From Designer to Builder: L&A’s Digital Transformation with NocoBase

Introduction

At L&A, digital transformation means more than just using an ERP. Driven by real business needs, the team built a flexible platform that allows designers and frontline teams to create their own intelligent tools.

With data-driven low-code development, they’ve advanced data democratization and added a crucial missing piece to L&A’s digital ecosystem.

This is a digitalization journey driven by business needs, starting from the inside out.

About L&A

From urban parks to child-friendly spaces, and from cultural tourism towns to theme parks, L&A has delivered thousands of projects over the past 20 years, establishing itself as a leading force in China’s urban and landscape design sector.

As the first publicly listed landscape design firm in China (300949), L&A continues to push boundaries with a bold vision: to become a globally influential operator of family-focused tourism brands and a key player in revitalizing existing assets.

Why L&A Sought a More Flexible Solution

As L&A’s business model evolved, so did its expectations for internal collaboration. The team began looking for a platform flexible enough to support fast-moving projects and changing workflows.

This led the team to a key question: could there be a tool that not only aligns closely with their business logic, but also grows with their needs?

That question opened the door to a new direction—modern database tools.

These tools blur the lines between traditional databases, spreadsheets, and collaboration platforms. By embracing the idea of “database democratization,” they empower non-technical users to take part in system building and process design, giving business teams greater autonomy and control.

However, after researching tools like Airtable, Notion, and various domestic platforms, the team encountered common drawbacks in mainstream SaaS models:

Ongoing subscription fees that put long-term pressure on budgets
Poor feature alignment—either bloated with unused functions or too limited for real needs
Lack of agility, with high customization costs

What L&A needed was a solution that could complement their existing systems—something flexible enough to support innovation, yet simple enough for business teams to build and adapt on their own.

From Designer to Builder: A Business User’s Leap into System Development

“I stumbled upon NocoBase by chance. Since we approached it purely from a business angle, the official team was understandably cautious. After all, NocoBase isn’t an out-of-the-box solution. So instead of the usual sales pitch, what I got was honest, no-pressure advice. That sincerity made me want to give it a shot.

It felt like stepping into a kitchen for the first time—just having the ingredients doesn’t mean you can cook something that actually tastes good. But it’s doable, if you’re willing to learn and take on the challenge.”

This was the first impression of a business-side leader encountering NocoBase, an experience that likely resonates with many others in similar roles. With that mindset, L&A began their journey with NocoBase.

Soon after, he started building a fully functional business system prototype. From learning the platform to interacting with its features, NocoBase matched everything he had imagined.

“NocoBase fulfilled my dream of having it all—I didn’t want SaaS, I wanted low-code, and I wanted full extensibility. And I got them all.”

From Prototype to Practice: Rapid Business Rollout

Once the system prototype was ready, he didn’t stop at experimentation. Instead, he quickly put NocoBase into real-world use across multiple teams. By leveraging its configurable workflows and view modules, he successfully implemented several complex scenarios—and unlocked opportunities to explore even more innovative processes.

Scenario 1: Bridging Cross-Department Collaboration and Scheduling

In a typical L&A project, dozens of teams need to coordinate with multiple specialized departments. Each department operates with its own rhythm and rules, and the old process used to look like this:

Teams submit requests manually
Schedules are coordinated by hand
Endless back-and-forth communication and adjustments

The result? Low efficiency, high conflict, and heavy workload.

With NocoBase, everything changed:

A single workflow node now handles availability checks
The calendar view makes shared resource schedules instantly clear
Teams can directly request available time slots

Request submission interface built with NocoBase:

Request submission interface built with NocoBase

Availability check via workflow node:

Availability check via workflow node.png

These powerful workflow capabilities have proven more than capable of handling L&A’s complex scheduling and automation needs—dramatically reducing time wasted on constant rescheduling.

Scenario 2: Making Spec Checks and Parameter Calculations Effortless

In their daily work, designers often need to reference design codes and run parameter calculations. With traditional development, even a small request like this could trigger a lengthy process—complex, costly, and hardly worth it for such lightweight tools.

With NocoBase, things are much easier:

Built-in formulas and dynamic rules allow direct implementation of specification-based calculations
Internal platform teams can quickly create handy tools tailored to business needs

Making Spec Checks and Parameter Calculations Effortless

These seemingly simple features have significantly boosted the efficiency of standard compliance in day-to-day work.

Scenario 3: Instrumenting Project Data and Tracking Workflow Progress

L&A has a well-established data system. But the real value lies in the “last mile”: capturing and tracking data within actual process steps.

Here’s how NocoBase makes a difference:

Workflows can be configured to automatically tag key process nodes
Project documents and activity histories are managed with precision
Custom data is structured and recorded automatically along the way

Instrumenting Project Data and Tracking Workflow Progress

In this way, data evolves into a true business asset—anchored in real operations and ready to drive insights.

A Business-Driven Journey from Hesitation to Full Adoption

NocoBase isn’t a one-click solution—it’s a flexible platform built with modular components. For those who are willing to get hands-on and truly understand their business needs, it can become the foundation for a tailor-made system.

As one business leader shared:

“If you’re willing to learn and take on challenges, NocoBase has a surprisingly smooth learning curve. After just a few days, I was already testing it with real business cases—and the results truly exceeded expectations.”

For organizations like L&A that treat digital transformation as a long-term strategy, NocoBase is more than a tool—it’s becoming a core engine for sustainable innovation, built from the ground up by the people who know the business best.

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