Fueling Digital Transformation: Insights from Citizen Development Week

Quixy Editorial Team

August 10, 2023

Citizen development has emerged as a game-changer in the realm of application development, allowing non-technical business users to create their own solutions. Recently, we have gathered some learnings from the CDW (Citizen Development Week) event, where industry experts shared profound insights and highlighted the immense potential of citizen development. In this blog post, we will delve deeper into the top 11 CDW event insights from the event, shedding light on the key takeaways that can shape the future of citizen development.

Key CDW Event Insights

The CDW event highlighted several key insights regarding citizen development and its role in empowering business users as innovators. Here are ten insights drawn from the session highlights, along with a more thorough exploration of each insight.

1. Empowering Users, Revolutionizing Solutions: The Power of Citizen Development

Citizen development has the potential to disrupt established models, revolutionizing news reporting and easing the IT department’s workload by empowering business users to develop their own applications.

Citizen development, similar to journalism, has the power to disrupt traditional models. By enabling business users to develop their own applications, citizen development can revolutionize the way organizations solve problems and reduce the burden on the IT department. This disruption allows for greater agility and efficiency in delivering solutions.

2. The Crucial Collaboration between IT and Business in No-Code Development

Collaboration between IT and business is essential for successful no-code development, as it reduces IT backlog and allows them to focus on high-priority projects.

Successful citizen development requires collaboration between IT and business users. When business users are empowered to solve problems using LCNC platforms, the IT backlog is reduced, enabling the IT department to prioritize critical initiatives. This collaboration ensures a streamlined and effective development process.

Also Read: Unleashing the Potential of your existing IT Systems

3. Supercharging Citizen Development: Harnessing AI/ML to Transform Capabilities

AI/ML adoption in citizen development can incorporate repetitive tasks into the system and enhance its capabilities.

CDW highlights the significant potential for adopting AI and machine learning in citizen development. By incorporating AI/ML, repetitive tasks performed through low-code can be automated, increasing efficiency and expanding the capabilities of citizen-development applications.

4. Shining a Light on Shadow IT

Citizen development helps curb shadow IT and alleviates the IT department’s backlog.

Citizen development serves as a solution to shadow IT, where business users independently seek their own technology solutions outside the purview of the IT department. By embracing citizen development, organizations can bring these initiatives under control, reducing risks and freeing up the IT department’s backlog.

Also Read: Making Shadow IT a Frenemy with Citizen Development

5. How Citizen Development Curbs Risks and Clears the IT Backlog

The no-code movement empowers business users to build solutions and applications, relieving overwhelmed IT departments.

IT departments often struggle with overwhelming backlogs and cannot meet the demands of businesses. The no-code movement aims to empower business users to build their own solutions, shifting the power of development from IT departments to citizen developers. This empowerment enhances productivity and fosters a sense of ownership and innovation among business users.

6. The Mandatory Shift to Digital Transformation & Role of No-Code/Citizen Development

Digital transformation has become a mandatory requirement after the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing the demand for LCNC and citizen development solutions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for digital transformation. Organizations must adapt to the digital world, and citizen development, alongside LCNC platforms, has emerged as a crucial component in addressing this need. These solutions enable organizations to quickly develop digital applications and keep up with the demands of a rapidly evolving landscape.

7. The Trinity of Citizen Development: People, Technology, and Process in Action

Citizen development involves three key elements: people, technology, and process, allowing non-trained coders to build applications in a smart way.

Citizen development encompasses three essential elements: the people involved, the technology platforms used, and the process followed. It empowers individuals without coding expertise to build applications efficiently and effectively, leveraging intuitive LCNC tools. This approach democratizes development and allows business users to become proficient application builders.

8. How Guardrails Drive Quality in No-Code Application Development

Guardrails are crucial in citizen development to ensure that applications built using LCNC platforms are of high quality and adhere to established standards.

While citizen development provides the ability to drag and drop components, it is important to have guardrails in place. Citizen development governance guardrails establish guidelines and standards for citizen developers, ensuring the quality and reliability of applications. By adhering to guardrails, citizen developers can create robust and well-designed applications that meet organizational standards.

Also Read: How to Implement and Govern Citizen Development

9. Striking the Balance: IT’s Task of Evaluating & Selecting Secure No-Code Platforms for Governance-Compliant Development

Evaluating and selecting LCNC platforms that meet security and governance standards is the responsibility of the IT team.

When adopting LCNC platforms for citizen development, the IT team plays a crucial role in evaluating and selecting the appropriate platform. Factors such as usability, scalability, integration capabilities, security features, and governance standards should be carefully assessed. The selected platform should align with organizational requirements and enable citizen developers to build complex and secure applications.

10. How AI Amplifies Citizen Development for Faster and Optimized Workflows

The rise of AI amplifies the capabilities of citizen development, enabling faster application development and optimized workflows.

With the advancement of AI, citizen development is further enhanced. AI tools and capabilities expedite the application development process, optimize workflows, and enable citizen developers to build applications faster and at a lower cost. AI integration in citizen development platforms empowers business users to leverage cutting-edge technologies and drive innovation.

Also Read: Top 7 No-Code Low-Code Citizen Development Events that you can’t Afford to Miss

11. Measuring Success in Citizen Development: Tracking User Satisfaction & Adoption Rates for ROI Assessment

One of the key takeaways from the CDW event was the significance of measuring user satisfaction and adoption rates to gauge the success of citizen development projects. By keeping an eye on metrics like user satisfaction, adoption rates, and how frequently the app is used, organizations can understand how well their applications are performing and identify areas that need improvement. Rather than solely relying on historical data, it’s important to prioritize continuous improvement and assess real-time usage to determine the return on investment (ROI) in citizen development.

Conclusion

By empowering business users as innovators through citizen development, organizations can tap into the creative potential of their workforce and accelerate their digital transformation journey.

By embracing citizen development, organizations embark on a journey of boundless possibilities. It’s a path where employees become the architects of change, transforming ideas into reality. So, let’s seize the reins of innovation, empower our workforce, and chart a course toward a future where everyone is an unstoppable force of creativity and progress.