Abstract: Citizen development refers to a business process in which non-professional employees turn into software developers for companies or enterprises, which has become a trend. This article will introduce the concept of citizen development, its benefit, and how to become a citizen developer.
What is Citizen Development?
Citizen development refers to the process of turning non-professional developers into software developers for companies or enterprises. With the backdrop of digital transformation, internal IT needs of companies and organizations are constantly increasing, but the number of experienced developers is unable to keep up with the growing demands. Citizen development has become a trend, which aims to turn non-professional developers into software developers for the demands. Citizen development enables non-professional developers to quickly develop software applications that meet their business needs by using low-code/no-code platforms which are often called Citizen Application Development Platforms (CADP) without writing any code.
Who are Citizen Developers?
Citizen developers are those who develop applications with development platforms or other tools despite not having IT-related academic backgrounds and application development experience.
A notable characteristic of citizen developers is that they are both application developers and end-users. With the permission of the IT department and business department, citizen developers use CADP to create new business applications for themselves and their teams to use in the day-to-day activities of businesses and organizations. Anyone and workgroups can therefore become citizen developers.
A survey by Gartner in 2020 showed that about 41% of non-IT department employees in companies and organizations fit the description of “citizen developers”.
However, the prevalence of citizen development does not mean that citizen developers will replace the work of professional developers in the future, as experienced professional developers play a crucial role in the success of citizen development. Throughout the entire process of low-code/no-code development, professional developers need to guide and supervise citizen developers, helping and participating in building solutions for the entire team.
Why Advocate for Citizen Development?
IT Needs
The speed at which old demands accumulate and new demands arise has gradually outpaced the development speed of IT departments. As the digital development process of organizations advances, IT departments receive increasingly difficult demands to meet. Meanwhile, IT departments also need to build new business applications to constantly promote the digitalization of organizations.
Business Needs
Many business personnel in organizations are still using outdated and inefficient business tools, such as sending various tables within chat tools and then manually summarizing the data. These tools may not be adequate to satisfy the changing, personalized, and efficient needs within organizations.
What are the Benefits of Citizen Development?
Accelerate Business Innovation
Citizen development enables non-professional developers to quickly develop software applications with low-code/no-code platforms that meet their business needs without writing any code. This will significantly reduce development time and capability requirements. Business people can create their own simple applications to bring innovative ideas to life.
Shorten Development Cycles
As citizen developers can quickly create applications, development cycles can be shortened, and solutions can be delivered faster.
More Personalized Solutions
CADPs tend to support a high level of customization, so citizen developers can create specific applications based on their business needs to meet the personalized requirements of organizations.
Improve IT Department Efficiency
Citizen developers can solve the problem of IT departments being unable to meet all demands in a timely manner, making the work of IT departments more efficient. In addition, citizen developers can also help IT departments reduce their burden, allowing them to focus more on core businesses.
Enhance Collaborative Abilities
Citizen developers can create applications together through collaborative development. This collaborative approach can promote communication and cooperation between teams, thereby improving productivity.
What Abilities do Low/No-Code Citizen Developers Need?
Process and Systems Thinking
Citizen developers need to be able to summarize some small and fragmented affairs in the company’s daily operations into application scenarios and comb them into process frameworks.
Low-Code/No-Code Tool Knowledge
Citizen developers need to understand how to operate and build with low-code/no-code tools. The logic and ability of no-code development are more important than becoming an expert in application development.
Communication Skills
Citizen developers need to learn to communicate and listen to actual business needs, understanding that internal users within the company are the key to solving real-world problems.
Creativity
Citizen developers need to be creative, and able to build valuable internal applications through the prefabricated modules provided by low-code/no-code tools.
Use Jodoo for Citizen Development
Jodoo is an all-in-one no-code application development platform with a simple workplace and easy drag-and-drop building methods. Jodoo’s no-code mode is suitable for anyone, regardless of coding ability, allowing you to easily start your journey of citizen development. Sign up and have a free trial now, and build your own application!
