Citizen development is a growing concept in business and technology where non-technical employees, often referred to as “citizen developers”, actively create applications and solutions to solve business problems using low-code or no-code platforms (LCNC).
These platforms simplify app development by providing drag-and-drop tools, pre-built templates, and user-friendly interfaces, enabling employees without formal coding skills to develop software.
Key Features of Citizen Development
Low-Code/No-Code Platforms
Tools like Flowingly, Microsoft Power Apps, OutSystems, Appian, or Airtable allow non-technical users to design software solutions with minimal or no coding knowledge.
Empowered Non-Developers
Regular employees (e.g., HR professionals, marketing staff, or analysts) can create applications suited to their specific departmental
Benefits of Citizen Development
- Increased Agility: Teams become more self-sufficient and respond faster to business needs.
- Reduced IT Backlogs: IT departments can focus on complex tasks while citizen developers handle simpler solutions.
- Accessibility: Enables employees without formal coding skills to contribute to tech innovation.
- Personalised Solutions: Citizen developers tailor apps to their exact workflow requirements.
Challenges and Considerations
While citizen development offers flexibility, organisations need safeguards to ensure security, compliance, and scalability. Considerations include:
- Governance: Ensuring apps meet security and organisational standards.
- Shadow IT Risks: Avoiding situations where unsanctioned or unmanaged tools lead to inefficiencies.
- Training and Support: Providing awareness and skills training for employee developers.
- Collaboration with IT: Maintaining a balance between IT support and citizen empowerment.
Citizen Development in Practice
Citizen development is particularly important in industries looking to rapidly adapt to change, such as healthcare, retail, and finance. Organisations adopting this model often establish a Center of Excellence (CoE) to guide employees on best practices and governance frameworks.
Tools Enabling Citizen Development:
- Microsoft Power Platform (e.g., Power Automate, Power Apps)
- Flowingly
- OutSystems
- AppSheet by Google
- Mendix
Citizen development democratises technology, enabling business innovation from the ground up. It empowers employees to bridge gaps between business needs and technical implementation, fostering a collaborative and agile work environment.
Faster Innovation
Citizen development speeds up the delivery of customised solutions since employees know the processes and challenges they aim to address.
Cost Efficiency
By reducing dependency on IT departments, businesses can save costs associated with hiring developers or outsourcing software projects.
Examples of Citizen Development
- Automating approval workflows in an HR department using Flowingly .
- Building a database app to track and analyse customer data in sales.
- Creating a custom project management dashboard for a specific team using a drag-and-drop platform.
Let’s Rethink Citizen Development Together
Platforms like Flowingly show us what’s possible when we shift from control to enablement. The need for good governance hasn’t gone away, but now it can be embedded directly into the tools that drive innovation.
At Service Dynamics, we work with organisations across Aotearoa to implement, support and govern Flowingly so that business units can move faster, while IT stays in the loop.
Get in touch with our team to talk about how we can help you strike the right balance between agility and governance.