What is Citizen Development? The simple answer is that it is, in fact, one of the most exciting and current movements in business, according to experts such as those at Parallel Project Training. Citizen Development allows project managers, and also other individuals in a changemaker role to create applications through the use of either low-code or no-code platforms. This can be done without the need for a complete reliance on a specific IT department and perhaps more importantly to a project budget it can be done for a fraction of the time commitment and cost.
Low-code or no-code development refers to the creation of any application software that uses graphic user interfaces and the minimum of basic code rather than complex coding in larger strings. As a term it is often used in order to describe the processes of citizen disadvantage development and its technology. Both low code and no code technology offer interfaces that are point and click and drag and drop; this makes them very easy for everybody to use.
Too often, as a result of IT backlogs there can be bottlenecks which can cull innovation within a team. When a workforce joins forces with IT, they can take matters into their own hands through citizen development.
What is the role of the Project Management Institute in the citizen development movement?
The Project Management Institute (PMI) offers a set of educational resources that work for citizen development. They can help empower people in order to help change ideas into reality.
Through this channel it is possible to access the guiding principles of citizen development. It is here that you will find both the industry standards and also the best practices that are available for citizen development in the same way as the PMI is recognised as setting project management industry standards.
Implementing citizen development
As a project manager, it is possible to implement citizen development into an organisation in order to improve any project management solutions. This can be done using either low-code or no-code technology and it is possible for a project manager to therefore create solutions on their own rather than waiting for a busy IT department to find time in an already packed schedule to help.
Project managers can benefit from Citizen development because:
· It puts the power of innovation directly into the hands of those individuals who are involved directly in projects
· It accelerates innovation
· It provides operational cost savings
· It increases satisfaction within a project team
In short it is well worth a project manager considering citizen development as a useful tool to have in their project management arsenal. For those project managers to whom this is a more unfamiliar concept then there are a number of citizen development courses out there and it may be worth adding one of these to your professional development in order to pick up those essential skills.
