This year has been the perfect storm for everyone in the tech industry. With the economy in a state of flux, inflation, and rising costs impacting business operations and strategies, there’s several headwinds impacting the changing dynamic of the environment right now.
Current economic conditions are challenging companies to alter traditional staffing models, especially in tech where the talent shortage is intensifying. Compounded by financial strains and a shift towards remote work, these factors are reshaping the demand for IT professionals.
In the meantime, digital is becoming a new way to compete, win, and retain customers, providing them with slick experiences delivered through intelligent and personalized automation. This is true for a lot of traditional industries that are increasing their focus on digital and thus need tools and resources to continuously enhance and digitize their internal and customer-facing interactions.
So clearly, there is a demand to do more with less. And that’s why 2024 might be known as the year of the citizen developer.
Navigating the developer shortage
The emergence of citizen developers is timely, addressing the current demand-supply gap in business automation. With companies struggling to find skilled developers in an increasingly sparse talent pool, this shortage is a multifaceted challenge that impacts both organizational growth and innovation.
Growing backlogs and unfilled positions are tangible signs of this talent gap. Projects stall, innovation slows, and existing teams face mounting pressure, often leading to burnout and turnover.
Additionally, recruitment costs are soaring as companies compete for top talent. This cycle of shortages and escalating expenses creates a critical situation, necessitating a new and creative response.
Fortunately, the concept of citizen developers offers hope. By empowering business technologists within organizations who understand their processes but don’t necessarily have great technical skills, businesses can start to bridge this gap.
Understanding the role of citizen developers
The concept of citizen developers is emerging as a practical solution to current challenges. Citizen developers are individuals within an organization who, despite not having formal programming training, create applications using accessible development tools and platforms. Their blend of domain expertise and lighter technological skills enables them to meet specific business needs at speed and scale.
Citizen developers are of growing importance thanks to their ability to quickly prototype and deploy solutions that align closely with business needs. Their understanding of the organization’s processes and challenges lets them tailor applications to specific operational contexts. These applications are not just basic solutions: Many are capable of evolving into enterprise-grade applications, demonstrating advanced performance and scalability that are critical for organizational operations.
Empowering citizen developers reduces pressure on IT departments by decentralizing development, which leads to faster turnaround times and agile responses to everyday problems. This democratization of development eases the talent shortage while promoting continuous improvement.
Fostering citizen developer talent
To foster citizen developers, organizations must adopt strategic approaches to identify and nurture this emerging talent. The process of becoming a citizen developer is not bound by formal prerequisites. Rather, it hinges on the interest of employees in becoming citizen developers and the specific needs of the organization.
The first step involves recognizing potential citizen developers within the workforce. These are often employees who demonstrate a keen interest in processes and technology and have problem-solving skills. They might already be creating solutions informally or showing a propensity for forward-thinking.
Training plays a crucial role in nurturing citizen developers. While this training doesn’t need to be extensive or deeply technical, it should empower employees with the knowledge and confidence to get started.
Mentorship is another key element. Pairing aspiring citizen developers with experienced mentors increases the chance of a successful transition. These mentors can guide them through the nuances of software development, ensuring that the solutions they develop are robust, scalable, and secure.
Creating a supportive work environment is equally important. This involves encouraging experimentation and innovation, while also providing a safety net for failure. An environment that values creative problem-solving and allows employees to take calculated risks is essential for citizen developers to thrive.
By implementing these strategies, organizations not only address the immediate challenge of developer shortages but also cultivate a culture of continuous innovation and adaptability.
In the coming year, citizen developers are expected to become a bigger piece of software development and business growth.
These developers are poised to have a substantial impact on organizational agility in responding to market changes and customer demands. This evolution is a natural progression, and organizations need to adapt and embrace it swiftly and effectively. The future of software development hinges on it, and it’s a change that the industry must accept.
Katherine Kostereva is the CEO of Creatio, a global vendor of one platform to automate workflows and CRM.
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