My Experience of the Citizen Developer Practitioner Course (2 of 2)
My Objective
As stated in my proceeding blog: Blog 1 of 2, my primary objective of completing this course was to test whether I gained the tools and knowledge that I would need to create effective applications to solve problems.
Course Structure
The Practitioner Course focuses on the “Do” sections of the Citizen Development Canvas; Project Delivery and Capability Development.
The course contains 8 modules:
- Introduction
- Project Delivery Modules
- Hyper Agile SDLC
- Ideation 2.0
- Suitability Assessment
- Capability Development Modules
- Business Analysis and Design
- Project Risks & Enterprise Risk Requirements
- Application Design, Development and Deployment
- Conclusion
As the Practitioner course is quite extensive, I decided to split my critique into 2 separate blogs (this is the second, click here to read my critique of the introduction and Project Delivery modules). In this blog, I will outline my experience of the Capability Development and conclusion modules of the course. Let’s get started! :)
Module 5 – Business Analysis and Design
Business Analysis and Design enables Citizen Developer Practitioners and other stakeholder’s, to gain a vital understanding of how potential citizen development applications will work within an organization. In essence, this module gives the Citizen Developer insight into a citizen development applications broader impact on the organization.
The learning objectives of this module were outlined at the outset, you will have learned:
1. How to apply Business Analysis and Design processes
2. How to utilize Business and Analysis and Design tools
3. How to gather additional Business Analysis documentation
The learning objectives of this modules were easily achieved. During the lesson I was introduced to tools that are not only useful for a Citizen Developer but also a consultant and business analyst (e.g. Process Architecture Model). The tools and templates were very useful and valuable. The table below summarizes my favourite aspects of the module and one way in which I think the lesson could be improved.
Module 6 – Project Risks & Enterprise Risk Requirements
The Project Risks & Enterprise Risk Requirements module contains a section on project risks and then moves on to explain and explore enterprise risk requirements (functional and non-functional). As a systematic learner, I loved the flow of this lesson.
By the end of this module, you will have learned:
1. How to identify and track project risks
2. How to create a stakeholder management plan
3. How to create a communications management plan
4. How to identify and track project requirements
5. How to identify and track enterprise risk requirements
This lesson was excellent – I feel I achieved the learning objectives. The information was concise yet thorough. I have experience working with enterprise risks, however, until now, I did not have context on enterprise risk requirements. This module taught me all about them. The examples that were included and the sample projects further developed my understanding. Some of my favourite aspects and an item I personally think could be improved in future iterations are outlined below.
Module 7 – Application Design, Development & Deployment
The Application Design, Development and Deployment module aims to give the Citizen Developer the tools they will need to get from the design, development and deployment stages of an application. This lesson covers quiet an extensive amount of material. It goes into detail about important aspects of each stage.
By the end of this module, you will have learned:
1. To use a variety of tools and techniques that will help you design your application
2. The steps involved in the application development process
3. The training and support plans that help with user adoption
4. The two levels of deployment for applications
This lesson was full of valuable information. In essence, it covered the critical aspects of application design, development and deployment. My advice to learners when they take this module is to do further research into each stage if they are eager to learn more. The table below summarizes my favourite aspects of the module and an item I personally think could be improved in the future.
Module 8 – Conclusion
Similar to the introduction module, the conclusion module does what it says on the tin! It is a concise lesson that summarizes what you learned throughout the Citizen Developer Practitioner course. During the conclusion, a high-level overview of each module was carried out. A sneak peak of the Citizen Development Maturity Model was also included.
I found the modular recaps very useful. The overarching premise of each lesson was reiterated which enforced the learning for me. Some of my favourite aspects and items I personally think could be improved are outlined below.
Hindsight
My primary objective of completing this course was to test whether I gained the tools and knowledge that I would need to create effective applications to solve problems. I can proudly say that I feel as though I achieved my objective :) .
Closing Summary
I thoroughly enjoyed the Citizen Developer Practitioner Course. Each module had a defined purpose and it is very clear how each area of the canvas should be carried out. The course is self-paced so take your time going through each modules (you don’t want to miss anything important). I’m looking forward to taking the Citizen Developer Practitioner micro-credential in the coming days. I hope you enjoyed this mini-blog series! If you would like to share your thoughts on the course, please leave a comment below :) .
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