Securing Success in Citizen Development: A Peak Behind the Curtain of Post-Go-Live Support Plans

The rise of citizen development, facilitated by low-code and no-code platforms, has opened a world of possibilities for innovation within organizations. However, the successful deployment of a citizen-developed application is merely the first step on a longer journey. The key to sustaining this success and mitigating associated risks lies in a well-structured post-go-live support plan. This article will delve deeper into the importance of such a plan, outline potential solutions or design patterns, and provide a roadmap for implementing a comprehensive post-go-live support plan.

Tune in after the article for a brief short story on the concept.

Post-Go-Live: The Critical Phase

The launch of a new application is a moment of celebration, marking the transition from development to real-world usage. However, this transition also introduces new challenges: bugs, performance issues, and the need for ongoing maintenance and enhancements. A comprehensive post-go-live support plan is essential to navigate this critical phase successfully, ensuring that the application continues to meet user needs and align with evolving business processes.

The Role of Post-Go-Live Support in Risk Mitigation

A post-go-live support plan serves several vital functions in risk mitigation. Primarily, it provides a systematic approach to address software bugs and performance issues. By establishing clear procedures for reporting and resolving issues, the support plan ensures swift and effective response to problems, minimizing disruption to users and business operations.

The support plan also guards against non-compliance with data security and regulatory standards. By offering ongoing training and resources on these standards, the support plan helps citizen developers maintain and update their applications in line with the organization's compliance requirements.

Finally, a post-go-live support plan helps prevent fragmentation of software development efforts. It provides a centralized system for managing and maintaining citizen-developed applications, ensuring alignment with the organization's overall IT strategy.

Key Components of a Post-Go-Live Support Plan

A comprehensive post-go-live support plan encompasses several crucial components, including ongoing training, an issue resolution process, regular audits and reviews, and centralized application management. Let's examine these components in more detail and propose potential solutions or design patterns for each.

Ongoing Training: Continuous learning is essential for citizen developers. Regular training sessions, webinars, or workshops can help them improve their skills and stay updated with new features and best practices. An effective design pattern could be a mix of online self-paced courses and instructor-led sessions. Gamification of learning content can also promote engagement and enhance learning outcomes.

Issue Resolution Process: A well-defined process for reporting and resolving issues is a critical component of the support plan. One potential solution is to implement a ticketing system, where users can report issues, and developers or IT staff can track and resolve these tickets. A shared dashboard can provide visibility into the status of issues, promoting transparency and accountability.

Regular Audits and Reviews: Regular audits ensure compliance with data security and regulatory standards. Automated audit tools can streamline this process, flagging potential compliance issues for review and action. In addition, performance reviews of the applications can identify potential issues or areas for improvement. These reviews can leverage user feedback and application usage data to inform enhancements.

Centralized Application Management: To prevent fragmentation and ensure alignment with the IT strategy, the support plan should include a system for centralized management of citizen-developed applications. This system can provide a holistic view of all applications, their status, usage, and performance. A potential solution could be a dashboard that integrates with the low-code/no-code platform, providing real-time insights and enabling easy updates and enhancements.

Implementing a Post-Go-Live Support Plan: A Roadmap

Implementing a comprehensive post-go-live support plan requires a structured approach. Here's a potential roadmap:

1. Define the Scope: Start by identifying the applications that will be covered by the support plan. This could include all existing citizen-developed applications, as well as any planned for future development.
2. Establish Roles and Responsibilities: Determine who will be responsible for each aspect of the support plan, including issue resolution, audits and reviews, and application management. This could involve a mix of citizen developers, IT staff, and possibly external consultants or service providers.
3. Develop the Support Infrastructure: Implement the systems and tools needed to support each component of the plan. This could include a learning management system for ongoing training, a ticketing system for issue resolution, audit tools for compliance checks, and a dashboard for application management.
4. Provide Training and Resources: Equip citizen developers with the knowledge and resources they need to effectively use the support infrastructure. This should include training on the issue resolution process, compliance requirements, and how to use the application management system.
5. Monitor and Review: Once the support plan is implemented, it's important to regularly monitor and review its effectiveness. This should include tracking the resolution of issues, compliance with standards, user feedback, and application performance. Based on these reviews, adjustments can be made to the support plan as needed.

Wrapping Up

In the journey of citizen development, a comprehensive post-go-live support plan is not just a safety net - it's a springboard for continuous improvement and sustained success. By providing ongoing training, a clear issue resolution process, regular audits and reviews, and centralized application management, the support plan enables citizen developers to navigate the challenges of the post-launch phase and ensures that their applications continue to deliver value to the organization. As we democratize software development and empower more individuals to become citizen developers, let's also empower them with the support and resources they need to succeed beyond the go-live moment.

Remember, every innovative leap comes with its set of challenges, but with the right support system in place, the transformative potential of citizen development can truly be realized, bringing about a new era of democratized innovation that empowers every member of your organization to contribute meaningfully to your digital transformation journey. Let's continue to innovate, learn, and grow together in this exciting journey of citizen development.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, but it doesn't end there. Similarly, in citizen development, the launch of an application is just the beginning. With a robust post-go-live support plan, the journey continues, fostering a culture of continuous learning, improvement, and innovation. Let's take this journey together, supporting each other every step of the way, and watch as our collective efforts propel our organizations towards a brighter, more innovative future.

On the Wings of Innovation: A Citizen Developer's Journey

Once upon a time, in the bustling city of Technopolis, there was a progressive organization named FutureCorp. Among its many talents was Lily, a marketing manager with a flair for innovation.

One day, Lily identified a significant bottleneck in the marketing team's workflow. Being an inquisitive mind, she realized that she could create a solution using a low-code platform, and thus, she embarked on her journey to become a citizen developer.

Lily dedicated herself to learning the platform, guided by her understanding of the team's needs and the problems they faced. After several weeks of diligent work, she had developed a custom application that streamlined the workflow, reducing the time-consuming manual tasks that were slowing down the team. Excited by the potential of her creation, she decided to deploy the application, with the approval of her department head and IT.

The deployment was a success, and the team quickly began to reap the benefits of the new application. However, a week later, users started encountering issues. Some features weren't working as expected, and one of the workflows was causing the application to freeze.

Lily was disheartened but not defeated. She recalled the training she had received on the post-go-live support plan and recognized this as the next phase of her journey. She reported the issues through the established ticketing system. With visibility into the status of these issues, she could prioritize them and start working on resolutions.

While she was able to resolve some bugs herself, some more complex issues required assistance. The support plan came in handy here, providing her with resources and guidance. She reached out to the IT team who were more than willing to assist, and together, they tackled the problems.

In the midst of this, Lily also realized she had overlooked data security and regulatory standards while developing her application. She immediately utilized the resources and training provided by the support plan to understand these standards. With this newfound knowledge, she promptly implemented the necessary measures, ensuring her application was compliant and secure.

Over time, Lily's application evolved. User feedback, performance data, and regular reviews, all part of the post-go-live support plan, informed the enhancements she made. The centralized application management system provided a holistic view of her application's status, usage, and performance, enabling her to make informed decisions and keep the application aligned with FutureCorp's IT strategy.

Lily's journey as a citizen developer underscores the critical role of a comprehensive post-go-live support plan. While she faced challenges after deploying her application, the support plan offered her the resources and guidance she needed to navigate these hurdles. Her innovation did not end with the launch of the application, but continued to evolve and improve, delivering ongoing value to her team and the organization.

In the realm of citizen development, launching an application is not the end of the journey, but rather the beginning. With a robust post-go-live support plan, citizen developers like Lily can continue to soar on the wings of innovation, turning their ideas into practical solutions that contribute to their organization's digital transformation journey.