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Tag: Team

PMTimes_Aug24_2022

It’s not a challenge; it’s an opportunity!

Written by Robert Carlson on . Posted in Articles.

The study of leadership theory can seem daunting to the new leader. The vast amount of material can make it difficult for the student of leadership to determine where to start. One suggestion is to start with the question of why we study leadership theory by considering in what ways leadership can be practically applied, transform people and organizations, or solve problems[1]. Answering one or more of these questions will narrow the focus of the leadership study and perhaps guide the student to consider a relatable application to begin an understanding of leadership.

An example of how to begin can be found in the common occurrence of work colleagues who both happen to be leaders of teams passing in the hallway. As they approach, one colleague shares a standard greeting common in most business halls “how are you doing today?” The other colleague responds enthusiastically, “great, and I have nothing but opportunities everywhere!” Was the response sarcasm or genuine enthusiasm? The response reflects a mentality that all leaders should have, but few do. They respond that they have problems and challenges everywhere and don’t even consider them opportunities. Why are they opportunities and not simply problems? Words make a difference and reflect our intentions of thinking and behaving. A leader’s purpose is to influence followers and teams to achieve goals and add value, especially when facing a tough challenge or problem. Leaders can successfully and intentionally guide a team through a formidable “opportunity” when leveraging the following essential elements of team leadership.

 

Communicate your faith in their abilities.

Starting a project to solve a complicated problem with praise and confidence may pressure the team, but it will also demonstrate that you believe in them as their leader. This expression of faith must be sincere for it to be effective. As the leader, you must believe in your team. The problem may be so hard that they doubt their ability to solve it. They may try to manage your expectations by sharing this concern. Taking on the unknown can create worry, fear, anxiety, and doubt in most people. The rare individual jumps in with high confidence at the opportunity to solve what initially appears to be unsolvable. The leader sets the tone for the team and should always project confidence and faith in tier abilities.

 

Show you trust their judgment.

A leader who expects to be trusted must first show trust to their team members. Solving a wicked problem with anxious key stakeholders makes this aspect of leadership even more challenging. You picked the team and asked them to find a solution to a problem they’ve never considered or seen before. The leader’s demonstrated trust can differentiate between a successful effort and a prolonged struggle. Knowing their leader has empowered them and manages external forces such as customers and organizational leadership will free them to focus on solving the problem.

 

Provide a safe environment for sharing ideas.

The word “safe” means that team members feel free to offer ideas that the team and the leader will receive positively and acceptably. Not every idea will be the one that gets you to a solution. The team needs options to consider to get there; the more options, the better. Narrowing down options is also part of the process. The team needs to know that their contributions make a difference and that the path to solving the problem may have many different routes.

 

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Allow them to fail and encourage them to continue.

One of the most challenging aspects of leading through complex problems is to watch the team fail. Especially when you’ve backed their decision, provided them scarce resources, and advocated for them with internal and external stakeholders. No one wants to fail, especially the team who clearly understands the urgency and visibility of their efforts. The more complex the problem, the more likely the path to overcoming it will have some detours. Few leaders will quote Elon Musk to their team that “failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”[2] Team leaders must find a middle ground that allows for failure while minimizing its occurrence and impact. The team leader must illustrate the positive takeaways from the failure and press on with this valuable experience of what didn’t work.

 

Share the story with your customers.

Being transparent with customers throughout the problem-solving process is critical to maintaining their trust in your organization and you as the leader. Communicating proactively and sharing the story of your team’s expertise and commitment can get you through even the most challenging problems. Like your team, your customer needs to believe that the people working on the problem are the right and best people. Customer satisfaction will suffer if they think you are not committed to solving their problem or if there is doubt about the skills and experience of your team.

 

Celebrate the win and recognize the team.

It’s not unusual for the team to move on to the next opportunity on the list and fail to recognize the success and effort of the win. This act of recognition can be simple yet meaningful to the team, especially when they give their best effort and are thrilled they found a solution. Team lunches or small tokens of appreciation like company log products can go a long way to ensuring the team has a positive reference for the next opportunity. Individual recognition should be a leader’s focus with a personalized and meaningful sign that you and the company appreciate them. Some organizations have online tools that produce certificates of appreciation, and others may have the option to give gift cards or monetary awards. The key is to ensure you don’t overlook or miss this opportunity.

 

A Team Leadership Model to help.

The leadership of teams differs from general leadership because of the complexities and dynamics of leading a team. Though a leader may employ methods and behaviors found in classic or emerging leadership theories, the team leader is more focused on process and providing the structure needed to succeed. The Hill Model for Team Leadership is a tool designed to assist leaders in understanding the complex nature of teams and aid decision-making for leaders and teams.[3] The model provides a framework for the team problem-solving practical approaches discussed throughout this article. The leader of teams has many roles that include but are not limited to the facilitator, coach, communicator, blocker, and cheerleader. According to the model, the team leader is encouraged first to develop a mental model of the expected decisions, internal and external focused actions, and finally, the definition of team success.

The environment associated with the global pandemic has provided many opportunities for effective and skilled leadership. The study of leadership theory and an understanding of its practical application can be used to solve problems. Discovering and applying the team leadership model is one method the student of leadership can begin their exploration of leadership theory.

[1] Doublestein, B. (2022). Doctoral Writing & Minor One Discussion [PowerPoint slides]. School of Business and Leadership, Regent University.

[2] Reingold, J. (2005), Hondas in Space. www.fastcompany.com/52065/hondas-space.

[3] Kogler Hill, S.E. (2021). Team leadership. In P. G. Northouse (Ed.), Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). Sage publications.

10 Project Management Tools the World’s Top Companies Actually Use

Written by Vartika Kashyap on . Posted in Articles. 13 Comments on 10 Project Management Tools the World’s Top Companies Actually Use

Netflix uses ProofHub, Uber uses Asana, Sony uses Podio.

 

Almost every successful business uses one or the other project management tool to handle their tasks, track their time, and manage their work in general.

Even numerous studies indicate that using project management tools increase performance and productivity. If you’ve also just started up a business and looking for a variety of tools that could soar your productivity, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve compiled a list of the best project management tools that are being used by some big names in the world and you should too.

Let’s check them out:

1. ProofHub

ProofHub is one of the best project management tools in the business. It is simple and intuitive with features that help businesses to collaborate and deliver projects faster and better.

Business with remote teams can collaborate effortlessly with seamless file-sharing and effective document management. It supports many languages other than English, namely French, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Danish, Dutch, Greek, Italian, Russian, and German.

Pros of ProofHub:
● Define different access levels for team members based on their responsibilities
● Gantt charts provide a visual timeline for tasks
● Online reports offer clear insights into projects, tasks, and resources

Businesses using ProofHub: Taco Bell, Netflix, Disney, NASA, Trip Advisor, Fractal Fox, and others.

2. Trello

Trello is a leading project management software that implements the concept of boards and cards. The cards contain tasks either to categorize things or track the project progress.

Trello is useful to enable collaboration in company by organizing and tracking tasks, files, and information at one place. Plus, you can anytime integrate third-party applications into your workflow to increase its effectiveness.

Pros of Trello:
● Intuitive simple boards, cards, and lists
● Simplifies collaboration
● Get a glance at who is doing what and what still needs to get done

Businesses using Trello: Adobe, Kickstarter, Google, and more.

3. Asana

Asana is a web and mobile application designed to help businesses organize, track, and manage work. The work management tool helps you prioritize, stay focused, and make more time for work that matters the most.

With Asana, you can also monitor the status of all your projects in real time, so you can keep strategic initiatives on track.

Pros of Asana:
● Set priorities and deadlines to plan work effectively
● Follow projects and tasks through every stage
● Create visual project plans to determine progress

Businesses using Asana: Deloitte, The New York Times, Uber, Airbnb, and more.

4. Basecamp

Regardless of how big or small your startup is, Basecamp is exactly what you need to get things done. It combines all the tools you need in a single and straightforward platform that makes work feel like less work.

Whether it’s about communicating effectively or keeping everyone in the loop, Basecamp can do it all for you.

Pros of Basecamp:
● Easily add tasks and other necessary details
● View tasks from every project together on one screen
● Available on the web and platforms like iOS, Android, and Mac

Businesses using Basecamp: PNMR, Novasyte, Animals Medical Center of MidAmerica

 

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5. nTask

nTask is a smart task management software designed to support collaboration, time tracking and monitoring, and project risk management. It’s built around the business needs that lets you do more much than usual.

It is supported by Google Calendar, Outlook, and many other third-party applications. Moreover, it also offers mobile applications for Android and iOS devices.

Pros of nTask:
● Simple and easy-to-use taskboard
● Multiple board views, task comments, meeting management
● Share files and notes easily

6. JIRA

JIRA is a great tool for running business projects that remains extremely popular with software development companies. It could help you prioritize and discuss your team’s work in full context with complete visibility.

What’s interesting with this project management software is that it lets you use an out-of-the-box workflow, or create one to match the way your team works.

Pros of JIRA:
● Interactive and customizable scrum boards
● Reports with real-time and actionable insights
● Automate processes with its robust set of APIs

Businesses using JIRA: Spotify, CISCO, eBay, Square, and more.

7. Wrike

Wrike is a cloud-based collaboration and project management software that scales across teams in any business. Companies can use it to simplify planning, gain visibility, streamline workflow, and also to enable collaboration.

It shows real-time reports and status for all of your team’s projects. Wrike helps distributed teams to discuss projects and tasks details with the full context of the work. You can also tag images and videos to provide specific feedback.

Pros of Wrike:
● Interactive dashboards
● Centralize communication with stakeholders
● Custom workflows, fields and project folder structures let you work the way you want

Businesses using Wrike: Google, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mars, L’oreal, and others.

8. Droptask

Droptask is a visual and intuitive task management software that helps you manage projects, tasks, and to-dos individually or as part of a team. It comes with a neat interface and real-time collaboration features.

The business plan gives you an unlimited access to flexible workspaces, innovative collaboration and integrates seamlessly with your favorite tools. Droptask has made collaboration easier, better, and faster.

Pros of Droptask:
● Kanban-style workflow boards
● Project templates and permission control
● Integration with Evernote, Google Calendar, Outlook, Gmail, iMindMap

Businesses using Droptask: Harvard University, Coca Cola, BBC, Ralph Lauren, and others.

9. Podio

Podio is a customizable work management solution leaders trust and employees love working on. It helps you create a consolidated process to get your teams working in sync.

Podio enables you to keep content, conversations, and processes structured at one place so that you can focus to get more work done. It is a perfect place to bring your clients and external parties to one place and eliminate lengthy email threads and time-consuming file sharing.

Pros of Podio:
● Granular admin capabilities
● Rigorous security standards
● Automated workflows and data visualization

Businesses using Podio: Volvo, Deloitte, Sony, NFL, and more.

10. Monday.com

Formerly known as Dapulse, Monday.com is a simple project management tool that helps you plan, organize, track in a visual platform. It’s quite flexible in approach and usability as it lets you customize your workflow to match different needs of your business.

Pros of Monday.com
● Plan everything visually
● Track progress with multiple views
● Simple and intuitive

Businesses using Monday.com: Discovery, Carlsberg, Philips, Fiverr, and more.

Conclusion

Now that you know about the modern tools world’s leading businesses are using, it’s high time even you should invest in one such project management tool to manage work effectively and get an edge over others in the market.

PMTimes_June27_2022

Best of PMTimes – Project Karma: What You Think, Say And Do Matters

Written by George Pitagorsky on . Posted in Articles.

Projects are the vehicles for making things different. It is natural to want things to be different than they are.

Things can be better. Progress and improvement arise out of this desire. So may pain and suffering. Choosing the right projects and performing them well make the difference.

Projects are actions to effect change – to make more money; improve people’s lives. They deliver new and modified products, architectural wonders, events, and processes which impact both the environment the project work takes place in and the environment that receives the results. Within those environments people’s lives, the way they think, their values and how they relate with others are changed.

The Law Of Cause And Effect -Karma

Every action, whether to make things better or not, creates a ripple effect. The effect may be short lived or last for years, if not lifetimes. It may be felt near or far. Knowing that there is this ripple effect motivates one to be careful about what one does, what one says, and even what one thinks.

This is the Law of Karma or the Law of Cause and Effect. Every action has an effect. Everything is caused by something. Sometimes the effect is very subtle and minor; sometimes near and sometimes far. This is the foundation for process thinking and quality management.

Consider the project of planning a wedding. The way the planning and preparation are carried out influences the relationships among the stakeholders. The over controlling parent can turn-off the bride and groom and the other parents. An over controlling or over emotional bride can change the feelings of the groom and/or her friends and relatives. Even the decision of who gets to sit at which table can reverberate for years to come. One conversation can make or break a relationship.

A project to implement a new process for an operational group can disrupt the organization positively or negatively. It can cause ongoing conflict between management and labor, and either make for better ongoing performance or degrade performance depending on how well the project is executed and how the new process performed and maintained overtime.

A project to lay a pipeline across virgin territory can contribute to the pollution of the environment because of the immediate disruption of the construction project or a decade later when a leak spews oil into the land and water. The project can also result in profits, lower energy costs, and conflict among promoters, resisters, and supporters. There are any number of unforeseeable possibilities.

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Decisions And Actions

A decision to ignore or dismiss testing results or concerns raised by project staff can lead to a disaster, as it did in the Challenger explosion, killing the crew, costing millions of dollars and destroying the reputations of NASA management because of their faulty statistical reasoning.

Intentions, biases, values, and beliefs are the drivers of decisions. Decisions drive behavior. The way decisions are made influences relationships and outcomes. For example, being overly aggressive or using underhanded methods to get one’s way can cause distrust and anger that clouds relationships going forward to other negotiations.

Working With Karma

There are a number of strategies to apply this concept of cause and effect to promote optimal performance.

Some people ignore the Law of Karma entirely. They act as if there were no consequences and then are surprised by the results of their behavior. Some of these do, in fact, know about the Law of Karma, others are ignorant of it. Either way, there are consequences.

Some others fall into analysis paralysis. They spend so much time analyzing and worrying about what might happen that they miss the opportunity to act.

Others take a middle path that considers the question from multiple perspectives. They balance their analysis with intuition. They consider the time factor, uncertainty. They realize that there may not be a “perfect” solution.

Take A Beat

This last strategy is one to aspire to. When faced with a decision take a beat.

Relax, pause, breathe and think about what you are going to do. Just reactively diving-in, risks unforeseen consequences. So take a beat. Respond after the due diligence of assessing from multiple perspectives the pros and cons, risks and rewards, ripple effects, alternatives, etc.

Make the duration of the pause and the nature of the decision process right for the situation. Do you have an hour, a day, a month or does the response have to be in the moment. In project work, immediate response is not usually required.

The way a soldier or police officer reacts in a life-threatening situation requires a well-trained reaction. Yet, even in those situations, it is easy to get lost in emotional reactivity. Reactivity does not allow for a step back to think about one’s actions and their consequences. We have seen many instances of inappropriate reactivity leading to unnecessary deaths and ruined lives.

Most project managers have at least a moment to step back and consider the ripple effect of what they do or say. It is only lack of mindful awareness that keeps some from realizing it.

Responsiveness

With training in the cultivation of mindful self-awareness there is the possibility of a natural process of letting things unfold. Not in a sloppy, lazy way, but by being in flow so as to allow one’s skills, intelligence, analysis and intuition to emerge in perfect alignment with the needs of the situation.

Short of that, objectively observe what is going on internally and externally to create the platform for what to do next.

In any case, living requires decisions and actions. Actions include the actions of not acting, and of expressing oneself by speaking, writing, or with body language.

Responsiveness means making conscious decisions. Discerning whether they are unbiased or are really justifications or rationalizations after the action has been carried out. When reacting there is no conscious decision making, only the outburst or withdrawal.

No matter whether action stems from a well thought out decision or not, there is the ripple effect.

Picture dropping a stone in a still pond – the effect is ripples radiating out in all directions. Now imagine the stone falling into an already rippling pond into which many stones of different sizes are being continuously dropped in different places. That is more like our world. Complexity and volatility leading to uncertainty.

Sometimes in that kind of pond, the ripples from your stone, your action, are barely visible, sometimes they are operating under the surface to take effect later. Sometimes they don’t much matter. In any case, be mindful enough to remember the Law of Cause and Effect and responsive enough to choose what you do, say and think wisely

Managing a Project with a Volunteer Team

Written by Kim Fields on . Posted in Articles.

You’re a project manager, right? So, when you’re at home, you take the project management hat off, right? Wrong! You apply similar principles that you use in your organization to getting projects done at home. Case in point: I recently reorganized/refurbished my home office. I had a small idea of what this project would entail, but, as with any project, there were uncertainties and risks. One of the uncertainties was dealing with a volunteer team that helped to clear out the old furnishings and streamline what was kept as well as a volunteer decor team. No, it’s not as complex as some of the projects that we manage in IT, but it was still important to apply some of the key tools and techniques of project management to this home project.

Stakeholders: The primary stakeholder of this project was me, the homeowner. My main concern for the project was that the available resources were utilized efficiently and that the final product would provide maximum utilitarian use. The ancillary stakeholders would be those who participated in the project, where their reputations became the currency.

Communication: The exchange of information that primarily occurred on this project was internal communication — that is between me, as the project manager, and the volunteer team members who were part of the project. The method of communication occurred mostly via text messages and phone calls. Those messages were conveyed on a semiweekly basis with the participants that were necessary for the next particular phase of the project.

Schedule, Cost, Quality: This was a 4-month project utilizing the following duration timeline:

The cost (budget) for the project was $2000, which mainly included purchasing the furnishings, paintings, and lighting. A small percentage of the budget was allocated for appreciation gifts, beverages and refreshments.

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Quality for the project meant understanding how the project would meet the needs for which it was created. The project was created to refurbish and revitalize my home office so that it was a calm and effective workspace. This was accomplished by determining my requirements for the end product and acquiring the best services and products at a reasonable cost that met my standards. Items purchased should be durable and match the new color scheme for the office. Quality also entails trusting that everyone on the project team understands what is expected of him or her as well as their willingness to meet those expectations. This aspect of quality was communicated to each project participant prior to their commitment to work on the project. I served as the final authority to make the necessary decisions when corrective actions were warranted.

Scope: The scope of the project included removing 90% of the old decor in the office, removing clutter and unused items such as old paperwork, files, books, etc., items that no longer brought me joy, organizing and storing the remaining books, purchasing new furnishings, and creating an open floor plan. The scope did not include removing any walls or doors, painting the walls or replacing the flooring.

Multi-generational Team Management and Coordination: The project team was strictly voluntary team consisting of the decoration lead, clearing lead, cleanup crew (3), organizing/decor team (3). The team members had varying levels of experience; this helped in many ways to streamline the process and also, for those team members with minimal experience, to slow down the process as well. The availability of this volunteer team was an issue since several had other projects going on and were unavailable during parts of the project. The team members were present and working for a minimum of 6 hours on the days they were scheduled; breaks and refreshments were served. Team members generally worked every other weekend with one team member on site either on a Saturday or a Sunday; during the clearing and cleaning phase, a couple of team members were present for one Saturday. Working with Gen Xers and Millennials was an interesting experience as far as the levels of commitment and the differences in communication styles. While most participants understood the vision that I had for the final product, Gen Xers stayed on task with getting the work done whereas Millennials tended to need more guidance on the task at hand in order to complete the work

Success/Customer Satisfaction: Overall, the project was a success. The main criteria that were used to determine whether the project was a success or not comprised: (1) staying on budget; (2) the overall aesthetics and energy of the office; (3) ease of use for accessing various items in the office; (4) furnishings that conveyed calm/openness and provided ample storage; (5) sufficient natural light; and (6) the incorporation of greenery. Using various light sources including the natural light that streams through the patio window as well as multiple artificial light sources was an important element as for as creating a diverse ambience for completing various tasks/work. Everyone was thanked for their work and participation on the project; the team leads were provided with appreciation gifts.

Lessons Learned: The lessons learned on this project are things to keep in mind for any future home projects. These particular lessons were:

  • Ensure the availability of resources that are scheduled to complete tasks by certain days (and making sure that all affected parties are aware of that availability).
  • Have more oversight over the demolition crew (who ended up throwing away a couple of binders that were important).
  • Make sure that the communication channels are clear and that updates are provided in a timely manner to all concerned (there were a couple of times when I expected the team member to be present and their absence was communicated to someone else on the team but not to me).

Progressive PMOs are harnessing the power of Citizen Developers

Written by Paul Oppong on . Posted in Articles.

A few of my colleagues raise eyebrows when I mention that I used to be a programmer back in the days, I am not talking about assembly language, but I could write a few things in Java and C++. Recently I picked up some new skills creating Power Apps, connecting data with Microsoft Dataverse, building Power BI Dashboards, automating processes with Power Automate, and building chatbots with Power Virtual Agents whilst preparing for Microsoft’s Power Platform Fundamentals certification. This is part of a growing trend of what has been termed Citizen Development.

Citizen development is an innovative approach to dealing with application development needs that a lot of Project Management Offices (PMOs) are now adopting. This innovative and inclusive approach to application development addresses the ever-increasing need for PMOs to keep abreast with technological change and the associated demand for user-friendly, hassle-free applications. Enterprise Technology departments are not always best to shoulder all the responsibilities related to digital transformation.

That’s where the inclusive idea of citizen development comes in as a broad-based and innovative solution. It enables project managers and implementers to develop applications on their own and in accordance with the most pressing PMO needs. Of course, they need to have advanced level of digital skills to use the low-code/no-code (LCNC) platforms, but with those skills taken for granted, almost any team member could take a stab at it.

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Citizen development has multiple benefits for the PMO and project management. By project management, I mean its agile and strategic version. Initially, this is far better for the current needs of success-oriented PMOs. Although traditional, waterfall types of project management would also gain. The benefits span many different sectors, whether it be public sector agencies, financial services, or non-governmental organizations. There is growing evidence that citizen development works, and that it works well for both organizations and individual employees. Let us examine what these benefits are and why they are important for the PMO and project management, irrespective of the field.

Cost-Effectiveness

This is an obvious one. With application development demands being extremely taxing on Enterprise Technology departments, LCNC platforms provide substantial cost-saving opportunities to PMOs. PMOs can thus channel the savings to other, under-resourced needs. Experts estimate that by using LCNC resources, applications can be developed 10 times faster when compared with traditional methods.

PMOs can also expect savings on the maintenance of the new applications. Maintenance and application support are normally separate line items in operational budgets. Higher-end products usually require significant inputs to avoid disruptions and breakdown. The maintenance and support cost are minimal for the applications developed by citizen developers. The overall cost to develop and maintain LCNC -based applications is estimated to be 74% lower than the cost of traditional development led by Enterprise Technology resources. In addition, LCNC platforms hosting present sizable cost reductions, as shown by the experience of Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance. The company was able to save $1.4 million because of creative use of LCNC tools.

Breaking Down Silos

As citizen developers engage in software or application development, coordination with other business units of an organization becomes an absolute must. LCNC platforms do not require expert digital skills to use, but they need citizen developers to ensure that the end products are relevant to the PMO’s needs. From the perspective of effective PMO role, this is a great way of breaking down silos, which exist in all organizations. Improved teamwork and camaraderie are the important by-products of citizen development, which have long-term benefits. Citizen developers cannot go it alone, and it always takes a team effort to ensure that the end-product meets the critical needs of an organization. Importantly, this includes coordination of Enterprise Technology and non- Enterprise Technology resources too.

Agility

Citizen development also has the potential to make the PMO more agile. It expects non- Enterprise Technology resources to demonstrate adaptability and willingness to learn – two key attributes of an agile organization. From the perspective of the PMO, citizen development becomes a new and unconventional way of spurring continuous learning as an iterative and inclusive process.

Innovation and Creativity

By encouraging non-Enterprise Technology department resources to become software and application developers, PMOs can create a workspace conducive to creativity and innovation. As it happens, when people are given space and opportunity to punch above their weight, they usually outdo themselves by coming up with something extraordinary. Citizen development consequently becomes a great approach to egging people on to think outside the box. Agile organizations need to be innovative and creative. Equally, they need to be adaptive and committed to continuous learning.

Digitisation and Organizational Culture

The more employees get involved in citizen development, the better for the PMO and digital transformation. As PMOs take steps to adapt to the needs of digital transformation, citizen development becomes a timely and cost-effective method. It nurtures an organizational culture favourable for project resources and other non-Enterprise Technology resources to embrace change and make it work for themselves and the organization. It is this type of culture that becomes pivotal in weathering the storm of imminent changes and making the most of new opportunities for development.

Relevance and Flexibility

The involvement of PMO resources as citizen developers warrants the relevance of newly developed software and applications. No one could be more intrinsically motivated to ensure that they serve the purpose than the end-users themselves. I’m sure you can recall cases when even very expensive IT products turned out to be missing the mark. When developed in isolation from an organization’s core strategic goals and needs, they become underutilized. With less stringent requirements imposed; citizen developers have more flexibility to adjust as they go. As application development becomes faster, citizen development makes it easier to maintain the end products.

Summary

Citizen development has been winning over an increasing number of progressive PMOs and organizations. There is growing evidence that it leads to substantial cost-savings, encourages innovation, and makes organizations more agile. PMOs use it effectively to ease the workload of Enterprise Technology resources. Such departments are often understaffed or incapable of dealing with an ever-increasing list of requests and demands.

Citizen development makes a valuable contribution to an organizational culture that promotes creativity and initiative. In the current era of digital transformation, it is critical for agile organizations to create opportunities for their employees. This is to test and improve their digital skills. The experience of organizations that have embraced LCNC platforms for their non-Enterprise Technology resources to develop new applications shows that citizen development is definitely worth the effort.