Dispelling myths surrounding citizen developers

The term “citizen developer” has become increasingly common with companies accelerating their digital transformation efforts. These people occupy various roles in organizations but share a common ambition: to design and create task-based applications that streamline work or improve operations in their field of activity.

With their insider knowledge, these employees are able to produce new web or mobile applications that solve specific business problems and speed up daily work. Citizen developers typically use no-code or low-code software to build these apps.

According to Gartner prediction, citizen developers will soon outnumber professional developers by a ratio of 4:1. Although these business analysts or business domain experts have no formal training in using development tools or writing code, they manage to create useful business applications. Gartner recommends that organizations adopt citizen developers to achieve their strategic goals and stay competitive in an increasingly mobile business world.

Despite the rise of citizen developers within organizations, many companies still reject the value and importance of citizen development. Let’s dispel a few of the most common myths.

1. Low-code apps can’t compete with enterprise apps

A common myth surrounding citizen development is that low-code applications cannot meet the demands of enterprise-grade applications. Enterprise-grade applications are designed to support consistent integration with other applications and the existing IT framework, with the term “enterprise-grade” being coined as computing became increasingly consumerized. Since low-code development provides professional applications without requiring large amounts of programming, the long-held belief is that low-code lacks the ability to meet enterprise standards. This is no longer true.

Typically, citizen developers create low-code or no-code (LC/NC) applications for a specific business purpose, such as closing gaps between systems or automating routine processes to improve team productivity. Often, limited-scope, task-based applications are created by citizen developers, while large-scope applications with complex security and data requirements are still produced by professional developers, using programming languages currents. Typically, LC/NC software comes with pre-built templates or drag-and-drop interfaces that take into account development best practices, common business requirements, and routine IT practices. The software guides citizen developers to quickly build the necessary apps while adhering to app design and development best practices. This empowers more employees to build great mobile and cloud apps that speed up business tasks, while minimizing risk to the organization.

As enterprise applications are increasingly designed to be scalable and robust in all environments in which they are used, the technical aspects and predefined nature of low-code development can match the required standards set by the applications. of business. Thanks to low-code platforms, complete enterprise-grade applications can be developed in days, which is why business leaders Are increasingly making low-code development their most important automation investment.

2. The alleged security risks that accompany citizen development

Security is an essential part of any application. With the increase in security vulnerabilities and serious consequences, such as ransomware, resolving security issues should be of the utmost importance for any organization considering citizen development. Data security is usually the responsibility of IT departments, which identify and migrate security risks as they develop applications. However, just because an application is developed by a citizen developer using LC/NC software tools does not necessarily mean there will be increased security risks. According to recent forecasts, LC/NC applications will represent 65% of development activity in the next two years. To meet these business expectations, most low-code platforms now come with built-in security features or code scans to enforce standard security practices. LC/NC software tool vendors now include a wide range of built-in security features, such as file monitoring, user control, and code validation.

As the security features of LC/NC software become more extensive, IT departments must ensure that any development software used by the business has been verified and meets corporate security policies. Additionally, having an IT approval process for apps before they are officially used might be a smart policy for IT teams to establish.

3. Citizen development creates shadow IT

Another common myth about citizen development is the creation of shadow IT groups outside of designated ones. This means application development can become unmanaged, ungoverned, and of questionable quality. The reality can be very different. Many organizations struggle with low funding and IT resources. In these cases, citizen development can come to the rescue to provide quick business solutions to meet rapidly changing business needs. The key to overcoming the risk of shadow IT in these situations is to establish strong governance and collaboration on the process.

Instead of slowing down the efforts of citizen developers, IT teams should nurture these new app builders by providing guidelines and resources for building apps that adhere to IT best practices. One way is to sanction an approved LC/NC development tool. Some LC/NC platforms used by citizen developers are designed to eliminate technical complexity and provide complete transparency, control, and governance, based on users’ business needs.

LC/NC platforms can also enable a collaborative environment between citizen developers and IT, allowing IT to maintain control over the development process.

A second way to encourage citizen development is to introduce certifications and badges for citizen developers to celebrate achievements in app design or development.

The real benefits of citizen developers

Citizen developers can accelerate transformation efforts by using LC/NC software to build their own apps. Since citizen developers are usually employees in key areas of the organization, they are more aware of unique business needs and can therefore develop mobile applications that cater specifically to the business. LC/NC software solutions provide virtually all of these employees with the ability to create mobile applications and, therefore, aid in business transformation. The cost benefits are enormous.

Companies can introduce innovative applications, save man hours and generate more revenue. Businesses can save a lot of money by not having to hire specialist developers or outsource application development projects. Additionally, citizen developers can use LC/NC software based on pre-built modules that make software development much faster than starting from scratch. This reduces the time needed to develop, design, test and deploy applications.

Citizen development isn’t just a fad to dominate IT teams, nor does it mean employees will be on their own. IT departments can retain a key role by providing adequate resources and supporting the company’s digital transformation efforts. The benefits of citizen development far outweigh the risks.

However, business organizations need to foster a collaborative effort between their citizen developer employees and IT departments to meet business needs and maintain a competitive advantage.

Instead of IT acting as a gatekeeper to technical innovation and digital transformation, IT teams should seek to empower citizen developers and work with them to resolve business/technical issues.

Amy Groden-Morrison is Vice President of Marketing and Sales Operations for Alpha Software