Most organizations are looking for ways to accelerate their application delivery pipelines and want to operate faster in an agile mode. The IT departments can take advantage of the rising popularity of low-code platforms—tools that can help non-traditional developers create applications quickly and efficiently. The low-code approach to developing applications eliminates the high upfront costs and lengthy application development timelines associated with traditional software development. 

Hence, in today's world, citizen development is a competitive differentiator for forward-looking organizations. Businesses are increasingly looking for ways to improve their performance and launch new products, which means that more companies will adopt an iterative and minimum-viable product (MVP) approach. With this, the concept of a citizen developer is quickly taking hold in enterprise development as a tactic for increasing speed, innovation, and agility. 

Citizen developer and citizen development are buzzwords, but not everyone understands the difference. To clear up any confusion, let's take a closer look at the differences between the two words and find out what context surrounds their use in business process automation and application development. 

Who is a Citizen Developer?

Gartner defines a citizen developer as an employee who uses drag-and-drop graphical programming software or a low-code development platform to build applications without writing code. They use freely available software or apps that shadow IT developed to create capabilities for a business unit or function. They deliver business value without requiring involvement from the IT department or other specialized development resources. They may be able to build simple websites, mobile apps, or process automation apps—all on their own. 

Moreover, citizen developers, while not having a degree in Computer Science and as trained as professional developers, can still modify or extend applications without editing a single line of code. In some cases, they even have access to the code when trying to make apparent changes. It can often lead to development outside the original programming team had anticipated. It is an example of citizen development. 

With these, the emergence of citizen developers represents a fundamental shift in how automation applications are developed. These developers are no longer developing apps; they are also responsible for testing, deploying, monitoring, and maintaining them. They have become an increasingly important part of the IT landscape as more business units (BUs) start building IT solutions and apps without relying on a central IT procurement team. 

What is Citizen Development? 

Citizen development empowers non-technical business users or subject matter experts (SMEs) to create different applications that meet their needs through low-code development platforms, i.e., data-based, form-based, and process-based applications.   

Business users can use these applications without having in-depth technical knowledge about the underlying systems. For example, a citizen developer can create a dashboard application that displays sales performance metrics for their retail stores using an online BI solution. 

These users are called citizen developers who are not professional software developers. However, they can use IT tools to create self-service analytics that gives them immediate access to insights about their business. With an end-user-driven approach to data analytics, business enterprises can develop solutions that help them make better business decisions. 

One benefit of citizen development is that it significantly reduces the dependence on IT resources and allows organizations to take advantage of internal SMEs rather than hiring expensive IT consultants or developers. 

Citizen Developer vs. Citizen Development 

Both the terms citizen developer and citizen development are relatively new, created and popularized by the rapid proliferation of development tools such as point-and-click user experience (UX) platforms, software development kits (SDKs), visual programming systems, and business process management (BPM) systems. 

The difference between citizen developer and citizen development may seem like a semantic quibble. But it's not. In a nutshell, citizen developers are people who can use these IT tools to create value for themselves or other departments and teams in the enterprise. Citizen development is the process of creating value using these tools. 

The tools that citizen developers utilize allow them to do things that would have been impossible without an IT department. But these tools also change the nature of what enterprises can do and how they can do it. In this way, citizen development is also a process of adaptation. 

As the rapid advancement of technology changes the nature of how business is done, it will be necessary for businesses to adapt. This process can be difficult for established companies that have relied on a particular way of doing things for years. But it can also be an opportunity. 

Final Thoughts 

Digital transformation extends beyond technology and involves a cultural change within the organization. Trusting a professional and experienced team of citizen developers who can support you throughout the process is better for undertaking digital transformation successfully. Citizen development application software is the best way for enterprises to achieve the digital transformation that is both sustainable and low-cost. 

Work with a trusted citizen development expert

With enterprises starting to transform their operations and customer experiences digitally, they struggle to streamline fragmented processes and build trustworthy systems. AgilePoint helps enterprises through citizen development succeed in their journey toward scalable automation and digital transformation by providing an end-to-end business low-code development platform.