What is Citizen Development and What Value Does It Bring to Organizations?
Original article: https://cli.im/article/detail/2103
Author: Wang Jiwei
In traditional development models, business departments needing to develop applications must rely on IT departments. The backlog and progress of IT departments determine whether they can meet the rapidly evolving needs of business units.
This contradiction means most application development requests in organizations face scheduling delays. The chronic shortage of technical talent further exacerbates the issue, leaving many projects stuck in endless queues.
With the evolution of software technology and development models, the rise of no-code/low-code platforms now empowers business users to create their own applications. These technologies have elevated citizen development to a prominent role in organizational development—even becoming the primary approach for some enterprises.
These "citizen developers" leverage their domain expertise to create solutions tailored to their workflows. By rapidly delivering task-centric software independently of IT priorities, employees familiar with business processes can build tools that directly support daily operations and organizational goals.
Understanding Citizen Development
The term "Citizen Development" originates from Western contexts, where it refers to non-technical employees using IT-approved tools to create applications. In China, cultural nuances led to alternative translations like "全民开发" (mass development) or "平民开发" (grassroots development). While terminology differs, the core concept aligns globally.
Key definitions include:
Siemens Mendix: Citizen developers are business users without coding experience who use approved technologies (like low-code platforms) to build simple applications that enhance daily productivity or optimize existing processes.
TechTarget: A process encouraging non-IT staff to become software developers using IT-sanctioned low-code/no-code (LCNC) platforms.
Project Management Institute (PMI): An exciting movement enabling project managers and change-makers to build applications with LCNC platforms, bypassing traditional IT dependencies while drastically reducing costs and timelines.
In practice, LCNC platforms have proven their ability to simplify application development at minimal cost. Organizations increasingly adopt citizen development to accelerate digital transformation, foster innovation, and boost productivity across departments like HR, R&D, and customer service.
The Role of Citizen Developers
Gartner defines citizen developers as employees who create application features for themselves or others using tools not explicitly banned by IT. They leverage low-code/no-code platforms to build internal tools ranging from workflow automations to entirely new software solutions.
Key characteristics of citizen developers:
- Domain experts: They deeply understand business processes and identify improvement opportunities.
- Tech-savvy: While not professional coders, they possess advanced digital skills to navigate LCNC platforms.
- Problem solvers: They create solutions addressing specific operational challenges in their departments.
- Collaborators: They work alongside IT teams to ensure solutions meet organizational standards.
By empowering these individuals, organizations unlock faster innovation cycles while allowing IT teams to focus on mission-critical systems.
The Value of Citizen Development
1. Enhanced Productivity
Citizen development alleviates IT bottlenecks. Applications that previously took months can now be built and deployed in days or weeks. IT teams regain capacity to focus on strategic initiatives like system scaling and legacy modernization.
2. Accelerated Development
In fast-paced markets, speed is critical. LCNC platforms reduce development time by 50%-90%, enabling businesses to respond swiftly to changing needs. 62% of employees report frustration when IT delays hinder solution delivery—citizen development directly addresses this pain point.
3. Increased Employee Engagement
Empowering staff to build their own tools boosts motivation. Employees gain ownership over problem-solving, fostering a sense of accomplishment and alignment with organizational goals.
4. Cost Reduction
Hiring professional developers is expensive—84% of organizations adopt LCNC tools to reduce IT costs. Citizen development saves millions in labor expenses while enabling resource sharing across teams.
5. Improved Collaboration
Breaking down silos between IT and business units, citizen development fosters cross-departmental cooperation. Non-technical employees collaborate with IT to create solutions that precisely meet business requirements.
6. Digital Transformation Catalyst
Citizen developers drive bottom-up innovation, implementing solutions tailored to unique challenges. This accelerates organizational agility, enhances customer experiences, and boosts operational efficiency.
The Era of Citizen Development
Global adoption of citizen development is surging. By equipping business experts with LCNC tools and IT oversight, companies empower employees to build essential applications efficiently—reducing operational costs and IT backlogs.
Industry data highlights this shift:
Gartner predicts that by 2023, active citizen developers will outnumber professional developers in large enterprises by 4:1. By 2024, 75% of large enterprises will use at least four LCNC tools, with 80% of tech products built by non-IT staff.
McKinsey found organizations embracing citizen developers score 33% higher on innovation metrics.
ZDNet reports 72% of IT leaders cite project backlogs as a barrier to strategic work—citizen development redistributes software demand across organizations.
As citizen developers expand their focus from basic apps to integrations and data analysis, this movement is redefining enterprise innovation. The citizen development era has arrived—organizations that harness its potential will lead in the digital age.
About the Author
Wang Jiwei, veteran IT industry analyst and tech columnist, focuses on IoT, industrial internet, digital transformation, and process automation. Explore more insights on his WeChat public account: 王吉伟频道 (ID: jiwei1122).