Training the citizen developer for organizational success

There are not enough software developers to meet organizations’ digital transformation demands. 

According to research compiled by Kissflow.com, there will be a shortage of half-a-million software developers by 2024 and a worldwide shortage of 85.2 million developers by 2030. The demand for software applications is projected to increase five times faster than IT departments can fulfill. Almost every organization is increasingly dependent on customized software applications. The CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, says that “every company is a software company. You have to start thinking and operating like a digital company.” What can organizations do to build more applications when there are not enough software developers?

Enter the citizen developer.

The rise of citizen development

A citizen developer is an employee who is not trained in software development but can build IT applications using no-code/low-code development platforms. Citizen developers use no-code/low-code to build applications by visually assembling program pieces to build a workflow. Building a sophisticated mobile application through a no-code/low-code platform is as easy as building a PowerPoint presentation. 

The citizen-developed apps are not just simple programs — they can also be critical and highly sophisticated business applications. A case study I often refer to in my citizen development training is Bendigo Bank in Australia. Bendigo Bank reinvented itself by becoming more customer focused. The bank leadership realized they needed to move fast and couldn’t wait to find enough software developers. Bendigo quickly trained its employees in citizen development. 

Within 18 months, the citizen developers built 25 enterprisewide business applications to support critical functions such as ATM management, credit card management, fraud detection, merchant services, and other banking services. The citizen developers also build 12 more applications to support other enterprise processes. 

Gartner Research estimates that by 2024, 80 percent of software applications and services will be built by citizen developers. Citizen developers using no-code/low-code platforms can create and deploy apps 10 times faster than traditional software development. According to a report by TechRepublic, 80 percent of organizations depend on citizen developers for organizational success. Additionally, a Mendix 2021 survey found that no-code/low-code projects reduce software application costs by 53 percent while delivering the applications 56 percent faster than traditional software projects.

What does the citizen development revolution mean for L&D professionals?

The citizen development revolution can mean great opportunities for learning and development professionals because citizen developers need essential training in order to learn power skills such as design thinking, product management and agile project management. Citizen developers also need support in shifting their mindset from “me” to “we.” 

I inherited a citizen-developed app that produced essential strategic workforce planning reports a few years ago. The app combined an Access database and an Excel spreadsheet to analyze a large text file from a COBOL database. Every two weeks, the COBOL database kicked off an automatic process to extract critical data from the latest HR reports. The data was put into a text file placed in a shared folder. The citizen developer would then activate the Access/Excel app to read the text file and automatically produce reports. The app saved the citizen developer much time in producing strategic workforce planning reports.

The problem was that the citizen developer didn’t document the construction and operation of the app. He built the app for his own purposes and didn’t think of the people who might use the app after him. The citizen developer retired, and a year later, I was given the app. I spent three months trying to figure out how the app was built. Unfortunately, the app had many broken parts and inconsistent queries, reports and function naming. I ultimately decided to scrap it and start over by building a well-documented app. 

Many citizen developers learn enough about the no-code/low-code development tool to build apps for themselves. Citizen developers are trying to solve their immediate work problems and don’t give much thought to anyone else using the apps. However, as organizations start to depend more on citizen developers for critical infrastructure apps, citizen developers must learn to develop for their customers. L&D professionals can design learning programs to give citizen developers the best practices in building applications. 

To fully realize the value of citizen development, citizen developers need the following essential skills: design thinking, stakeholder management, product development and management, agile project management and customer education.

Liaising between citizen developers and the IT department

Another vital role of the L&D department is to help citizen developers and the IT department forge a productive relationship. Many citizen developers build their apps without involving the IT department. Sometimes the citizen developer was rebuffed by the IT department when they requested an application and decided that they would build the app themselves. Other times, the citizen developer didn’t consider telling the IT department because they didn’t think the IT department would be interested. If not handled well, the IT department will quickly quash citizen development because poorly designed apps can threaten the organization’s IT network and invite hackers.

The L&D department can address the IT department’s concerns about citizen development by training the citizen developers in safe app development and cybersecurity basics. Creating a robust program that trains citizen developers in design thinking, product management and agile project management will help mature the citizen development processes. Citizen developers will also know when to build an application on their own or when to bring in the IT department to help with a highly complex application. Building a harmonious relationship between citizen developers and the IT department will aid the organization in reaching its strategic goals. 

Now Is the time 

Citizen developers are rapidly becoming an essential part of organizations’ IT ecosystems. The impact of citizen developers has grown and can be extremely beneficial and significantly harmful to the organization.

To fully realize the value of citizen development, citizen developers need the following essential skills: design thinking, stakeholder management, product development and management, agile project management and customer education. Citizen developers also need a good relationship with the organization’s IT department.

CLOs can create robust learning programs in essential skills for citizen developers while liaising between citizen developers and the IT department. Be an essential part of your organization’s success by helping citizen developers become successful.