically profiled on our website.
• ‍Our Scout Network ops. Scouts are women executives across Hearst’s 360+ businesses who volunteer their time to support our startups. We use Airtable to manage nominations and commitments to the network, streamline our communications and track contributions and impact.

Getting started
The beauty of no-code is that you control exactly how you scale its adoption across the team. If you want to empower non-tech folks on your team in building custom automations and tools, start them off with the tools you’re already using every day. Many of these have native automation capability. Once they catch the bug and their ideas outgrow your native integrations, scale up to Zapier and/or Make. These allow you to trigger actions in one app based on events or data changes in another app. I use both and when one doesn’t support my use case, I just jump to the other. 

‍Organizational hack
‍I find it mission-critical to have a centralized place to log and query all my automations. We log automations in Airtable, and I created a webclipper that helps me capture new automations and edits from whichever site I’m on so I don’t need to open up Airtable to keep the log fresh. As your no-code operations scale, governance becomes really important. Operator has developed an amazing tool that takes monitoring your Airtable automations and documentation to the next level.

It may seem rudimentary but remembering to document your automations via a process map (or flow chart) is important. The tool I use for process mapping is Lucidchart. Folks like Figma, Miro, and Mural. There are a lot of options and twice as many frameworks for process mapping. I truly believe in not getting attached to a framework, doing what’s intuitive to you and building your own template. But don’t not process map.

My hope is that this overview of how HearstLab has leveraged no/low-code platforms like Airtable, integration tools like Zapier and Make, process mapping tools like LucidChart, will serve as the catalyst for fellow investors, founders and/or anyone interested in leveraging no-code to streamline their data and operations processes. 

At the end of the day, no-code is all about democratizing access. It puts unbelievable operational power in the hands of folks best positioned to wield it: people who know their business’s data and operations best.
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More about Dominique Festa, Data & Operations Manager
‍Dominique has worked in operations across industries like studio art, construction and sustainable design. She holds a Master's of Art & Design from Sandburg Instituut and a B.A in Art and International, Intercultural Studies from Pitzer College. She supports HearstLab and its portfolio with process improvement, operations, and no/low-code automation.