Citizen Development Benefits for Organizational Growth

Citizen Development Benefits for Organizational Growth

As businesses increasingly look to innovate and adapt quickly, citizen development has become an essential strategy in the digital economy. This approach enables individuals without traditional coding skills, often from business sectors, to create applications that streamline processes and boost productivity. These citizen developers use low-code or no-code platforms, accelerating digital transformation by making application development more accessible.

Citizen development stands in contrast to traditional software development, which usually relies on a team of specialized IT professionals. It leverages the expertise and creativity of non-IT staff, empowering them to develop or adjust software with minimal coding. The shift towards remote work and digital collaboration highlights the need for rapid problem-solving capabilities, further amplifying the importance of citizen development.

As we delve deeper into this subject, we will examine both the advantages and the challenges it introduces.

On this page:

• The Pros of Citizen Development
• The Cons of Citizen Development
• Successful Organizations Leveraging Citizen Development
• 4 Ways to Overcome the Challenges in Citizen Development
• Conclusion

The Pros of Citizen Development

Citizen Development is revolutionizing the way organizations approach software creation by empowering non-technical employees to develop their own solutions. This transformative shift brings numerous benefits that enhance the overall agility and efficiency of businesses, allowing them to quickly adapt to new challenges across various industries.

The growing adoption of Citizen Development is driven by the projected shortage of professional software developers. It is estimated that by 2024, there will be a shortage of half-a-million software developers, widening to a staggering 85.2 million developers worldwide by 2030. As a result, organizations are increasingly relying on citizen developers to bridge the skill gap and meet their growing digital demands. 

The primary benefits of Citizen Development include:

1. Empowering Non-Technical Users: This approach democratizes software creation, allowing non-technical staff to build applications that bridge the gap between IT and business needs. Such empowerment encourages staff to take initiative, leading to direct involvement in the organization's digital transformation efforts. For example, Chevron has nurtured over 2,500 citizen developers across its global departments, illustrating the widespread adoption and effectiveness of this strategy.
2. Accelerating Innovation: Citizen development accelerates the process of innovation through rapid prototyping and fast deployment of solutions. This speed helps sectors like healthcare, retail, and finance respond quickly to market demands. The Microsoft Power Platform, utilized by over 7.5 million developers, exemplifies these tools' role in fostering quick-turnaround innovations, which have shown a 140% return on investment and a 45% decrease in app development costs.
3. Cost-Effectiveness and Enhanced Agility: By reducing dependency on scarce IT resources, citizen development cuts costs and enhances organizational agility. It allows organizations to redirect savings to other strategic areas, fostering growth and innovation. A significant statistic to note is that by 2024, around 65% of all applications are expected to be developed using low-code platforms, demonstrating the cost-effectiveness and increased adoption of this approach.
4. Fostering a Culture of Collaboration: Implementing citizen development practices breaks down silos within an organization, fostering a collaborative environment where business and IT align more closely. This collaboration not only enhances team dynamics but also leads to more innovative solutions that are well-integrated into daily operations. Awards and recognitions for workplace innovation often follow such improvements in company culture.

The Cons of Citizen Development

The cons of Citizen Development present significant challenges that organizations must navigate carefully, particularly in areas like security, quality control, scalability, and integration. Here's a closer examination of these key issues:

1. Security Risks: Non-technical citizen developers, often inexperienced with complex coding and security protocols, may inadvertently introduce vulnerabilities and expose sensitive data. Poorly secured apps have led to data breaches, with security incidents related to applications developed without rigorous protocols increasing by over 30% in the past two years. Enhanced security measures and training are critical to mitigate these risks.
2. Quality Control Challenges: Maintaining high quality standards and ensuring compliance with industry best practices can be difficult when non-IT professionals handle development tasks. Error rates in projects led by citizen developers are approximately 50% higher compared to those managed by professional IT teams. Implementing tools and methods to improve quality, such as thorough testing protocols and continuous education on best practices, can be beneficial but may incur additional costs.
3. Scalability and Governance Issues: Solutions created by citizen developers may struggle to scale without significant modifications as organizations grow, which can be costly and time-consuming. Managing these developments to ensure alignment with broader business goals and IT security is a continuous challenge. Unauthorized data access and integration bottlenecks can hinder scalability and governance, necessitating a balanced approach between granting creative freedom and maintaining strict control mechanisms.
4. Integration Challenges: Integrating citizen-developed applications with existing IT infrastructure can disrupt workflow, data flow, and overall service delivery, creating inefficiencies and additional work for IT departments. Companies have experienced operational slowdowns when attempting to integrate independently developed applications without standardized protocols. Adopting standardized platforms or using pre-approved tools can ensure better compatibility and smoother integration across the organization's technological landscape.
5. Training and Skills Issues: The effectiveness of citizen developers can be limited by a lack of proper skills and understanding of the platforms they are using. Misjudgments in selecting candidates for citizen development roles based on irrelevant skills can lead to project inefficiencies and failure. Projects often suffer from scope creep, expanding beyond their initial parameters, complicating project management and requiring sophisticated strategies to manage effectively. Adequate training and continuous skills enhancement are crucial for the success of Citizen Development initiatives.

Successful Companies Leveraging Citizen Development

As citizen development gains traction, understanding its practical applications and impact within organizations becomes increasingly important. The table below showcases success stories from companies that have embraced citizen development, providing valuable insights into how this approach can be effectively implemented across various industries and organizational contexts.

Company	Industry	Challenge	Solution	Results
SOCAR Turkey	Energy	RPA center at full capacity, limiting automation expansion	Launched citizen development program to decentralize automation expertise	Enhanced capacity for automation initiatives across the organization, fostering innovation and self-sufficiency
ConocoPhillips	Energy	Need for increased productivity and employee satisfaction	Implemented intuitive tools like UiPath StudioX and Task Capture for employee-led automations	Saved countless hours and enriched employees' understanding of workflows, leading to a happier, more engaged workforce
META	Social Technology	Budget constraints threatening customer support and employee morale	Utilized citizen development to drive 20+ new automations across several teams	Avoided disruptions in customer support and boosted employee morale
Wesco	Supply Chain	Supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic	Empowered employees to create specific bots for supply chain management	Significantly improved operational efficiency and customer satisfaction during a challenging time
Generali Investments	Finance	Need to enhance asset and wealth management processes	Initiated a citizen developer program to educate employees on intelligent technologies and empower them to implement automations	Automated over 30% of processes by citizen developers, dramatically increasing operational efficiency and employee engagement; recognized as a Global Innovator at the Qorus-Accenture Innovation in Insurance Awards

These success stories illuminate the transformative power of citizen development when strategically implemented. Companies across various industries have tapped into the potential of their existing workforce, empowering them to solve unique problems and drive business innovation. As you plot your organization's digital transformation journey, remember these lessons learned, and let them inspire your team to become dynamic problem solvers and innovative creators in their own right.

4 Ways to Overcome the Challenges in Citizen Development

As the wave of citizen development gains momentum, organizations are discovering both its potential benefits and the challenges that accompany it. While empowering non-technical employees to build applications can drive innovation and operational efficiency, it also raises concerns about security, consistency, and scalability. Embracing citizen development doesn't mean ignoring potential hazards. On the contrary, it involves acknowledging these challenges and proactively developing strategies to navigate them, this way ensuring your organization reaps all the benefits with fewer risks.

Here's how businesses can effectively mitigate these challenges, ensuring that their citizen development initiatives lead to sustainable success. 

• Establishing Robust Training and Support Programs: Providing comprehensive training and ongoing support to citizen developers ensures they understand the tools and principles necessary to create functional and secure applications. For instance, providing regular workshops or online training sessions can keep citizen developers up to date with the latest security practices and software updates, thus minimizing risks of errors or vulnerabilities.
• Implementing Governance Frameworks and Security Protocols: A well-defined governance framework and robust security protocols are essential for overseeing citizen development projects, protecting sensitive data, and ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations. For example, requiring that all citizen-developed apps undergo a security assessment before going live can prevent potential breaches and protect organizational data.
• Leveraging Low-Code Platforms and Automation Tools: Choosing reputable low-code and no-code platforms with built-in security features can reduce the likelihood of security vulnerabilities. These platforms often come with pre-built templates and connectors that ensure applications are not only built quickly but also meet quality and compliance standards. Automation tools can streamline the development process, reduce manual errors, and improve the efficiency of citizen-developed solutions.
• Cultivating a Culture of Accountability and Collaboration: Fostering a culture of accountability and collaboration among citizen developers leads to more thoughtful and effective application development. Encouraging knowledge sharing and best practices can enhance the quality and security of the applications developed. Regular team meetings and collaborative platforms can help maintain this culture, ensuring that citizen developers feel supported and engaged throughout their projects.

Conclusion

From the insightful enlightenment above, it's evident that the appeal of citizen development lies largely in its power to democratize innovation. This fundamentally shifts the dynamic of digital transformation from a top-down directed effort to a collaborative and cross-functional endeavor. It empowers end users, who are closest to the business issues, to architect practical and efficient solutions, thus expediting the innovation velocity. 

But what's the secret behind its growing popularity? The answer rests with the tight integration of technology, people, and processes it enables. Citizen development brings technology within the reach of non-technical users and aligns it directly to their workflows. This not only lowers the digital literacy barrier but also makes technology a fluent language of the organization, fostering a culture of technological self-sufficiency and continuous improvement. 

No doubt, it does pose certain challenges, primarily related to security, governance, and quality control. However, with robust strategies to mitigate these risks, and the right blend of training, support, culture change, and technology tools, organizations can successfully navigate these complexities, harnessing the full potential of citizen development. 

As we move towards an increasingly digital future, it's clear that citizen development will continue to play a transformative role. By embracing and optimizing this approach, organizations can become more adaptive, agile, and innovative - the essential cornerstones of the digital age.