Ian Barkin (Entrepreneur, Investor, and Author) joined me on “What’s the BUZZ?” and shared how you can scale your AI program with citizen developers. Digital transformation is accelerating, and innovation is no longer limited to IT departments.
Business leaders and domain experts can solve their own problems, thanks to low-code/no-code tools. Yet, governance, training, and alignment are still needed to ensure trust and security. So, where should you start? Here is what we’ve talked about…
Empowering Innovation Through Citizen Development
It’s no longer just IT’s job to spearhead innovation in organizations. Enabling employees outside IT to create applications, streamline workflows, and solve problems has become a new scaling mechanism: citizen development.
It allows domain experts to take ownership of the challenges they face every day. These employees, whether in HR, finance, or operations, intimately understand the gaps in their workflows. Now, with tools designed to simplify application building—like drag-and-drop interfaces or even natural language prompts—they can design solutions without needing to write a single line of code.
This shift isn’t just about convenience; it’s about scalability. IT departments have long been bottlenecks because of overwhelming project backlogs, delaying critical innovations. Citizen development changes the game by empowering business users to take action, complementing IT rather than competing with it.
This enables a faster pace of innovation, stronger employee engagement, and a culture where technology becomes an enabler rather than a roadblock. But like any powerful tool, citizen development works best when guided by strategy and collaboration.
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Andreas Welsch uses real-world knowledge and examples from interviews with over 60 leaders and experts in AI to help you both introduce and incorporate AI into your organization, from aligning it with your business strategy to turning new-to-AI employees into passionate multipliers to making sure humans stay at the center of your AI use. After listening to this audiobook, you will be able to confidently implement AI in your business, no matter your industry.
Citizen development isn’t without risks. When employees across the organization start creating their own tools, it can quickly lead to unsecured applications, redundant processes, and the dreaded “shadow IT.” That’s why governance and collaboration are key.
Employees should have the freedom to experiment, but within a framework that ensures their creations are secure, scalable, and aligned with the company’s broader goals. This is where IT comes in—not to control, but to guide. By providing vetted platforms and guardrails, IT can empower citizen developers while maintaining oversight.
» You need to have some set of tools that are vetted and approved by the enterprise that your citizens can work in. Because the last thing you want is chaos where everybody finds their ends. «
— Ian Barkin
For instance, low-code platforms like Microsoft PowerApps or SAP Build provide secure environments where employees can build without risking the integrity of the organization’s systems. IT can also define levels of responsibility: a tool that only affects an individual’s workflow might not need heavy oversight, but anything that impacts cross-departmental operations should involve collaboration.
Citizen development thrives when there’s trust and teamwork between IT and business users. It’s not about one side doing the other’s job; it’s about working together to achieve outcomes neither could accomplish alone.
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AI is taking citizen development to an entirely new level. AI agents can generate code, automate workflows and transform ideas into reality in minutes. The barrier to entry has never been lower. For domain experts, this means they can focus on what they know best—be it HR, finance, or supply chain—and let the AI handle the heavy lifting.
But this isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about unlocking untapped potential. When employees see what’s possible with AI, they start viewing their work through a new lens. Suddenly, every process, every task, every inefficiency becomes an opportunity for improvement. This shift in mindset can spark a wave of innovation across the organization.
As tools become more powerful, the need for education and upskilling becomes critical. Organizations must invest in training their employees to use AI ethically and effectively, ensuring that the focus remains on creating meaningful, value-driven outcomes.
Summary
Citizen development is more than a trend—it’s a transformative force reshaping how organizations innovate. By enabling domain experts to solve their own problems, balancing independence with governance, and harnessing the power of AI, businesses can unlock unprecedented levels of creativity and efficiency.
Leaders should recognize that this movement is already happening within their organization. The question isn’t whether you’ll embrace it, but how. Start by fostering collaboration between IT and business users, providing the right tools and training, and maintaining a focus on outcomes over outputs.
When citizen development is done right, it doesn’t just improve processes—it transforms the way your business thinks, works, and grows.
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