Everything You Need to Know About RPA Citizen Development

The Need for Citizen Development in 2022

Evolving organizations are always tinkering with processes and scouring the landscape for fresh approaches to stay at the forefront of their industry. These enterprises understand that, should stagnation set in or if a poorly conceived strategy is adopted, then brand relevance will be lost to customers.

Companies are striving to stay on top with automation. It allows them to streamline processes and perform demanding tasks without increasing headcount, while also being beneficial for both internal operations as well as for their customers. Over time, advancements in automated technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and computer vision have brought forth a novel approach that is known colloquially as Hyperautomation – one which seems capable of virtually limitless potentiality!

Unlocking the power of Hyperautomation can be a highly rewarding experience, but it requires some financial investment to realize its full potential. Regardless of your IT department’s size, they cannot fully leverage these capabilities on their own – however with citizen-led development becoming more prevalent, this problem doesn't need to exist!

What is citizen development?

Citizen development empowers employees who lack an IT background to become software developers using low-code and no-code platforms to create original business applications. Utilizing this approach, they can customize existing programs and implement solutions tailored for specific use cases which has led to a new level of efficiency within some of the most prestigious organizations. Companies that recognize the significance of utilizing citizen development have seen positive results – it's been a vital part in enhancing productivity!

When it comes to internal benefits, citizen development can be an efficient way of relieving IT departments that are already overburdened with creating new applications and alleviating issues within existing code. Employees who have created citizen development apps will avoid encountering bugs and malfunctions in their creations without the aid of IT personnel; once they have been tested, they can independently publish updates. As a result, highly skilled IT professionals may become more adept at handling complex tasks while additionally being able to track output from those participating in this initiative.

Ensuring rapid application updates is not feasible without implementing efficient platforms like Citizen Development which allow pre-made code to generate applications of any complexity at an accelerated rate with ease – facilitating a more positive experience for returning customers as well. Indeed, as citizen developers become more accustomed to the drag-and-drop functionality of these platforms, their efficiency and productivity often visibly improve.

What is a citizen developer?

A citizen developer is someone who can develop applications and technology solutions without the need for professional coding skills. This term is used to describe an individual who has developed an application or solution without the help of a professional software developer.

They are typically non-technical people with a business or domain knowledge who can quickly create applications or solutions by using visual programming tools such as drag-and-drop software. These tools enable them to modify existing applications, create new ones, and integrate multiple systems.

Citizen developers are becoming increasingly important as organizations look for ways to develop and deploy new products faster. By taking advantage of the skills and knowledge of their employees, organizations can create innovative solutions that meet their business needs quickly and efficiently. Citizen developers can also help organizations become more agile, allowing them to respond quickly to market changes and customer demands.

While you might not know any citizen developers today, research firm Gartner predicts that “by 2023, the number of active citizen developers at large enterprises will be at least four times the number of professional developers.”

Who needs citizen development?

Citizen development is an ideal solution for organizations that have limited resources and need to quickly create or modify applications. It also eliminates the need for expensive IT resources, as users can self-manage their applications.

Citizen development is also ideal for organizations looking to empower their employees with tools that allow them to create solutions that are tailored to their own unique business needs.
Citizen development provides the ability to quickly create and deploy applications that are tailored to specific business requirements, while also making it easier for businesses to stay
ahead of the competition.

With citizen development, organizations can now easily build custom applications that are designed for their specific needs, without needing to rely on expensive IT resources.

Broadly, any business or organization struggling to get things done with an IT team that is dealing with mounds of technical debt and a backlog of innovation projects needs citizen
development. Meaning, most companies!

Businesses that embrace citizen development experience greater efficiency and productivity. They cannot afford to waste time and resources waiting for the IT department to address
software issues both large and small. Leveraging citizen developers can allow business needs to be met more quickly without disrupting other critical projects. Keep in mind that we are not advocating for “Shadow” IT that completely bypasses architectural and other required oversight provided by the IT department.

What citizen developer business model should you embrace?

The concept of a citizen developer business model has become increasingly popular in recent years. This model has the potential to reduce costs, improve customer service, and increase efficiency. However, which citizen developer business model should you embrace? 

When considering a citizen developer model, it is important to understand what type of resources and capabilities are needed to make it successful. For example, it may be necessary to hire an experienced software developer who can provide technical guidance and support. Additionally, you may need to invest in additional hardware, software, or a cloud computing platform to enable the development process. 

In addition to the technical aspects, there are also organizational considerations for a citizen developer business model. It is important to ensure that there is sufficient oversight and
governance in place to ensure that the development process is aligned with the organization’s goals and objectives. Additionally, it is important to ensure that the development process is structured and organized in order to maintain consistency and quality. 

Finally, it is important to understand the cost structure associated with a citizen developer business model. This will help you determine what type of resources are required to successfully implement the model and how those resources can be allocated within the organization. By understanding the cost structure of a citizen developer model, you can make informed decisions on how best to move forward with your implementation. 

That’s where Nividous comes in. The Nividous platform, built with a holistic automation approach, provides the necessary tools your business needs to start your Hyperautomation (intelligent automation) journey.

Once the Nividous team completes the initial setup, your citizen developers will be primed to efficiently build automation on top of that strong foundation. And in the event your citizen
developers hit a snag, the Nividous team offers ongoing support to help them through a project, along with the capabilities to handle projects end-to-end, if requested.

Nividous, a leading global intelligent automation company, is passionate about enabling organizations like yours to work at peak efficiency using a holistic approach to citizen development. The Nividous business automation platform harnesses the power of RPA, AI, and BPM – three pillars natively available, and a key differentiator in comparison to other platforms attempting to offer citizen development tools.

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