Citizen development and Low-Code/No-Code platforms: Fueling enterprise innovation & agility

In the realm of IT, speed, flexibility, and efficiency often determine the success of an enterprise. As organizations embark on their digital transformation journeys, there's a constant quest for new ways to improve operational efficiency and foster innovation where Citizen Development powered by Low-Code/No-Code (LC/NC) platforms are a very good support.

What is citizen development?

Citizen Development is an emerging paradigm where individuals without a formal background in programming—often referred to as "citizen developers"—are empowered to create applications, tools, or workflows that meet specific business needs. This model decentralizes the development process, allowing those closest to business challenges to devise solutions swiftly.

Understanding Low-Code/No-Code platforms

Low-Code/No-Code platforms are the engines powering citizen development. At their core, these platforms are:

• Low-Code: Platforms that offer graphical interfaces where developers (whether they're seasoned professionals or citizen developers) can drag and drop components to create applications. While they simplify the process significantly, they might still require minimal code for complex functionalities.
• No-Code: Platforms where absolutely no coding knowledge is needed. Every aspect of the application, from its user interface to backend logic, can be set up using visual tools.

The magic of LC/NC: Bridging the IT skills gap

The beauty of LC/NC platforms lies in their ability to democratize application development. Here's how:

1. Speed to market: Business units can swiftly ideate, prototype, and deploy solutions without waiting in the IT department's queue.
2. Flexibility: As businesses evolve, so do their needs. LC/NC platforms allow for quick adjustments without the need for a full development cycle.
3. Cost efficiency: Reduced reliance on specialized IT resources translates to cost savings, especially for small to mid-sized projects.
4. Empowering innovation: By handing the tools of creation to those on the frontline of business challenges, you unlock a wellspring of innovation.

Reaping the benefits: Steps for enterprises

1. Invest in training: Identify potential citizen developers within your teams and offer them training on chosen LC/NC platforms.
2. Establish governance: While LC/NC platforms foster innovation, it's essential to establish guidelines. This ensures that applications meet security, compliance, and operational standards.
3. Collaborate with IT: The IT department remains crucial. They can offer support, ensure integrations with core systems, and provide expertise when citizen developers hit a roadblock.
4. Celebrate success: As teams create and deploy solutions, highlight their successes. This not only fosters a culture of innovation but also encourages others to explore citizen development.

Risks of Low-Code and No-Code platforms

As we marvel at the advantages of Low-Code and No-Code platforms and their ability to democratize the application development process, it's crucial to approach them with a balanced perspective. Like any tool or framework, LC/NC platforms come with their set of challenges and risks.

1. Data management: With multiple departments crafting their own solutions, there's a very real risk of data silos, inconsistency, and breaches.
2. Scalability concerns: Many LC/NC platforms are designed for rapid application development, which might be perfect for prototyping or small-scale solutions. However, as an application grows and demands more resources, these platforms might not offer the robust scalability enterprises often require.
3. Vendor lock-in: Tied to a specific platform, businesses may find themselves overly reliant on a particular vendor's tools, features, and pricing structure. Migrating away can be time-consuming, expensive, and complex.
4. Limited customization: While LC/NC platforms offer ease and speed, they may not provide the deep customization that some complex business processes demand. There might be moments when the platform's capabilities don't align with specific requirements.
5. Security concerns: Not all platforms maintain high security standards. Relying on third-party platforms can sometimes expose organizations to vulnerabilities if not evaluated correctly.
6. Overlooking best practices: The simplicity of drag-and-drop might sometimes lead citizen developers to overlook best coding or design practices, potentially leading to inefficient or sub-optimal applications.
7. Complexity underestimation: A common misconception is thinking every solution can be 'drag-and-dropped.' Some business challenges are intrinsically complex, and while LC/NC platforms simplify the process, they don't always eliminate complexity. (See my article about simplexity)

Mitigating the risks:

1. Working with a trusted partner: A seasoned partner comes with a wealth of experience, having likely worked with various businesses, industries, and unique challenges. They can offer best practices, insights, and proven strategies tailored to your business needs.
2. Data governance, management and security: As companies empower departments to innovate, they need a robust data governance, management and security strategy.
3. Due diligence: Before committing, thoroughly evaluate the LC/NC platform. Consider scalability, security, and how well it aligns with the organization's long-term goals.
4. Training and guidelines: Ensure that citizen developers are provided with guidance on best practices and encouraged to seek feedback or assistance when faced with complexities.
5. IT collaboration: Maintain a bridge with the IT department. Their expertise can be invaluable in ensuring that the applications developed align with organizational standards and practices.
6. Regular reviews: Establish a periodic review process where applications are audited for efficiency, security, and functionality.

Example of Low-code / No-code platforms:

Microsoft Power Apps:

• Type: Low-Code/No-Code
• Utilization: Part of Microsoft's Power Platform, Power Apps allows users to build custom business apps that connect to business data stored either in the underlying Data Platform (Microsoft Dataverse) or in various online and on-premises data sources like SharePoint, Excel, Office 365, and SQL Server. Examples include internal employee directories, expense tracking apps, and simple task management tools.

Flowable:

• Type: Low-Code
• Utilization: Flowable is a leading platform that specializes in Business Process Management (BPM) and Case Management solutions. With its low-code capabilities, organizations utilize Flowable for orchestrating complex business processes, automating workflows, and handling dynamic case management scenarios. It's popular among businesses that require intricate workflows like loan application processes, claims handling, customer onboarding, and service ticket management. Its strength lies in its ability to integrate with various enterprise systems and manage both structured and unstructured processes flexibly.

Bubble:

• Type: No-Code
• Utilization: Bubble is a versatile no-code platform where users can build fully functional web applications. It's been utilized to create online marketplaces, social networks, and even SaaS platforms.

Spotlight on Success: Companies Harnessing the Power of LC/NC

As the LC/NC wave gathers momentum, several organizations, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, have hopped onboard, reaping significant benefits. Let's take a look at a few standout cases:

Swiss Confederation: Digital process automation: online collaboration platform for special transport permits. The Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) issues over 27,000 special permits for road transportation outside the legal standards every year. A low-code digital cooperation platform with business process digitalization and automation for the submission, processing and issuing procedure for the special permits.

Zürcher Kantonalbank: Optimizing Real Estate Management Processes: Reducing requests processing time from 2 weeks to 2 hours. ZKB created a Loan Application Process Workflow based on a Low-Code platform and reduced the request processing time from two weeks to only two hours.

Shell: The energy giant used a low-code platform to revolutionize its internal logistics operations. They developed a suite of applications that improved the efficiency of their equipment maintenance and repair processes, resulting in substantial time and cost savings.

Siemens: Siemens employed low-code solutions to develop a system that could manage and monitor its vast network of industrial equipment installations globally. The platform enabled real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and streamlined customer service operations.

Dominos: In their quest for digital transformation, Dominos used a low-code platform to revamp their online ordering system. This allowed them to quickly adapt to changing market needs and customer preferences, driving their growth in the digital ordering segment.

Conclusion

In the dynamic landscape of digital transformation, Low-Code and No-Code platforms stand as powerful tools, heralding a paradigm where innovation isn't just the purview of IT professionals but of every department. They promise swift development, tailored solutions, and a democratization of the application building process. However, as with any transformative tool, they must be wielded judiciously.

The journey towards widespread Citizen Development is laced with both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, businesses can reap unparalleled agility and innovation; on the other, they grapple with data integrity concerns and potential platform-related pitfalls. As enterprises tread this path, a balanced approach becomes crucial. This involves not just celebrating rapid development but also instilling strong data governance, understanding platform limitations, and fostering a collaborative culture where citizen developers and IT professionals work in tandem.

Embracing Low-Code and No-Code is not about replacing traditional IT practices but enhancing them. It's about merging the agility of decentralized development with the structure and expertise of central IT. In this equilibrium, enterprises will truly unlock the promise of a digital future, where innovation thrives at every corner, but not at the expense of integrity, security, or efficiency.