Maksym Martynov Technical Solutions Architect at LogiqApps AS
As society relies more heavily on digital solutions to meet their needs, activity in the tech space is becoming increasingly important to everyday operations. With this uptick in demand for technology applications, a new wave of innovators, coined Citizen Developers, has emerged to provide these solutions. However, despite being essential components of many businesses in delivering digital solutions, Citizen Developers often experience various challenges when building and deploying applications. To ensure the success of Citizen Developer initiatives and tech-savvy employees, it is vital that organizations understand their needs and appropriately support them. This article will explore Citizen Developers, helping companies develop the vision to support them throughout their projects.
Developers vs Citizen Developers
Developers and Citizen Developers both have an essential role in the world of technology. Developers are typically experts in a narrow area of computing who have been trained and can use complex tools to develop sophisticated solutions. Citizen Developers, by contrast, are users who don’t possess advanced technical competencies but can leverage existing tools to build applications, automate processes, or develop solutions for business problems.
Developers spend considerable time and effort learning about coding languages, designing user interfaces, understanding data models, and other related tasks associated with software development. Additionally, their training must keep up with changes in technologies which might be required for specific projects or tasks.
Citizen developers, on the other hand, require minimal programming knowledge as they work with programmable tools like no-code or low-code platforms that require little to no technical know-how. They rely on visual tools that allow them to design features without writing code and gather feedback from other areas of the business in order to refine those ideas before they become a reality.
In summary, the difference between Developer and Citizen Developers is primarily based on experience level rather than actual competency; At the same time, both play essential roles in making sure applications get created successfully; one focuses more heavily on the technical side, while the other works mainly in drag-and-drop environments.
Cost Savings: Citizen developers can create solutions quickly and inexpensively by leveraging community-based resources such as drag-and-drop tools, web services, APIs, open-source software, and mobile applications. This can result in significant savings for a company in terms of time and money.
\Businesses are looking for quick and cost-effective solutions in an increasingly digital world. Citizen developers provide just that. By leveraging community-based resources and company products like Power Platform, citizen developers can create customized solutions quickly and efficiently. These solutions may have partial capabilities of enterprise systems but can often be successful in meeting specialized needs within a short time frame. With disciplined programming methods and a comprehensive understanding of application design and integration principles, even those with limited coding experience can craft solutions that meet their organizational requirements at a fraction of the cost.
The benefits of this type of development for a company are unquestionable – savings both in terms of time and money. Instead of relying on costly traditional technology consultants or waiting for an IT department to build complex applications from scratch, high-performing solutions can now be created quickly by leveraging prebuilt components available online. The agility this provides can significantly reduce operational costs while allowing organizations to capitalize on emerging market trends more rapidly than competitors who rely solely on development teams.
Citizen developers offer multiple benefits to modern companies looking to leverage the many new technological advances available today without committing to major investments or large projects with lengthy implementation cycles. Through the creative use of existing application frameworks and tools, cost-savings and flexibility become far more achievable than ever before.
Increased Efficiency: Citizen developers help to increase the efficiency of coding tasks by utilizing ready-made development models or frameworks that can be adjusted for the user’s needs. This reduces the time spent developing custom solutions from scratch, providing an immediate productivity boost for IT and business staff.
Citizen developers are becoming increasingly valuable in the workplace, as they bring knowledge of both IT and business processes that help to ensure the right solutions are used for the right scenarios.
Citizen developers are leading the way to faster and more efficient coding. Through utilizing specialized frameworks, these development experts make it possible for organizations to streamline their coding processes by leveraging off-the-shelf solutions instead of having to build custom solutions from scratch each time. Citizen developers have a unique ability to understand both IT and business processes, allowing them to quickly identify problems and develop efficient solutions that meet each organization’s needs. Utilizing citizen developers increases organizational efficiency and reduces turnaround times significantly. This provides an immediate boost in productivity for IT staff and business users alike, who can return to focusing on higher-value activities instead of waiting for complex solutions to be delivered.
Support for Modern Workflows: By adopting citizen development strategies, companies can integrate new workflows easily and use increasingly popular technologies like chatbots and artificial intelligence to streamline processes and provide better customer experiences. This helps keep employees updated on the latest trends while ensuring their tech capabilities remain relevant in the marketplace.
Citizen development strategies, which enable companies to develop applications without expert code knowledge, have revolutionized modern workflows. These platforms allow everyday users to prototype and roll out applications tailored to specific needs.
Modern workflows often require specialized tools such as chatbots and artificial intelligence (AI) like AI Builder from Microsoft Power Platform. With AI-infused technologies and automation, companies are better able to streamline processes like customer support and logistics. Businesses can achieve solutions quickly and effectively by leveraging existing skillsets within their organization or bringing in expertise from outside vendors.
In addition to streamlining operations, citizen development helps ensure employees stay on top of current technology trends while staying connected with the industry. This allows them to be better prepared when implementing new systems and remain knowledgeable on opportunities in the tech space. Furthermore, many applications today can also gather valuable data that drives improvement across departments.
By embracing citizen development strategies, companies can quickly roll out modern workflows that leverage cutting-edge technologies such as chatbots and AI. This helps employees stay up-to-date with current trends while providing streamlined solutions that lead to improved customer experiences. As tech capabilities continue to shape the dynamics of business operations in all industries, organizations must embrace these strategies to remain viable into the future.
Improved Security: Citizen developer-built apps are built with security features baked in (such as access control modules), so they are far more secure than many custom-built apps that may lack important protections in place to safeguard data or applications from malicious actors or accidental breaches or losses due to external threats.
Developing secure applications that protect user data and comply with industry regulations is essential. Many software developers are turning to citizen developer-built apps to meet this need. These applications can be created quickly and easily by non-programmers who may need to gain the technical knowledge of a trained computer programmer.
The benefit of citizen developer-built applications is that they come with built-in security features. Often these features include access control modules that ensure user authentication and authorization requirements are met while also ensuring malicious actors can’t access sensitive data or interfere with the workings of the application. Additionally, advanced threats like ransomware and data breaches are prevented, mitigating the risk of external costs due to loss or damages caused by security vulnerabilities.
Using citizen developer-built apps can bring greater peace of mind to businesses looking for cost-effective solutions that don’t compromise security protocols. With their streamlined development process and enhanced security features, these apps can help organizations keep up with digital transformation trends while protecting user data simultaneously.
Professional Growth & Sustainability: By becoming a citizen developer (or supporting others who do), professionals at any level within an organization can gain valuable skills in software development, which can help them maintain a competitive edge throughout their career regardless of changes in technology or standards over time. Additionally, having more people who understand technology means more potential for creative problem solving–bridging gaps between departments to develop project ideas with sustainability and scalability–vital for increasing bottom-line success well into the future.
Staying ahead of the curve is essential for success. Professional growth and sustainability are often challenging to maintain. Still, one way that professionals from any level of an organization can stay up-to-date is by leveraging Citizen Developers within their teams. Citizen Developers are software developers who have acquired a basic understanding of software development and coding techniques, typically through self-study, attending training courses or a combination of both.
By empowering these Citizen Developers within their teams, businesses can foster a more innovative and creative environment that allows for better problem-solving and productivity. And through their technical expertise, these developers provide guidance and input on how to use technology to create projects with sustainability and scalability while simultaneously creating long-term value for the organization. Ultimately, having Citizen Developers onboard helps organizations build a robust framework that promotes success not just in the immediate future but also well into the years ahead.
