Citizen Developers: The Experts in Digital Transformation for Success

Business process automation, workflow management and cutting-edge software technologies.

In the past, these were the system-development venues of corporate IT groups and programming professionals.

Kintone is a no-code/low-code “application Platform as a Service” that enables citizen developers to design and deploy workflow automation and process management systems. End users and the business experts in “how we succeed” now have a clear path forward to develop their own enterprise-grade solutions.

Citizen Developers: Who Are They?

Let’s start with the definition provided by Gartner, one of the world’s leading technology and advisory firms:

“A citizen developer is a user who creates new business applications for consumption by others using development and runtime environments sanctioned by corporate IT. In the past, end-user application development has typically been limited to single-user or workgroup solutions built with tools like Microsoft Excel and Access. However, today, end users can build departmental, enterprise and even public applications using shared services, fourth-generation language (4GL)-style development platforms and cloud computing services.”

We’d like to expand this description with perspectives shared by our citizen developer allies. They want to:

• Evolve beyond dependence on packaged software or solutions that require the involvement of their IT group to develop.
• Develop their applications without impact to their current business responsibilities or personal time.
• Combine their personal activities and workgroup processes into single, unified workspaces.
• Have options to expand their applications into departmental and enterprise-wide deployments.
   

Task-Driven Workflow and Team Collaboration

Traditionally, a company's software applications and their end users’ capabilities to access/share data defined “how the job was done.”

In the citizen developers' business ecosystem, task-driven workflow and workgroup collaboration needs are placed first. The supporting IT system and data-access functions are then designed and built to mirror “the best way to accomplish the work."

Team collaboration opportunities, workflow improvements, and efficient/secure access to data then come into full focus.

How is a Kintone App Built?

• Each process participant is enabled with a workspace within the Kintone cloud. These workspaces support personal business task management and integrate into the overall workflow system.
• Workflow and data sharing connections are made through on-screen process design. This step designates who is engaged in the specific tasks of a business process and how they participate in the workflow.
• Process participants integrate with the overall workflow and activity steps in their personal workspace. Security is maintained by management of access privileges to apps, files, data, and individual records.
• Applications can be developed in iterative steps and adjusted in real time. Spreadsheets, data located across the organization, and files that are stored in personal workspaces can be integrated into a unified data management system.

Citizen developers go beyond task management and data sharing. They move their organizations into a digital ecosystem that enables workflow, process management, and team collaboration to reach peak efficiency.

Dialog with the IT Group

Kintone is a simple-to-learn system that focuses on optimizing end-user work experiences. Yet, the solution’s no-code app development workspaces support the deployment of expansive systems. There is no “upper limit” in terms of application robustness or scope.

Workflow automation, data access, and business process management systems can be expanded to support company-wide and enterprise-class deployments. Applications of this scale can require integration into external data systems and extension through application programming interfaces. This is often the work environment of IT development professionals.

We encourage citizen developers to be knowledgeable of the core concerns IT groups will naturally have. Here’s a quick list of topics to be aware of:

• Cloud Hosting: Kintone’s aPaaS can be scaled to serve any number of users, processes, or data volumes. Our cloud currently supports thousands of companies and more than 6 million users.
• Security Management: End-user access privileges to records, files, and applications can be defined and managed at the system administration layer. Kintone’s cloud is managed to world-class security standards.
• Mobile Device Deployment: Kintone automatically supports mobile device access for the iOS and Android platforms. Mobile apps are automatically optimized for smart phone viewing.
• Extensibility: Kintone provides REST and JavaScript APIs. Citizen developer apps can be integrated with any corporate system or data source. 

To Get Started

We offer a 30-day, no-cost trial of the Kintone app development system. All functions are available, including an app store that features pre-developed solutions for many personal activity management and company workflow needs.