Citizen Developers and How They Can Help Your Business

Citizen developers are a new concept to many people, especially in less IT centred industries and lately, it’s become a bit of a buzz term. It is in every blog and mentioned on every tech-savvy LinkedIn page (Even ours 😉).

What is a citizen developer you may ask?

To give you a full definition, a citizen developer is someone who creates applications to aid with their work for consumption by themselves, or others using tools that aren’t forbidden by IT. These applications usually have to do with automating processes or improving on a process that is already in place using technology. It is not a title or targeted role, but a type of person and they could be in any department.

Across different industries, one trend seems to be that companies want to explore automation but do not have the time, or their IT departments are so busy that they are unable to explore any new possibilities. For somebody in this position, citizen developers are a lifeline. They are hungry, they want to make their jobs easier, and they usually have a base knowledge or the motivation to learn new technology in their own time.

A Recent look into how business is affected when IT cannot deliver new solutions in an efficient manner (By Mendix) shows some statistics that put the importance of citizen development into perspective. 49% of businesses miss out on cost reduction opportunities and 62% of forward-thinking employees become frustrated with their employer.

Maybe you don’t see your business having any citizen developers within the ranks, but why not seek them? There is plenty of ways to find out your employee’s hidden skills or lowkey interests. It is a case of empowering and investing a little in your people. If you have access to Microsoft365, we have a way to help you. We offer Power Platform training which can inspire your employees and spark an interest in citizen development. If you don’t have the time, we do. You just need initiative.