by Liam Hennessy in Citizen Development & No Code
Create Your Own App without Coding - 4 Steps to Your First No-Code Project
Your company's departments are full of experienced, skilled workers. They know their processes inside out. They understand where there is significant room for improvement. And they probably also know where you are losing revenue. When it comes to improving your processes, these specialised details are paramount. This means your staff are the ones who should create app solutions, without writing code.
This is called citizen development.
Creating your own app without coding involves using no code development tools. And while implementing a no code project seems daunting, its benefits are enormous.
Employees can develop their own digital solutions without writing a line of code. They can also adapt these solutions to their specific processes and work style.
This means every department benefits. And your IT staff get a break due to a significantly reduced workload.
The idea behind it: anyone can become a digital expert.
Creating your own apps ("smaps") with no-code tools like smapOne is easy and even enjoyable.
And now, we can show you how to do it in 4 simple steps.
Create Your Own App without Coding - Using Citizen Development
Skilled workers can create their own apps without coding with no-code development tools. Employees can develop their own digital solutions without writing a line of code. And they can adapt these solutions to their specific processes and work style.
The result?
Every department in the company benefits. Even IT gets a break, thanks to a reduced workload. This entire process is called citizen development.
The idea behind it: anyone can become a digital expert.
Creating your own apps ("smaps") with no-code tools like smapOne is easy and even enjoyable. And we can show you how to do it in 4 easy steps. These are:
- Planning & prioritising processes
- Organise team & distribute tasks according to competencies
- Implement & test the process
- Launch the project
Step 1: Planning & Prioritising Processes
The first step is to plan your project and prioritise each stage. Examine what parts of your organisation still rely on analogue processes. Check if staff are still filling out protocols manually. For example, do they still use pen, paper, and clipboards for checklists and data collection?
If yes, that's a good starting point.
Now, you can consider how to digitalise these processes. This is the 'prioritisation' stage.
Consider what processes are important. What would you digitalise first? Remember that the digitalised process won't reflect the analogue version exactly.
Use this opportunity to optimise and improve the activity. Processes that weren't optimal in analogue form won't be better in digital form.
Step 2: Team Organisation & Task Distribution
The next step is putting the right team together to run the project. A dedicated team should have someone with good leadership qualities and motivated members. An inherent curiosity about developing and designing new digital processes will be an asset.
The people involved should be experts in the processes you want to digitalise. They should know where the issues are and what needs immediate optimisation.
Don't forget to include digitalisation sceptics, too! All projects need a critical voice. And listening to their concerns means you can calm their fears. Their knowledge and insights will help move the project forward.
Our tip: Start small! When choosing a process, select a simple but important one. This will familiarise you with the smapOne platform. You can then move on to optimise larger and more complex projects.
Step 3: Implement & Test Processes
When you start creating your app, you can use one of the many smap templates. Or, you can build a smap from scratch yourself. After optimising and fine-tuning a small process, you'll be more knowledgeable. And motivated for bigger projects!
Those without in-depth IT knowledge can use low-code and no-code tools to develop apps. These include Drag & Drop editors and code generators. Tools like these will help staff develop app solutions for different departments.
Step 4: Launch the Project
Remember: your first smap won't be perfect right away. That's why you should have a testing phase.
Choose a test group who wants to try the app out and get them to report on what works and what doesn't. After the test, use the feedback to keep improving until it works how you need it to.
Next, it's time for rollout.
The goal is to convince everyone - including the perfectionists. Presenting it well will help stir enthusiasm for the project.
Driving digitalisation in your organisation doesn't have to be a headache. In fact, with the smapOne platform it's practically child's play - with efficient outcomes!
Curious about learning more? Perhaps you even want to try it out. Then why not test our platform free for 14 days!
Happy digitalising!
Content & Communications Manager
Liam HennessyLiam Hennessy, the Content & Communications Manager at smapOne AG. They’ve worked in a wide range of fields including SaaS, embedded software, finance and insurance. Their expertise lies in tech, digitalisation and multichannel communication strategy.