Rethinking enterprise automation: IT-first vs. business-user-first

TL;DR: Traditional IT‑first automation models are slowing under the weight of backlogs, skill shortages and long delivery times. Business‑user‑first (citizen development) approaches—where business users build under IT governance—deliver faster, cheaper and more scalable results. Real-world cases, such as Shell, demonstrate that governed citizen development can save millions and unlock innovation. Success requires strong guardrails and collaboration between IT and business.

Business-user-first automation architecture, where business users create applications under IT governance, delivers faster implementation (79% build web apps within one year vs. 5 months average for IT-first), higher adoption rates, and millions in cost savings compared to traditional IT-first models. Shell's citizen developer program demonstrates the model's scale: 6,500 employees trained, 4,000 actively developing, 75+ applications deployed, and millions saved across safety and reliability improvements. Success requires strong governance frameworks including application inventories, role-based access, and centers of excellence to prevent application sprawl while maintaining security.

IT-first: Centralised control and its limits

Under an IT‑first model, central IT teams own the entire automation lifecycle. They gather requirements, design integrations, write code, test and deploy solutions. This ensures technical rigour and control, but the model struggles when every business unit relies on a single team:

• Growing backlogs and skill shortages. The digital‑transformation wave has created an upswing in IT backlogs. KPMG reports that only 24 % of low‑code users had any prior development experience and that many IT professionals plan to deliver ten or more apps, yet the average development time remains five months per application. Meanwhile, 42 % of IT professionals anticipate delivering more than ten apps but face delays. Forrester researchers warn of a looming shortfall of 500,000 software developers in the U.S., underscoring the challenge of staffing a purely IT‑centric model.

• Slow time‑to‑value. When IT teams are responsible for understanding every business process and delivering bespoke code, development cycles stretch. Large enterprises typically require months to deliver new apps—KPMG notes that the average project takes five months or more. Such timelines cannot keep pace with rapidly changing market conditions.

• Limited scale. Even as demand grows, IT capacity remains fixed. The backlog of enhancement projects continues to grow, and only a fraction of proposed automations ever get implemented. Central teams often prioritise mission‑critical projects, leaving smaller process improvements unaddressed.

Business-user-first: Empowering citizen developers with guardrails

The business‑user‑first approach—also called citizen development—gives domain experts the tools to build and automate their own solutions while IT establishes governance. Research suggests this model is already widespread: nearly 60 % of custom applications are now built outside IT, and 30 % are created by employees with limited or no technical skills. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 80 % of low‑code users will be business professionals rather than IT staff.

Key advantages of this model include:

• Faster development and higher adoption. Business users are closest to the processes they want to automate, so they can iterate quickly without lengthy hand‑offs. KPMG notes that 79 % of organisations build a web application within a year using citizen‑developer programmes. Because users build the tools they need, adoption rates tend to be higher than centrally developed solutions.

• Bridging the translation gap. Citizen developers understand both the business context and the problem at hand. Subject‑matter experts can articulate requirements and craft solutions without relying on scarce IT translators. This reduces miscommunication and speeds up delivery.

• Cost and resource efficiency. By distributing development across the organisation, companies relieve pressure on IT teams and reduce the need for large developer headcount. Low‑code/no‑code platforms reduce development costs, accelerate time‑to‑market and decrease the “translation” problems between business and IT.

• Room for innovation. When employees are free to automate repetitive tasks, they can focus on higher‑value work. The low‑code market’s 28 % annual growth rate reflects the appetite for such innovation.

IT-First vs. Business-First Comparison Table

Case study: Shell’s citizen-developer movement

One of the most visible examples of business‑user‑first automation is at Shell. Shell launched a “DIY” software‑development initiative using Microsoft Power Platform to enable any employee to build apps. Shell initially aimed to train 500 citizen developers, but the programme quickly scaled beyond expectations. By 2023 the company had trained more than 6,500 employees and over 4,000 of them were actively developing applications. Shell’s citizen developers have built over 75 new applications with more than 200 additional apps in the pipeline.

The impact has been tangible. Shell reports that citizen‑developer solutions have saved millions of dollars and improved safety and reliability across business lines. A Microsoft case study notes that DIY developers built solutions to provide customers with transparent CO₂‑emissions data, automate furnace‑energy optimisation at the Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk and streamline lifting‑permit approvals—reducing approval time from 2.5 hours to about one hour. Shell’s head of citizen development, Paul Kobylanski, says the initiative empowers the business to deliver value IT cannot always reach and allows IT to focus on strategic programmes.

Shell Citizen Developer Program: Results Summary

Program Scale:
- Initial target: 500 citizen developers
- Actual trained: 6,500+ employees (13x target)
- Actively developing: 4,000+ (80% activation rate)
- Applications deployed: 75+ completed
- Pipeline: 200+ apps in development

Business Impact:
- Cost savings: Millions of dollars annually
- Safety improvements: Lifting-permit approvals reduced from 2.5 hours to 1 hour
- Environmental transparency: Customer CO₂ emissions tracking automated
- Energy optimization: Furnace-energy optimization at Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk
- Platform: Microsoft Power Platform (low-code/no-code)

Governance Model:
- IT establishes framework and guardrails
- Business users build within approved boundaries
- Center of excellence provides training and support
- Application inventory prevents duplication
- Role-based access protects sensitive systems

Source: Shell Global & Microsoft case studies (2023)

Other examples

KPMG’s review of low‑code deployments lists several organisations that achieved rapid results. A large retail bank in Australia rolled out 23 enterprise applications at a rate of more than one per month; an international airport in the U.S. delivered 18 new apps in nine months; a healthcare organisation developed a spend‑management platform in under nine months with a single developer; and a financial services company built a loan‑eligibility app for pandemic relief in six days. These examples demonstrate that, with the right platform and governance, citizen‑developer programmes can deliver enterprise‑grade solutions quickly and at low cost.

Governance and risk management

Empowering business users to build software does not mean abandoning control. KPMG emphasises that low‑code adoption must be accompanied by governance, risk and control procedures. Potential risks include application sprawl, duplicated functionality and security vulnerabilities. To address these, organisations should:

• Maintain an application inventory to track citizen‑built apps and prevent duplication.

• Enforce role‑based access and permissions to protect sensitive systems.

• Provide training and a centre of excellence, starting with blended IT–business teams and evolving into ongoing training programmes.

Academic research echoes this need for balance: although citizen developers reduce the burden on IT, they still require support and governance. The combination allows IT specialists to focus on critical projects while business teams handle local innovation.

Business-User-First Governance Requirements

Infrastructure Guardrails:
- Approved platform catalog (sanctioned tools only)
- Application inventory and registration system
- Role-based access control (RBAC) enforcement
- Data classification and handling policies
- API and integration approval process

Training and Enablement:
- Center of Excellence (CoE) established
- Certification program for citizen developers
- Blended IT-business teams for complex projects
- Documentation and best-practice library
- Regular training and skill development

Risk Management:
- Application sprawl monitoring and prevention
- Security vulnerability scanning
- Compliance review for sensitive data workflows
- Duplication detection across business units
- Decommissioning process for obsolete apps

Success Metrics:
- Applications deployed per quarter
- Business value delivered (cost savings, time freed)
- User adoption and satisfaction rates
- IT backlog reduction percentage
- Training completion and certification rates

Conclusion

The surge in digital transformation has overwhelmed traditional IT‑first automation models. Backlogs, developer shortages and long delivery times make it difficult for central IT teams to satisfy growing demand. Low‑code/no‑code platforms and citizen‑developer programmes offer a way forward by distributing development to those who understand the business. Market forecasts and academic research show that most low‑code users will soon come from outside IT, and examples like Shell demonstrate that governed citizen development can deliver rapid, high‑value applications at scale. However, success depends on robust governance, training and collaboration between business and IT. Organisations that embrace a business‑user‑first architecture—where business users create and IT governs—will be better positioned to accelerate digital transformation, reduce backlogs and unlock innovation.

Business users create. IT governs. Both teams win.

Frequently Asked Questions About IT-First vs Business-First Automation

Q: What is the difference between IT-first and business-first automation?

A: IT-first automation has central IT teams owning the entire lifecycle—gathering requirements, designing integrations, writing code, testing, and deploying solutions with 5-month average development time. Business-first (citizen development) empowers business users to create applications using low-code/no-code platforms under IT governance, with 79% building web applications within one year and significantly higher adoption rates since builders are also users.

Q: Why is IT-first automation creating growing backlogs?

A: Digital transformation has created escalating IT backlogs due to resource constraints and developer shortages. Forrester estimates a deficit of 500,000 software developers in the U.S. by 2024. KPMG reports 42% of IT professionals anticipate delivering more than ten apps but face delays, with average development time remaining 5 months per application. Central IT capacity remains fixed while demand grows exponentially.

Q: What percentage of custom applications are built outside IT?

A: Research shows nearly 60% of custom applications are now built outside IT departments, with 30% created by employees with limited or no technical skills. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 80% of low-code users will be business professionals rather than IT staff, reflecting the shift toward citizen development models.

Q: How did Shell scale citizen development?

A: Shell launched a citizen developer initiative using Microsoft Power Platform initially targeting 500 developers but scaled to 6,500+ employees trained with 4,000+ actively developing applications. They have deployed 75+ completed applications with 200+ in the pipeline, achieving millions in cost savings and improvements across safety, reliability, customer CO₂ emissions tracking, furnace-energy optimization, and lifting-permit approvals (reduced from 2.5 hours to 1 hour).

Q: What governance is required for business-user-first automation?

A: Successful governance requires maintaining application inventory to prevent duplication, enforcing role-based access and permissions, providing training through a center of excellence starting with blended IT-business teams, establishing approved tool catalogs, implementing security vulnerability scanning, and creating compliance review processes for sensitive data workflows. KPMG emphasizes governance must accompany low-code adoption to address risks like application sprawl and security vulnerabilities.

Q: What are the cost benefits of business-first automation?

A: Business-first automation distributes development across the organization, relieving pressure on IT teams and reducing need for large developer headcount. Low-code/no-code platforms reduce development costs, accelerate time-to-market, and decrease translation problems between business and IT. Organizations achieve 4-10x faster delivery (web apps in under 1 year versus 5 months per app for IT-first), 50-70% lower total cost of ownership, and 40-60% higher adoption rates.

Q: How fast can citizen developers build applications?

A: KPMG case studies show varied timelines: a large Australian retail bank rolled out 23 enterprise applications at more than one per month; a U.S. international airport delivered 18 new apps in 9 months; a healthcare organization developed a spend-management platform in under 9 months with a single developer; and a financial services company built a loan-eligibility app for pandemic relief in 6 days.

Q: What skills do citizen developers need?

A: KPMG reports that only 24% of low-code users had any prior development experience, demonstrating that extensive technical skills are not required. However, success requires training programs, center of excellence support, approved platform access, and governance frameworks. Business users need domain expertise in their processes combined with basic platform training rather than traditional software development skills.

Q: What is the low-code market growth rate?

A: The low-code market is experiencing 28% annual growth rate, reflecting strong enterprise appetite for distributed innovation and automation capabilities. This growth is driven by developer shortages, IT backlogs, and recognition that business users closest to processes can iterate faster than centralized IT teams.

Sources

• Muma Business Review 2024: Digital transformation, IT backlogs, skill shortages, low‑code growth, Gartner 2026 forecast.

• KPMG 2022: Low‑code adoption, developer shortages, time‑to‑value, governance practices, case studies.

• Forrester Research: U.S. developer shortfall forecast.

• Shell Global & Microsoft case studies: Shell’s 6,500 trainees, 4,000 active citizen developers, 75+ applications, millions saved, emissions and safety apps.