By Mario Trentim

Shadow IT has been around since the beginning of IT. It is the result of business owners and stakeholders reaching for other options to address their challenges rather than waiting for IT to address them. It has been a solution to move faster without all the constraints from IT. To that extent, we might say that Shadow IT had its advantages in the past because there was no better solution.

In this article, I will examine Shadow IT and explore how citizen development brings better solutions to the table.

Shadow IT Benefits vs Risks

A quote attributed to Bill Gates says, “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”  So, in a way, we must thank the “lazy people” and the workarounds known as Shadow IT. These were the first attempts to get past the IT professionals and developer shortage.

If Shadow IT is so good, shouldn’t we embrace it?

The problem with Shadow IT is that it is unsanctioned, posing significant threats to the security, performance, and reliability of critical assets in your organization.

95% of IT decision-makers recognize risks associated with Shadow IT, including lack of data governance, lack of ownership, and change control.

“If you are not breaking things, you are not moving fast enough.”

(Mark Zuckerberg)

Until recently, employees didn´t have the tools, capacity, and support from IT to address their needs.

Now that low-code platforms matured to the point that they minimize the need for technical knowledge, business users will be empowered to turn their ideas into reality in a hyper-agile development and prototyping environment.

Citizen Development and Hyper-Agility are the Solutions

Increasing IT capacity was never the solution. Considering that the world runs on software, citizen development becomes a life skill in high demand.

FTI Consulting's survey (Figure 1) demonstrates that business stakeholders and IT professionals view citizen development as a practical framework to address some of the main barriers to digital transformation.

Figure 1 – Citizen development research results from 2021 by FTI Consulting.

From the organizations´ perspective, business agility and resilience are only possible in an environment that supports collaboration, and autonomy. People from all industries and professional backgrounds must develop citizen development competencies and digital skills to stay relevant to the job market.

The ability to design and deliver applications will speed up the innovation processes organization-wide. As the organization matures in citizen development, there is a potential to unleash productivity gains across businesses. In order to reap the benefits, we need a combination of project management and hyper-agile development cycle.

Figure 2 – Hyper-agile software development cycle (PMI Citizen Development framework)

Hyper-Agile SDLC combines design and development in real-time with smaller teams and less management overhead, resulting in

· reduced documentation and requirement gathering needs

· lighter project governance and documentation

· continuous improvement, and

· ideation 2.0 throughout the project.

In my future articles, I will describe the project concept or initiation, ideation 2.0, spot assessment, and the three paths to Hyper-Agile SDLC, using the PMI Citizen Development framework.

Conclusion

Shadow IT is not the solution. It was a shortcut to a permanent solution based on citizen development in partnership with IT as needed.

Innovation and speed are essential elements to every organization. The environment has become more volatile and uncertain, and we have not only to adapt but also to anticipate change.

Thanks to technology, and empowered by the PMI Citizen Development framework, we are now better equipped for agility and to digitally transform businesses, society, and the way we work.

How Citizen Development Empowered by Low-Code/No-Code is Going to Unleash Innovation
 

We are at a time where technology is constantly evolving. Markets are increasingly becoming more competitive and the availability of skilled software developers appears almost non-existent. However, despite the drought in programmers, the demand to create or maintain business applications still stands and is stretching beyond organisational capabilities.

In fact, Forrester states that by 2024, there will be a total shortage of 500,000 software developers in the United States alone, (How to Harness Citizen Developers to Expand Your AD&D Capacity, Forrester Research, Inc., April 19, 2017).

Is this surprising to me? The answer to this, not really. Certainly, depending solely on traditional software development is not a stable strategy to address organisational demands, not to mention the high costs and long waiting times associated with it.

I believe we are at the beginning of a new era and that the way digital systems are created is changing forever. Technology has significantly evolved in recent years, so much so that even the most complex applications or critical systems can be changed easily without writing any code.

With this shift, we will increasingly see the democratisation of digitalisation that will enable people from different backgrounds to build those systems.

This is going to be the era that unleashes a stream of innovation not seen before.

And this is where citizen development plays a key role.

So, for someone who is embarking on the citizen development journey, I can tell you that citizen development has one mission; to propel the rapid adoption of digital technologies which defines the main role of citizen developers.
 

Why is citizen development on the rise?

We are at a stage where many organisations quickly adopted new technologies during COVID to move their business forward. Low-code/no-code development platforms have been among those technologies that helped companies to quickly connect their people, processes and technologies.

Since this has been appealing to many and it has brought quick outcomes, reverting back to the old ways once COVID is over is not really an option. When used right, technology can play an integral part in improving user engagement, productivity, communications and more.

Citizen development allows organisations to address some of the main pain points of delivering technology such as long waiting times, overloading IT teams and expensive outsourcing.

According to Gartner, 61% of organisations either have or intend to implement citizen development. This move reflects the rising popularity that citizen development is receiving. But, why are leaders paying so much attention to it?

Citizen development is the answer and testament to an organisation’s desire to “deliver more with less resources”.

Its growing popularity comes down to driving productivity while allowing companies to save resources. On the plus side, it allows companies to stay competitive and combat the scarce availability of IT talent by empowering citizen developers to address their organisations digitalisation needs themselves.

Not only does citizen development alleviate the pressure on IT departments but it also speeds up software development life-cycles, offering business processes faster time to market. Additionally, organisations are receiving greater efficiencies by creating a space for non-technical employees to continuously innovate and drive digital transformation.

The prominently increasing adoption of citizen development is not surprising considering the benefits that can be attained.
 

Who is citizen development for?

Citizen development is for anyone within an organisation who is keen to teach themselves basics of low-code/no-code and become an expert in the field. It is for anyone who is willing to work in a fast-growing sector that will accelerate the way companies address the needs of both customers and employees.

The benefits of citizen development are compelling for obvious reasons. It is a great way for someone to skill-up in the long-term and take their part in shaping the technology.

The low-code/no-code movement continues to gain momentum and you can be part of it too.

However, it is important to execute any citizen development initiatives with some factors in mind. There are certain elements one should pay attention to, in order to successfully nurture a culture of citizen developers to generate the best outcomes.
 

4 Factors That Will Foster a Successful Culture of Citizen Development

1. Governing Shadow IT

Providing access to systems and tools to employees outside of IT certainly permits them to be innovative and reduce the pressure on IT departments. With that said, it shouldn’t mean that non-IT users should develop software on their own initiative without input from IT as this can cause an array of problems such as security risks, slow deployment and so on.

Instead, the standard procedures that already exist in an organisation when it comes to change management and deployment of new solutions, should as well apply to citizen development initiatives.

IT departments should create a controlled environment to prevent shadow IT from occurring. That way, IT can either oversee citizen development projects or actually collaborate with citizen developers to minimize risk and ensure security and control.
 

2. User-first approach

A user-first approach is one of the great ways to avoid shadow solutions in an organisation. Getting user feedback early and often, making sure to stay laser focussed on all type of users throughout the development of solutions is crucial for success.

To be able to deliver solutions with a user-centric approach, you need to choose the right tool that is flexible and allows you address your unique requirements.
 

3. Choosing your tool

Investing some time to choose the right tool from the beginning is really important. A tool should be chosen on the basis that it suits your individual requirements and the people who will be using it.

Low-code and no-code terms more or less sound similar. However, there are some differences. As the name suggests, low-code development platforms still require a certain level of coding and therefore, are more suitable for those who obtain a certain degree of knowledge in programming.

No-code development platforms don’t require any coding or require very little coding and essentially empower any innovator with or without technical knowledge to create applications.

In short, low-code empowers mostly IT departments to speed up software development in order to create applications at a faster pace. On the other hand, with no-code, both IT and non-IT professionals can build digital solutions which ultimately accelerates software development.

Choose a tool that can integrate with your existing systems, that is flexible, allows you to adapt and does not create limitations.
 

4. Training and supporting citizen developers

Preparation is key. Low-code/no-code tools primarily focus on user experience and are mostly easy-to-use. However, it is important to train and mentor citizen developers to adopt the standard toolset to facilitate their confidence, development of new skills and techniques and their accomplishments in developing applications.

Delivering valuable assistance and encouraging non-technical developers will help them to stimulate innovation, enjoy the experience and create powerful applications for the business.

What’s next for citizen development?

Traditional software development has been around for many decades and will be around for many more. Both no-code and custom coding will take their part in the implementation of future technologies. Companies will still need custom coding.

However, citizen development will grow with the goal of allowing rapid delivery of solutions that sit closer to end users. Over time, solutions that are built by citizen developers will make up the larger chunk of the solutions build within an organisation.

Adoption of citizen development initiatives has transformed how organisations respond to inefficiencies and has been driving digital transformation for many in the recent years.

More and more organisations will realise that promoting citizen development equates to governance, simultaneously prevents shadow IT and ultimately democratises digitalisation.

By Mario Trentim

Businesses and society as a whole are facing change and disruption at higher rates than ever before. To manage complex organizational transformations, we need more than project management. It is necessary to strategize and innovate, coordinating larger and more complex transformation initiatives. This article will discuss the rise of the Transformation Offices, portfolios, and programs dedicated to promoting and sustaining change in organizations, and whether Citizen Development can help bring even further transformation.

Will Transformation Offices replace PMOs?

Before I answer the question, it is vital to emphasize that Project Management Offices (PMOs) are usually responsible for tactical and operational activities related to portfolio, program, and project management.

Although we have Enterprise PMOs (EPMOs), traditional portfolios and projects are extensively focused on continuous improvement. Research and Development PMOs (R&D PMOs) focused on innovation, but they are also not "transformational" in essence.

Finally, research and experience show that transformation and change management involves specific types of portfolios, programs, and projects that lower organizational hierarchy levels cannot handle. Because of that, a Transformation Office might be a combination of strategy, business analysis, innovation, and portfolio project management.

According to McKinsey & Company, the transformation office's role is to coordinate and provide oversight to strategic transformational initiatives, ensuring that all participants have a "single source of truth" and reinforcing the change-management goals.

A transformation's success depends on the regular drumbeat of the

Transformation Office, on clear communication,

and an action-oriented tone.

In summary, PMOs will not be replaced because we have an increasing number of projects at all organizational levels in different departments or areas. However, there is a high and increasing demand for project management professionals skilled in change management, transformation, and technology.

New trends support the case for a Transformation Office not only because people are the real key to digital transformation but mainly because there is no escape from the future of work and new business models. Finally, despite organizations knowing they have to reinvent and disrupt themselves, 70 percent of corporate transformation efforts fall short of their goals.

My point is that this staggering high failure rate has three major causes:

1. Confusion between transformational and non-transformation initiatives;
2. Insufficient or inappropriate change management activities; and,
3. Lack of competency and skills.

What does a Successful Transformation Office look like?

Since the typical workforce lacks the critical mass of technology skills, “even when technologies are in place, too many of companies’ processes remain stuck in the pre-transformation world, to say nothing of the disconnect that remains between IT and systems groups and the rest of the business.” (McKinsey & Company)

Effective Transformation Offices are a combination of a Citizen Development Center of Excellence and a Project Management Office that can help organizations combine technical know-how with soft capabilities.

Project managers, business analysis, and citizen developers are change-makers by nature. When working together in a coordinated fashion, PMs, BAs, and CDs are capable of building relationships and common understanding among business functions and technology, paving the way for a successful transformation.

The PMI Citizen Development canvas (Figure 1) summarizes a framework to guide successful organizational transformations. Starting at the Project Delivery section, hyper-agility provides guidance to lean approaches and prototyping based on innovative techniques of the Ideation 2.0 while all ideas and proposals shall be evaluated according to the Suitability Assessment. A Transformation Office is also responsible for Capability Development which includes Business Analysis and Design, Enterprise Risk Requirements, and Application Development.

Figure 1 – PMI Citizen Development canvas (PMI.org)

In order to set up and operate a successful Transformation Office, we need people proficient in business analysis and strategizing, project management and agile approaches, citizen development and technology acumen. Considering the diversity of disciplines involved, the Citizen Development framework is the glue that holds a coherent and unified approach to organizational transformation.

Is it time for a Citizen Development Office?

Well, it looks like the 70 percent failure rate shows that transformations are not being properly managed by traditional PMOs. Instead of creating different names (Strategy / Vision Realization Offices, Transformation Management Offices, Agile Project Management Offices, and more), I advocate that it is time to add a new framework to our existing change-makers toolboxes: PMI Citizen Development, a handbook for creators and change makers.

“Besides being respected and credible, the leader of the transformation office should be technically proficient, understand the affected business domains, and have a strong relationship with technical teams.” (McKinsey & Company)

In my next articles, I will provide you with step-by-step examples using the tools and techniques described in the Citizen Development canvas (Figure 1). And I will tell you how organizations are embracing citizen development by describing successful (and unsuccessful) case studies.

What are your thoughts on this? If you want to listen to this article and previous articles, check out my podcast here. Please leave your comments and join the conversation below. 

It's been a whole month since my last blog!

A LOT has changed, my eyes have been opened to the sheer power of LCNC platforms and how simple an app can be created compared to conventional coding.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I set out to pick out and learn 1 LCNC platform to the extent where I would be happy to build my very first app, and that is just what I did.

Choosing a LCNC platform

Now, choosing the LCNC platform that suits you best sounds pretty easy right?

Well... There may be more available to pick from than you realise, all with their own pros and cons.

You will be hard pushed to find a high end LCNC platform that you can use completely free of charge but many do in fact offer free trials or are free to use forever in a "practice environment", this was one of my main criteria when choosing.

The first platforms I came across and considered were Google's App Maker and Microsoft's PowerApps, having such robust frameworks along with great customer support and communities to support them.

Some other great finds were Mendix who offer a vast array of prebuilt templates, great tutorials and live chat support but proved to be VERY expensive, especially for some of their more premium services.

Outsystems is another great option with fantastic training and the ability to publish directly to mobile App stores.

Google vs Microsoft

So it really came down to Microsoft vs Google, the appeal to me was, as you might be able to guess, the comfort of knowing who the companies are and the possibility of them having some relatable features along side the ability to integrate with their other widely used services.

Google App Maker

• Google drive tables
• Friendly layout
• Google service integration
• Fairly easy to use

PowerApps

• Pretty intimidating at first glance
• Huge array of Microsoft-made tutorials and "Learning paths" available on the Microsoft website
• Powerful integration with other widely used Microsoft services

So with two extremely robust and powerful platforms to choose from, who won?

Well, it was Microsoft PowerApps that won the battle for me, I believed that even though it was pretty intimidating at first glance, I would be able to tackle it with the sheer amount of E-learning available on the Microsoft website.

Also, there are already so many companies that use Microsoft and its services day to day that it seemed as though it would have the best integration for companies looking to take on a LCNC project.

You do in fact have to pay for PowerApps and their plans are fairly competitively priced compared to the other options but you can also use the service for free with very few limitations, perfect for someone like myself who is just looking to learn at this point.

Learning PowerApps

To get started with PowerApps I went straight to Microsoft's online learning modules, there are 79 modules in total JUST FOR POWERAPPS!

A module looks like this

It's very easy to navigate about the modules and filter them by difficulty, they vary in length from 20 - 30 mins up to 90 mins each, so there is a lot of content out there.

I simply started at the top, filtered by "Beginner" and got to work.

Each day, logging in and completing a few modules, making notes along the way and seeing my skills grow over time.

The modules are easy to follow, with lots of short videos to watch and hands on material to follow along with and have a go yourself.

I quickly learned to create simple things such as adding a selecting items in a list, simple calculations and how to edit and design apps to look more appealing.

Where am I now?

Now I've spent a fair amount of time leaning PowerApps and what it has to offer I do in fact feel confident about creating my very first basic app, the extensive learning resources out there have ensured I know more than enough to get started and even when I don't know something or I get stuck with an error, I can always count on the PowerApps online community to have the answer out there; I may be new to PowerApps and have very little experience but so far I haven't come across something I can't do.

I'm glad I chose PowerApps and I can't wait to get started with building my very first app over the next few weeks.

I'll look forward to sharing my progress on my next blog!

Over to you, have you started to learn how to build using a LCNC platform? What platform did you choose and why? I'd love to hear how your projects are going.

By Mario Trentim

As the world changes, new and transformed professions arise. We are now at a point when it is very challenging for the people and organizations to make sense of the current situation because the pandemic turned our world upside-down. Meanwhile, we need awareness that “what brought us here won´t get us there”, to paraphrase Marshall Goldsmith.

We must acquire new competencies

and skills urgently.

I am a project manager and a PMI volunteer since 2008, which means I was fortunate to take part in the evolution of project management morphing into a life skill. We are now on the verge of a significant change: Citizen Development and Digital Skills.

In this article, I will discuss how digital skills are connected to the 21^st-century skills established by UNESCO in the early 2010s. And I will suggest a roadmap for PMI volunteers, professionals, educators, and parents, to prepare our next generations to the future of work.

21^st Century Skills

Since the emergence of technology changes and globalization, it has been argued that formal education must embrace new forms of learning to build competencies needed to tackle more complex challenges.

Pedagogy changed to foster participation and emphasize project and problem-based learning (LUNA SCOTT, 2015), but it still relied more on synchronous in-person classes. Although e-learning was a possibility for a long time, educators and schools struggled to create a remote-first education.

Research about digital skills, technology literacy, computer programming, and related topics started to surface more robust evidence that we are failing to prepare our kids for the future of work. Laar et al. (2017) provide a systematic literature review to emphasize the importance of digital skills.

Considering digital transformation started back in 2008 with cloud services, educational models and systems are outdated. The job market already noticed that formal education is not sufficient. And that´s the reason why short duration courses, micro-learning, and self-paced study are growing at a fast rate in recent years.

The pandemic in 2020 and 2021 impacted schools and universities severely. Classes were interrupted, educators were disrupted, and students are confused and bored. Was it possible to anticipate change and reinvent education before the COVID crisis?

Roadmap to Prepare Future Generations

The answer to the previous questions is Yes and No. Yes, because we were able to see that educational systems and curricula were outdated. No, because there is always strong resistance and attachment to the status quo.

The best time for change was in the past. The second best time is now. And here is the roadmap to prepare future generations, digital native toddlers and young adults, equipping them with new skills and competencies needed:

1. Adopt a Remote-First Mindset

I had the opportunity to help schools and educational nonprofits during the pandemic. One of the biggest mistakes I notice in schools that combine in-person and remote learning is that they focus on in-person because it is easy. As a result, the kids studying from home feel bored and excluded. If schools want to change education, they need much more than a webcam recording room with the professor and some students.

It is necessary to rethink and remodel the curricula, adapting classes to shorter durations, defining asynchronous and synchronous learning, and more. The secret to being successful is to adopt a remote-first mindset: if the remote students are learning and engaged, all the students are learning and engaged.

Focusing on teaching and leading at a distance is a game-changer, but we must have a different breed of educators.

2. Embrace Citizen Development Educators

I´ve mentioned that some professions are at risk, and all the occupations must be reinvented as new technologies digitally transform them. Since coding skills and computer literacy are in high demand for the future of work, educators must cultivate digital skills. Not only learn how to stream classes and use learning management systems but also become citizen developers themselves. I will discuss this further in another article.

​

Microsoft Power Platform: School Teacher uses Power Apps to Transform Classroom Management and Motivate Students

Mendix: Building the Digital University

3. Combine Edutainment and Technology

I´ve been experimenting with education for two decades now as a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. One of the most powerful ways to learn something is by doing and explaining what you are doing. That being said, I structure my lectures in three different types: foundations, practitioner, and advanced.

The foundation classes are comprised of self-paced learning, reading, and asynchronous learning. The student gets a common understanding by accessing introductory materials that prepare them for the live class (synchronous).

The practitioner classes are hands-on, using a collaboration space, we devise experiments, simulations. These classes promote critical thinking and collaboration.

Finally, the advanced classes focus on case studies, benchmarking, and sometimes significant challenges or unsolvable problems. These classes are designed to promote innovation and creativity.

You probably think that all I said does not apply to you. But I tested it with low-income and high-income students, toddlers, undergrad, and even MBA students. It works and there are communities of educators discussing how to reinvent education combined with technology.

Currently, you can teach geography, chemistry, history, and more, using Minecraft for Education. And you can develop a variety of other skills with Scratch programing.​

Minecraft for Education

Scratch Programming

How You Can Help With CD Education

First, check out references like  Serious Games and Edutainment Applications (Jain, 2011).

Then join a community of educators like MIEE Programs or others, depending on your technology choices. Third, and most importantly, get acquainted with the PMI Citizen Development Framework and join a community of practice.

I hope that soon we have groups of volunteers building the Citizen Development Skills for Life, similar to what we did in the past with PM Skills for Life. Let me know your thoughts below.