State of the Custom App Report

Transcription

1 State of the Custom App Report A survey of how custom apps are solving business challenges and engaging citizen developers

2 Introduction In-house development of no-code/low-code custom apps is helping to solve scattered business processes and to provide organizations with easier and faster access to complex data, allowing for more effective team collaboration. Real-time reporting is also enabling organizations to make better decisions. Data at your fingertips equals better decisions. FILEMAKER 2

3 What s new in 2017? No-code/low-code development platforms such as FileMaker are gaining ground.this trend has been reinforced in a recent report by Forrester 1 defining low-code platforms as Platforms that enable rapid delivery of business applications with a minimum of hand-coding and minimal upfront investment in setup, training, and deployment. The State of the Custom App Report 2016 uncovered the benefits of custom apps from the perspective of all users, including IT professionals, full-time product developers, and citizen developers. Recognizing the growing demand for no-code/low-code development platforms, the 2017 report focuses on citizen developers and their experience, characteristics, and motivations. Citizen developers Citizen developers surveyed 2, were in organizations larger than 5 employees. created/were involved in the creation of the custom app. did not classify themselves as IT professionals. were not full-time custom app developers. 1 Clay Richardson and John R. Rymer, Forrester Wave : Low-Code Development Platforms, Q2 2016, April 14, 2016, Forrester Wave Research, accessed October 01, Results were gathered in September and October 2016 from 350 FileMaker customers across North America, Japan, and Europe. FILEMAKER 3

4 Key findings Custom apps are for every business need. Custom apps are helping businesses small and large manage business processes and make better decisions. Who are citizen developers? Citizen developers are problem solvers, proactive, and happier at work. 48 % saw an increase in satisfaction at work 83 % wanted to create a better way to work Why custom apps? Custom apps are fast to develop, require minimal time investment, and solve diverse business challenges. 82 % saw a reduction in inefficient tasks 46 % of apps were up and running in less than 4 weeks 71 % of apps were up and running in less than 3 months FILEMAKER 4

5 Custom apps are for every business need

6 Custom apps for any business size Most citizen developers are within smaller organizations that have fewer than 99 employees (52%). These small businesses tend to have fewer IT resources. How large is your organization? 25 % LARGE (1000+ employees) 52 % SMALL (5 99 employees) 23 % MEDIUM ( employees) FILEMAKER 6

7 Custom apps improve productivity Custom apps have become more important to a business success, combining tasks such as managing customers, inventory, and projects in a centralized system. This is even more important to small organizations that would not ordinarily have the ability to streamline their processes. What best describes what your custom app(s) do? (choose all that apply) 46 % Reporting and analysis 33 % 33 % 32 % Managing inventory and assets Managing contacts: customers, clients, members Integrating data from multiple sources A one stop business solution for CRM, inventory, project, and employee management. Reuben Helmuth Kitchens by Design 31 % Managing documents, images, videos, or other files FILEMAKER 7

8 Case Study My FileMaker mega solution drives nearly every facet of our flooring installation business. We receive about 400 purchase orders per day from our big box customer. Our FileMaker solution does this automatically, creating customer records, work orders, follow up lists, and notifications (via and SMS for our installation teams). Scheduled automation updates the big box stores services system as to status and flooring installation date changes. Our solution drives a scheduling tool for our call center team and our web portal for 160 Home Depot stores (our customer). On the back side of the floor covering installation process, we pull in post job, bar-coded documentation, which attaches documents to the customers. We pay our installers (who perform a total of about 20,000 flooring jobs for us each year) using our in-house written FileMaker book-keeping solution. Bob Minteer Cooper Flooring We do almost everything in FileMaker. FILEMAKER 8

9 Who is the citizen developer?

10 Citizen Developer: Expert on what matters Citizen developers are proactive problem solvers that make things better with custom apps, but do not typically have a technical background. Look for individuals who are: Managers or supervisors Managers & supervisors 34% have a management or supervisory role. These are individuals that have visibility into how the company functions and what needs improvement. Tech explorers without formal computer science education Tech explorers The majority of survey respondents are advanced computer users with no background in computer science or software engineering, with only 12% of survey respondents indicating they have a background in computer science. FILEMAKER 10

11 Citizen developers are problem solvers Citizen developers self identify as being a problem solver, hard working, and organized. Look for these traits when assigning custom app development to an employee. Please choose up to three words that your colleagues would use to describe you: (choose three options) I love to take on new challenges for improvement. 49 % Problem solvers 26 % Hard working 20 % Creative 23 % Organized 21 % Leader Other characteristics include being positive (16%), a quick learner (14%), and productive (14%). FILEMAKER 11

12 Citizen developers are proactive Citizen developers are motivated. They see a need and are willing to learn something new that will make their jobs and the jobs of their coworkers better. Why did you learn how to create your custom app(s)? (choose all that apply) I saw there was need to make processes more accurate and streamlined which eases the workload and stress level for everyone. Doreen Shaw Juneau School District 63% I wanted to be more productive 42% I wanted to help others in my organization 83 % I wanted to create a better way to work 41% I wanted to advance my skill set 12% I was asked to by my superior FILEMAKER 12

13 Citizen developers are happy at work Citizen developers feel increased satisfaction at work and increased confidence in their ability with technology. I am the Wizard of Oz. We run the place. How has creating your custom app(s) impacted your career? (choose all that apply) Increased satisfaction at work Increased confidence in my ability with technology 42 % 48 % Received more recognition within the organization 29 % Had more time to work on what I enjoy Increased motivation at work 26 % 29 % Other career impacts included increased confidence to take on more work (24%), and more visibility into the organization (22%). FILEMAKER 13

14 Why custom apps?

15 Citizen developers solve common business challenges Organizations need custom apps and are turning to them because their needs are simply not being met by spreadsheets or paper documents. Small businesses and teams want affordable tailor-made custom apps to improve their workflow and increase business efficiency. 82 % saw a reduction in inefficient tasks 71 % saw an increase in team productivity % saw a reduction in 60 data entry FILEMAKER 15

16 Citizen developers are up and running in no time The majority of citizen developers, 71%, had their first custom app up and running in less than 3 months. 46% built and deployed their first custom app in less than a month. How long did it take you to build your first custom app and deploy it to your team? 46 % Apps up and running in less than 4 weeks Less than a week 15 % 31 % 1-4 weeks 1-3 months 25 % 3-6 months 6-12 mn 4 % 5 % 12 % >1 yr I don t remember 9 % FILEMAKER 16

17 Citizen developers have a small weekly time commitment 66% of citizen developers spend 10 hours or less per week on their custom apps. 42% spend less than 5 hours per week. This means that the vast majority of their time is spent on their primary job. How many hours a week do you spend developing/ maintaining your custom app(s)? 66 % spend less than 10 hours a week developing and maintaining their custom apps 6 % I m not sure 2 % hours 7 % hours 19 % hours 42 % Less than 5 hours 24 % 5 10 hours FILEMAKER 17

18 Spotlight on Japan How are custom apps used in Japan? Globally, custom apps are being used in similar ways with positive results. 41 % Field data collection and surveys Custom apps are helping organizations in Japan to be more efficient (82%) and productive (73%). 37 % 33 % Invoicing, quotes, orders, estimates Customer relationship management Who are citizen developers in Japan? Citizen developers in Japan are problem solvers and the majority consider themselves to be standard computer users. 32% 20% 19% 60% identify as standard computer users Problem solvers Organized Curious FILEMAKER 18

19 Conclusion There has never been a better time for small business owners and leaders of teams within larger organizations to transform work. People who embrace improving business processes with technology can successfully create business value. Citizen developers are uniquely positioned to understand what their business and team needs and to create custom apps that solve real problems. FILEMAKER 19

20 FileMaker transforms your business The FileMaker Platform is simply powerful software for creating custom apps that work seamlessly across ipad, iphone, Windows, Mac, and the web. Millions of people in organizations around the world rely on the FileMaker Platform to share customer information, manage projects, track assets, and more. Find out more or download a free trial at: FILEMAKER 20