A person who builds software applications or technological solutions without receiving formal training in computer programming or software development is referred to as a citizen developer. These people often don’t have technical backgrounds, yet they are skilled and knowledgeable in their particular field of work. To construct apps without writing complicated code, they make use of low-code or no-code development platforms, which offer visual interfaces and pre-built components.
Business users, experts from various organizational areas, and even ardent IT enthusiasts frequently make up the community of citizen developers. Within their area of expertise, they might develop apps to automate manual procedures, respond to particular corporate demands, or boost productivity.
What Is a Salesforce Citizen Developer?
Salesforce Citizen Developers are staff members that build or modify apps for the Salesforce platform using low-code or no-code development tools supplied by Salesforce without having received formal training in conventional coding languages. These solutions’ graphic user interfaces and pre-built components allow users to drag and drop objects, construct workflows, and alter business processes.
Salesforce Citizen Developers have access to a variety of tools, such as Flow Builder and Salesforce App Builder, which they may use to automate processes, build custom apps, produce reports and dashboards, and enhance the functionality of the Salesforce platform. They may integrate diverse systems and data sources to restructure operations and increase efficiency.
Although there isn’t a single, well-defined standard for Salesforce Citizen Developers, there are some traits and principles that are frequently shared and can outline their skill set and duties. Let’s look at some of the points to consider before deciding what a Salesforce Citizen Developer should or should not do.
- Salesforce Platform Knowledge: The Salesforce platform, including its architecture, data model, security model, and numerous features and functionalities, should be well-understood by citizen developers. They must be acquainted with Salesforce’s declarative development tools, such as Flow Builder and Lightning App Builder. They should also be aware of the high-level functionalities of different Salesforce products or clouds. This knowledge can be extremely crucial while working with delivery teams or architects when finalizing the design path for new requirements.
- Proficiency in Low-Code, No-Code Approach: Salesforce’s low-code or no-code (declarative) technologies should be easy for citizen developers to use when building custom solutions. Dynamic Forms, Flow Builder, Lightning App Builder, and Salesforce AppExchange apps are some of these resources. They must be knowledgeable about how to set up and alter these technologies to satisfy certain business needs.
- Understanding of the Business Processes: The business processes that citizen developers are attempting to automate or enhance with Salesforce should be thoroughly understood by them. They ought to be able to compile requirements, examine workflows, and convert business needs into functional specifications for their applications.
- Analysis Skills: When putting any solution in place, the Salesforce Citizen Developer should be able to analyze the problem well and decide if the solution can be put in place with out-of-the-box functionality or if it would require something more like code or an AppExchange app. To recognize and solve business problems on the Salesforce platform, citizen developers need to be effective problem-solvers. They should be able to deconstruct complex requirements into simpler parts and provide effective, scalable solutions.
- Keeping Delivery Teams in the Loop: The job of citizen developers frequently involves collaboration with other parties, including administrators, developers, and business users. To understand requirements, manage expectations, and deliver solutions that match company demands, effective communication and cooperation skills are essential. Usually, most of the processes in an organization are automated in Salesforce by IT teams, and the IT teams understand the feasibility and scalability of functionality well. Therefore, the citizen developers must ensure that they keep the IT delivery teams in the loop with all and any changes that are made in the Salesforce instances.
- Enhancing Salesforce Skillsets: Since technology is always changing, citizen developers must keep up with the most recent Salesforce releases, features, and best practices. They must be open to learning new things and developing their existing abilities. Thanks to the Trailhead, it has become so much easier to learn about new functionalities of Salesforce.
What Makes a Salesforce Citizen Developer Different from a Salesforce Admin?
Within the Salesforce ecosystem, there are two separate roles: Salesforce Citizen Developer and Salesforce Admin – each with its own tasks and areas of emphasis. Here is what differs between the two roles:
| Salesforce Citizen Developer | Salesforce Admin |
|---|---|
| A team member that uses a low-code, no-code approach to implement or modify processes in Salesforce. | A team member that works on implementing or modifying processes in Salesforce that may require taking into consideration the existing functionality and org security, while ensuring stable org health |
| Typically, this role lives on the business side. | Typically, this role lives on the IT side. |
| Examples of changes made: Create reports/dashboards, modify page layouts, and extend Salesforce capabilities using apps from AppExchange. | Examples of changes made: Create permission sets, sharing rules, flows, customize objects, or create validation rules to maintain data integrity. |
| Does not need to understand the complete Salesforce org structure. | Should be well aware of the Salesforce org structure. |
| Usually is familiar with business needs as well as processes, and works closely with subject matter experts from various departments. | Gets the business requirements from a business analyst or product owner in the form of business requirement documents or user stories. |
| Consults technical team for feasible solutions. | Provides consultation on best practices and scalable approach. |
| Keeps the Salesforce delivery team aware of all/any changes to the org. | Keeps the Salesforce delivery team aware of all/any changes to the org. |
In conclusion, while working with the Salesforce platform, Salesforce Admins and Salesforce Citizen Developers have different focuses and responsibilities. A Salesforce Admin is largely responsible for system administration, configuration, data management, org health changes, and user assistance, as opposed to a Citizen Developer who concentrates on customizing and building applications mostly using low-code, no-code methods. Nevertheless, depending on the organization’s needs, objectives, goals, and structure, there may be overlap and collaboration between these two roles.
What Should a Salesforce Citizen Developer Do and Not Do?
This will vary depending on the complexity of Salesforce org existing functionality and the need for new implementations or integrations. However, below are some of the examples of changes the Salesforce Citizen Developers can perform:
- Creating Reports/Dashboards: In order to display and analyze data in Salesforce, citizen developers can create reports and dashboards. To offer insights and important indicators, they can choose data sources, display formats, apply filters, and conduct calculations.
- Automation of Business Processes: Citizen developers may automate complicated business processes by building flows or approval processes using Salesforce’s low-code capabilities. Without writing any code, they may create visual workflows to outline the actions and processes required in a process and establish automation rules.
- Building Custom Applications: Salesforce Citizen Developers can design unique applications that are specifically suited to the requirements of their enterprise. They can design user interfaces, construct data models, and produce business logic using drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built components.
- Customizing User Interfaces As Per the Needs of Different Departments: The user interface of Salesforce apps can be customized by Salesforce Citizen Developers by changing page layouts, adding custom fields, and making custom objects. They can modify the user experience to meet the particular needs of their business.
- Exploring and Configuration of AppExchange Tools: AppExchange is a marketplace for pre-made applications and components of Salesforce. To increase the capability of their applications, citizen developers can investigate the available options and incorporate them into their Salesforce environment. As stated above, this too should be carried out with close coordination with IT teams. Most AppExchange tools offer a free trial period of their products, this makes it easier to study the usability and all possibilities of the tool.
Summary
While it’s true that Salesforce Citizen Developers can quickly produce apps to meet their immediate needs, it’s crucial to keep in mind that they might not have the in-depth understanding of software engineering procedures, security standards, and scalability considerations that professionals do.
To ensure that the new functionality satisfies the necessary standards and can be properly maintained and scaled, organizations frequently promote collaboration between citizen developers and IT delivery teams – developers and architects.
The idea of citizen development encourages people to participate in the creation of technological solutions and lessens reliance on IT departments for all software development requirements. By enabling business users to swiftly develop and refine applications that meet their specific needs, it promotes creativity, agility, and flexibility inside businesses.
Many IT teams are embracing the idea of passing some of the responsibilities to the citizen developers. If planned right, this can foster healthier, stronger team bonding between business and IT as well as foster creativity among the delivery teams.