Citizen development is a growing trend that is like an unstoppable wave. It’s not something that can be halted or should be halted because the enterprise is in grave need of the citizen developer.
Who is this solution finder called citizen developer? Gartner defines this person as “a user who creates new business applications for consumption by others, using development and runtime environments sanctioned by corporate IT.”
Another definition comes via The QuickBase 2015 State of Citizen Development Report, which gives this definition: “Citizen Developers are empowered problem-solvers from the various lines of business who have the drive and determination to engage in app development even though they lack traditional coding skills.”
So, these are people who didn’t study software development formally but want to develop applications and software solutions for the business using SaaS, cloud, and low-code and “no-code” tools. These tools enable citizen developers to design and build powerful business-targeted applications.
To make it clear: anyone can be a citizen developer. Anyone in the business that sees an opportunity to develop a business application can get certified and become a citizen developer, for instance, a manager in finance or one of her team members. According to Gartner, the ideal people for this position are the users of business applications within organizations. Eventually, Gartner predicts, there will be many more active citizen developers than professional developers.
The growing need for citizen developers
This situation has come about because there is a growing need for business apps, and there are not enough qualified software developers to meet the demand. At the same time, there has been a proliferation of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) web services that don’t require coding skills. For example, with tools like Microsoft Power Platform or Amazon Web Services (AWS), citizen developers can create business-targeted software solutions that the enterprise can use for all manner of purposes.
Advantages of letting interested employees train to become citizen developers
- Cultivating in-house citizen developers increase the number of business app builders without the business having to source qualified programmers who are hard to find.
- Having in-house citizen developers minimizes the need to employ expert developers who are expensive to hire, thus saving the enterprise on costs.
- Low-code/no-code platforms allow citizen developers to build apps far quicker than what was traditionally possible. According to Forrester, citizen developers could potentially speed up development as much as ten times.
- When employees across departments are able to use low-code software to design business solutions, IT is set free to focus on its own critical tasks.
- Allowing non-technical personnel to develop business applications enables enterprises to make use of high-value SaaS, cloud, and low-code and “no-code” tools to reach their potential.
Empowering citizen developers with Microsoft Power Platform
Microsoft Power Platform is a business application platform that combines the power of three Microsoft products: PowerApps, PowerBI, and Power Automate to enable fast and effortless app building and data insights.
The Power Platform makes digital information accessible to non-technical employees and enables them to create, analyze and automate data according to their business needs.
The Leading Learning Partners Association (The LLPA), a Microsoft Learning Partner, and its members will offer two Power Platform training packages to citizen developers across Europe. Our aim: to help businesses and individuals empower themselves to achieve improved business outcomes.
Top reasons to get IT training from a Microsoft Learning Partner
To make the best use of the Microsoft Power Platform requires top-rated training for prospective citizen developers within companies. According to a study by global research corporation IDC, sponsored by Microsoft, organizations can best benefit from the Power Platform by turning to Microsoft Learning Partners to train staff that will be using the platform to meet business needs.
According to the IDC study, Learning Partners:
- Help businesses to identify their specific needs and then provide customized training.
- Provide scale, flexibility, and speed while simplifying the learning initiative, taking responsibility for the alignment of the curriculum, coordinating learning activities, and managing the learning outcomes.
- Keep up with evolving technology and help enterprises to prepare for changing business requirements.
- Provide accurate and up-to-date information in their top-quality training material.
- Can set up targeted learning initiatives on short notice, provide all the necessary resources, and ensure programs stay on track.
- Can roll out global programs for multinationals.
- Can adapt to any business, its schedules, platforms, and people even when they change.
- Are experts at helping others learn. They make sure that every learner has the opportunity to maximize their learning by providing a wide range of learning tools and approaches.
- Use official Microsoft courseware but can also customize a learning program that is relevant and applicable to each client. This courseware is designed with the help of Microsoft product engineers, so it’s accurate and up to date.
All these high-quality services are provided by Microsoft Certified Trainers who have personal experience with the technologies and know-how to share their knowledge and expertise to help others succeed.
With the help of Microsoft Learning Partners, prospective citizen developers can earn industry-recognized certifications, which can boost their careers and help the organizations they work for succeeding in the new digital age.
