As businesses adopt digital to be more efficient, stay ahead of the curve and meet changing demands, their IT teams are faced with the growing challenge of supporting the software infrastructure. Due to the high costs of employing software developers and the scarcity of capable programmers, the pressure on IT teams has become enormous. As a result, numerous low-code/no-code platforms were established, and several businesses began developing citizen development programs.
Citizen development is an approach that lets non technical people build software. It’s also a business approach that lets non IT people become software developers by building business critical applications on LCNC platforms that address business needs.
What is Citizen Development?
Create your apps without having to learn complex coding languages. That’s what citizen development is all about! Previously software development was reserved for professional developers and tech experts – like having a secret language only they knew. Citizen development is changing that landscape, making app creation available to everyone. Successful citizen developers are good at problem-solving, teamwork, and resourcefulness so they are key players in organizations that are using citizen development to create more applications and business solutions using low-code development platforms.
Citizen developers are:
- Business analysts or project managers
- People with minimal coding or development skills
- People who understand their department’s requirements and workflows
Citizen development uses simple, visual tools that lets anyone create apps fast. Features like drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-built components and simple logic tools removes the complexity of traditional coding so apps are available to non-technical users.
The best part? You don’t need to be a tech expert or learn complex coding to create applications. If you can navigate apps on your phone, you already have the skills to build your apps. Citizen development makes this capability accessible to everyone, empowering you to become an app creator effortlessly.
Current Landscape of Citizen Development Platform
Citizen development is already happening and making waves across many sectors. Organizations can save big by aligning to business goals and resource utilization through citizen development. Business users are starting to use AI and machine learning in their decision making. No-code and low-code machine learning tools have made AI more democratic so users without technical background can use advanced analytics and automation capabilities.
The impact of the citizen developer platform is happening across:
Healthcare
Citizen developers can create no-code apps for patient management, electronic health records and appointment scheduling.
Finance
Citizen developers in financial institutions use no-code apps for loan origination, fraud detection and compliance management.
Marketing and Sales
Teams can create and distribute campaigns through the citizen development platform using no-code apps for lead and customer relationship management.
Retail
Citizen development in retail companies lets developers create no-code apps for inventory, customer relationships and supply chain management.
Government
Citizen development in government offices lets you build no-code apps for citizen engagement, service delivery, data management and workflow automation.
Manufacturing
Citizen development in manufacturing companies lets you create no-code apps for production management, quality control and supply chain management.
Human Resources
Citizen development platform lets HR departments use no-code apps for recruitment, employee management and performance evaluation.
Telecommunications
Citizen development lets telecom companies use no-code apps for network management, customer service and billing systems.
Why Citizen Development is the Future of Business?
Citizen development is the new business because it’s making software development more democratic, so non technical employees can create applications without having to code. It accelerates digital transformation by letting business units create and deploy solutions in a matter of days that meet their needs. It reduces dependency on IT, fosters innovation and addresses the need for speed in today’s fast paced business world. It lets businesses respond to market changes and customer demands faster.
Here’s why citizen development is the future of software development:
User Friendly App Builder
Build apps by designing workflows with a simple drag-and-drop interface. Customize the look of your apps without needing to know CSS.
Seamless Integrations
Integrate with internal and external systems to pre-populate and validate data.
Effortless Workflow Automation
Streamline processes with adaptive, role based workflows and access controls. Automate notifications, trigger services within workflow steps and offer a dynamic experience based on rules.
Strong IT Governance
Let the IT department oversee and support citizen developers by giving IT administrators controls to decide who can develop and use apps, what kind of data can be uploaded, what kind of apps and what services and integrations are allowed.
Easy IT and Business Collaboration
Professional developers can extend and customize citizen-developed apps using JavaScript, HTML and CSS.
Citizen development is already happening and many organisations are already experiencing the benefits. It will be a key part of future business strategy.
How Does Citizen Development Impact Business?
According to Forrester 87% of enterprise developers are using low-code platforms for some of their projects. Citizen developers use low-code tools to solve business problems quickly, leveraging their business knowledge and digital skills to build applications that solve specific challenges within the organisation. With non-IT workers involved in application development, the low code market is expected to grow to $30 billion by 2028. This is the growing impact and adoption of citizen development across industries.
A citizen development strategy requires a holistic approach to implementation and outcomes.
Productivity
Citizen developers automate business processes so teams can manage more work. By letting employees integrate technology into their daily work, a citizen developer platform creates a culture of adaptability within the organization and increases productivity and business agility.
Employee Empowerment
Citizen Development lets employees across business units create applications using low code or no code platforms. With simple interfaces and pre-built templates users can build functional apps without having to code. This empowers those closest to operational challenges to address them and improve processes.
IT and Business Alignment
Citizen development brings IT and business users together by involving business users in the application development process. This collaboration improves communication, aligns IT and business goals and ensures digital transformation projects meet business needs.
Get Started with App Development Now
In today’s technology driven business world allowing employees to build their own apps is a key strategy to get ahead and create a digital culture. HCL Volt MX, a low code development platform, offers a single experience where professional and citizen developers can collaborate to build great apps. It increases efficiency and agility and accelerates app delivery by 60% and supports your digital first business.
Featured image by Work With Island on Unsplash
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