Enabling Digital Transformation
Digital transformation has been a hot topic for years, but there's a new buzzword in town: citizen development. This game-changing approach empowers employees to create their own software solutions using no-code or low-code platforms like Microsoft Power Platform.
Citizen developers are employees who may not have formal training in software development, but they have access to an integrated development environment where they can use drag-and-drop components to create custom web or mobile applications. By enabling citizen developers, companies can unlock their employees' potential, drive innovation, and accelerate their digital transformation journey.
Power Platform: Using the Right Tools
Microsoft Power Platform is a suite of tools that allows organizations to create custom business solutions, automate workflows, and analyze data. One of the main benefits of Power Platform is that it allows organizations to empower citizen developers, or non-technical users, to build custom solutions without the need for coding skills. This can save time and resources by enabling employees to solve business problems independently rather than relying on IT departments or external developers.
However, organizations need to provide mentoring, support, and learning opportunities to ensure that citizen developers are using the tools safely and effectively. Governance is essential for ensuring that solutions are built and used in a way that is consistent with the organization's goals, policies, and standards.
Best Practices & Governance
Following best practices for security and governance, citizen developers can help to ensure that Power Platform solutions are built and used in a way that aligns with the organization's goals and standards. This can ultimately lead to more efficient and effective business operations, as well as increased trust and confidence in the solutions being built.
Power Platform and Microsoft 365 provide various tools and features to help organizations implement security and governance for their solutions. These tools include Center of Excellence, Data Loss Prevention, Azure AD, Azure Information Protection, and Office 365 Compliance Center. By using these tools and features, organizations can implement robust security and governance for their Power Platform solutions, helping to protect their data and ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards.
"Empowering employees to become citizen developers is a critical step in unlocking the full potential of digital transformation. By democratizing software development and allowing non-technical users to create their own solutions, companies can drive innovation and accelerate their journey towards becoming truly agile organizations." - Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.
Toyota: Citizen Development in Action
Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) promotes employee innovation and provides access to Microsoft Power Platform for developing business solutions. Over 400 apps have been created by employees to address business needs, including quality control and COVID-19 screening. TMNA has established a Center of Excellence to support and manage the development of these apps, and they maintain strict governance requirements.
TMNA believes in empowering employees to contribute to the company's success while maintaining standards. The company has developed policies that encourage development while ensuring data security and app quality. Employees must register their apps and receive approvals before they can be made available for widespread use. The Center of Excellence provides support and training to help employees build apps themselves, and the company's goal is to make 80% of Power Platform development self-service. The platform has been used to develop apps for a wide range of business needs, including COVID-19 safety compliance and quality control.
It's a win-win
It's clear that citizen development is a win-win proposition for businesses and their employees. By leveraging low-code/no-code platforms, employees can unleash their creativity, build apps they need, and drive innovation, all while working within an IT governance framework that certifies compliance.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve and drive your business forward, it's time to embrace citizen development. With the right training, tools and governance, your employees can be the key to unlocking your digital transformation journey. The future is now, so let's get started!
As a Microsoft solutions partner, Convverge can help you implement Microsoft Power Platform and empower your employees with citizen development. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you on your digital transformation journey.
