In today’s world, digital transformation has become crucial for all types and sizes of organizations. It is no longer just a buzzword but a necessary step towards becoming impressive, customer-centric, and productive. This transition involves using technology to change the way people work, leading to improved customer and user experience, streamlined operations, and better business models for optimal outcomes. If an organization fails to embrace this change, it risks falling far behind its competitors. So, it’s essential to adapt and stay ahead of the game!
Have you heard of digital transformation?
In simple terms, digital transformation means integrating digital technologies into organizational systems to transform how they operate and provide value to customers. It brings about cultural and organizational changes to help companies become more agile and innovative. And the best part is that it simplifies human life and is incredibly user-friendly.
Some examples of digital transformation include shifting to remote work, automating manual tasks, using big data and cloud computing, and implementing AI and ML technologies. By embracing digital transformation, companies can open up new opportunities and achieve unprecedented success.
Did you know that many companies are already on board with this journey and seeing great results? Here are some real-world examples:
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UPS, the global shipping and supply chain management company, wanted to speed up deliveries and provide real-time tracking for their customers. They achieved this by using a route optimization system called ORION. This software not only helped them achieve their goals, but it also helped reduce fuel consumption and costs, lower carbon footprints, and increase driver productivity. Read more here.
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Nike, the popular American footwear and apparel brand, has developed an app to help customers choose the perfect fitting shoes. Using the leg scan feature developed with AI and ML technologies, customers can now find the best-fit shoes without leaving their homes. This innovative feature has been a hit with Nike’s online customers, resulting in a 100% increase in sales for the company.
The above use-cases show how favorable it is to implement digital technologies in businesses. Most companies are seeking to undergo this transformation, and the three key components to it are people, processes, and tools. However, the biggest challenge companies face during digital transformation is the difference between the pace of how fast technology advances and how quickly IT teams can adapt. Another obstacle is the lack of communication and coordination between the business and IT wings. Is there a way to overcome these challenges?
Yes! Citizen development is a game-changer in the world of digital transformation. It’s a low-code approach that allows everyone in the organization, regardless of technical expertise, to contribute to the digital transformation process. It makes the process simple and accessible to all employees and helps businesses reach new heights.
What’s citizen development?
Citizen development is an approach that allows employees without IT expertise to become software developers using user-friendly platforms called low-code/no-code (LCNC) platforms, which are approved by IT departments. With LCNC platforms, employees can build apps and solve business problems without relying heavily on IT teams. This approach also helps different departments communicate and coordinate better. As organizations strive to innovate and meet their goals quickly, citizen development has become increasingly popular.
Who’s a citizen developer?
According to Gartner, a citizen developer is an employee who creates custom software solutions for themselves and their teams using user-friendly, IT-sanctioned tools. They can get better at app development while contributing their direct expertise in their respective functions such as Sales, Marketing, or HR.
How does citizen development favor digital transformation?
As mentioned earlier, companies are swiftly transitioning to digital environments, and there is a non-stop need for developing various applications. Unfortunately, it becomes challenging for organizations to keep up using traditional methods. Citizen development provides a fast solution and offers the following benefits:
1. Rapid application development (RAD): One of the most significant benefits of citizen development is RAD. This approach lets businesses build apps quickly using low-code platforms with drag-and-drop visual builders. With these tools, organizations can transform faster and gain a competitive edge over their competitors.
2. Reduced cost and time: Citizen development can save time and money compared to traditional software development methods. Traditional software development is time-consuming and requires a lot of investment in software developers and licenses. But with citizen development, both IT and non-IT users can solve problems and build apps, which is a more cost-effective approach.
3. Advanced collaboration and innovation: Citizen development encourages teamwork and sharing of ideas among departments. It brings together employees with diverse skill sets and expertise to collaborate and come up with innovative solutions. By learning how to build applications, employees can improve their skills and contribute more effectively to their organization’s digital transformation.
4. Increased efficiency: Being a powerful tool, citizen development helps organizations in increasing their efficiency by allowing non-technical employees to create customized applications. It allows businesses to streamline processes and automate common tasks. With citizen development, organizations can bring new products and services to the market faster while reducing their reliance on IT teams.
5. Decreased shadow IT: Shadow IT is when employees of an organization use technology and software without IT approval. Citizen development, on the other hand, provides non-technical users with IT-approved tools such as low-code/no-code platforms. This helps to reduce the risk of shadow IT and encourages innovation within the authorized space.
Hence, citizen development equips all employees in the organization to participate in digital transformation, enabling them to meet specific business needs by improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, increasing revenue, and enhancing customer satisfaction.
Now that we understand the advantages of citizen development in digital transformation, let’s explore how to put it into practice.
How can you implement citizen development in an organization?
Here are some of the ways to implement citizen development in your organization:
- Encourage and support employees to become citizen developers by providing them with the necessary resources and training.
- Establish guidelines and standards to ensure that citizen development initiatives align with business goals and integrate with existing IT systems. Low-code, no-code platforms can be leveraged to enable rapid application development.
- Recognize and reward employees who contribute their efforts to citizen development. This can be in the form of bonuses or promotions, and can motivate employees to continue their participation.
- Be prepared to adapt to the changes brought forth by citizen development. It requires a shift in thinking, new talents, and new procedures. By embracing citizen development, organizations can tap into the creativity and expertise of their employees to drive growth and innovation in the digital age.
While citizen development is an effective approach, it has its limitations as well. For building and maintaining complex applications, organizations may still need to hire professional developers to ensure the software is robust and secure. Combining citizen development and traditional software development can help organizations achieve digital transformation in a prominent way, giving them a competitive advantage in today’s fast-paced business environment.
To summarize, here’s why low-code platforms aid citizen development and are a great approach for digital transformation. The pre-built components and visual interfaces in low-code platforms allow citizen developers to create applications through drag-and-drop interfaces and simple configurations rather than writing long lines of code from scratch. This approach helps businesses speed up the development process, reduce costs, and make it easier for non-technical users to participate in the development process. It also allows them to innovate more quickly and remain competitive in today’s rapidly evolving digital ecosystem. Low-code development provides organizations with a scalable solution that can easily adapt to changing business needs, ensuring that their digital transformation efforts are sustainable and effective in the long run.
It’s time for you to begin your first step by encouraging your employees to try our low-code platform, AppCreator. With this platform you can now build custom apps and launch them on-premises. It will surely be your organization’s go-to tool that facilitates digital transformation. AppCreator comes with various features such as visual development, advanced automation, multi-device solutions, built-in security, and more.
Download AppCreator immediately for seamless implementation of low-code to aid citizen development processes in your organization.
