Have you ever thought about becoming a Citizen Developer?

If so, this article is for you. Citizen developers are getting increasingly more sophisticated in their ability to use Low-Code, No-Code software tools, and cloud services to build new applications that meet the needs of their organizations.

As more companies look for citizen developers, it's easy to get caught up in all the hype around it. But what does it take to succeed as one?

What is a citizen developer?

As we have defined before, a citizen developer is an end-user in a business without traditional programming or IT experience but who can use low-code or no-code tools to develop applications to streamline a company's business processes. Gartner coined the term, which has since become part of common parlance.

Citizen developers are not full-time developers but can act as one when needed. They can be anyone in your organization, including business analysts, project managers, and data scientists. A significant number of Citizen Developers also come from a process-improvement background. 

The importance of citizen development in organizations

Citizen development has become essential in organizations because it allows organizations to adopt new technologies and tools faster than ever before when the only ones who could create software were those with specialized training. Citizen developers help organizations become more agile by creating applications that are easy to use and update. In short, they can bring fresh ideas, innovative solutions, and creative problem-solving skills to the table.

Skills that citizen developers need

To be successful as a citizen developer, you must be open to learning new skills and working with new technologies. For instance, one of our articles, "Citizen Developer: Are you the one," explains the skill set you need to become successful as a Citizen Developer. 

You'll also have to be willing to learn from others, collaborate with them, and share your knowledge.

• Collaborative skills: Citizen developers are not always working independently; they're often part of a team, so collaboration is essential. Being able to work with others and communicate effectively will help grow your career as a citizen developer.
• Communication skills: When working on projects with others, explaining your ideas clearly is essential so that others can understand them without being condescending or judgmental.
• Analytical ability: Citizen developers often have specific needs they need to solve. They have to figure out how best to meet those needs by looking at the data surrounding the problem they're trying to solve.
• Critical thinking: You need to think critically about the problems you're solving for your company and how you can solve them using technology.
• Flexibility: Technology is constantly changing, so the skills you learn in school may not be relevant when you graduate. It's essential to be able to adapt and change your skills as necessary.
• Process orientation: Citizen Developers ought to think about process improvement; hence, many of their app ideas need to improve existing processes. Therefore, it is important to have a process-first approach. 

Tools that citizen developers need

To become a citizen developer, you’ll need to become familiar with the right software for the job! The following are some of the most common tools and resources used by citizen developers:

• No-code platforms are built to give non-developers the ability to build web applications without having to learn how to code. These platforms typically offer drag-and-drop design tools but are less capable than low-code development environments.
• Low-code platforms allow developers with no coding experience at all—and even those with experience—to create enterprise-level applications quickly and easily. Citizen Developers can use LC/NC platforms for process automation, enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), data analytics, customer self-service, and more.
• Cloud-based platforms are similar in concept as low code or no-code platforms, but they allow you to access them from anywhere on any device so long as you have an internet connection. It will enable your organization to have more flexibility during project deployment.
• Process automation platforms can eliminate many time-intensive manual processes by allowing computers to repeat actions without human intervention. These tools use a flowchart-style interface to represent the sequence of operations required by an automated process.
• Integration tools are like automation platforms. However, cloud-based integration tools streamline and connect on-premise and cloud systems; rather than entire processes and workflows.

Training for citizen developers

Citizen development is more than just building an application—it's about implementing a project with frameworks and best practices and following Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). To succeed as a citizen developer, you'll want to take some of the most common training in the industry. These include:

• Project Management Institute Training: This education suite provides citizen developers with the tools and frameworks they need to implement citizen development effectively in their organizations. It offers
• Citizen Developer Practitioner (CD-P): The course is intended for citizen developers and standardizes the process using whatever tools its students prefer. It provides the necessary tools to help you determine if citizen engagement is the right approach for your proposed solution.
• Citizen Developer Business Architect (CD-BA): This course offers insights and best practices for managing citizen developers within an organization. Managers of citizen developers will learn how to foster organizational structures, oversee collaboration, and govern the process of translating ideas into action.

Platform Specific Training

To be a citizen developer, you need to know the ins and outs of whatever platform you use. It is why platform-specific training is so crucial for citizen developers: it gives the training you need for each platform so that you can use it effectively and efficiently.

• AgilePoint NX Getting Started Training: This online self-learning resource is designed to help you quickly become familiar with the enterprise-class low-code/no-code automation capabilities offered by AgilePoint. Through this course, you can start to achieve fundamental automation capabilities by learning how your organization operates and what processes are repeatable. You can begin taking classes at any time, and you have the option to complete them within a flexible time frame.

Conclusion

All in all, citizen development is on the rise. Citizen developers can help organizations move faster and become more agile, innovative, and productive. They have the skills to collaborate at scale across teams; they understand how technology works, and they know how to use it in everyday life. As this trend continues over time, we may see fully self-sufficient employees who don’t need any external help at all!

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