Define the Application Lifecycle
Custom applications created by the citizen developers require management and support after they have been deployed.
Applications generally have a finite lifecycle that begins with an idea and then to their creation and ends with their retirement. It’s important that a Citizen Developer program have appropriate processes and controls throughout the application lifecycle.
The process for the citizen developers will essentially be the same as for a professional developer and includes the following phases within the application lifecycle: Intake, Build, Test, Deploy and Maintain, Monitor, Retire.
Intake
It is recommended that you have the citizen developers fill out a simple intake form describing their application when they are starting out.
Typical questions you should consider including in the intake form are:
- Application name
- Short description of the idea/application
- Is your process repeatable?
- Do you have an email or excel-based process?
- How many users of the app are expected?
- Does the app involve sensitive data?
- Do other departments need to provide data?
- What users will have access to the data within the application?
The intake form can then be reviewed by the Citizen Developer program manager who then needs to answer the following questions:
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Does this functionality already exist in another application in our enterprise, and should we reuse that?
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Is this functionality appropriate to be built on ServiceNow?
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Do we have the required ServiceNow licensing to build this application?
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Is this application appropriate for a citizen developer to build?
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Does the requesting citizen developer have the prerequisite skill set?
If the answer to all the above questions is “yes”, then the intake request is approved, and the citizen developer is granted access. The citizen developer can then start the building process.
At this time, it should be determined who is responsible for supporting and/or maintaining the application once it’s in production options: The citizen developer, The citizen developer’s manager, Or the core ServiceNow team.
Support is defined as responding to questions from the end users about the application in production. Maintenance is defined as implementing bug-fixes and/or new features in the application. You also need to determine if end-user or support documentation is needed and, if so, who will create and maintain the documentation.
Build
The citizen developers primarily build applications on their own. As outlined above, they may need periodic support from professional developers on the core team. Where required, the support team can provide useful reminders to utilize the CoE resources and best practices.
The citizen developer’s ability may depend on the level/area of training they have, and any limitations the enterprise has. For example, the enterprise may not allow citizen developers to create scripts, etc.
Test
Enterprises need to determine their testing approach for applications developed by citizen developers. Best practices include making the citizen developer responsible for testing their own application as well as coordinating lite user-acceptance testing.
Some enterprises will require their citizen developers to create tests using automated test framework (ATF). Given that ATF is a tool more appropriate for professional developers, enterprises need to determine whether they’re going to have professional developers create ATF tests.
Enterprises also need to determine the testing required at each step in the application promotion process from the development environment to the test environment, from the test environment to the production environment, or any other environment in their development platform. Best practices include running ATF tests and instance scans in the test.
Deploy
Deployment to the application environment should remain the responsibility of the core ServiceNow team including any security configuration required. The deployment mechanism can be Update Sets or Application Repository but should be consistent across all application types regardless of developer persona (citizen developer or professional).
Maintain and Support
The users may have questions about how to use an application. It is important to define where users go to get their questions answered: Directly to the citizen developer, to the citizen developer’s department, or to the core ServiceNow team.
The support burden can be reduced by creating end-user guides/knowledge base articles allowing users to independently find the help they need.
Once an application is in production, it may require ongoing maintenance and/or upgrades. Significant modifications to the application should follow the same life-cycle phases as outlined above. Minor corrections such as bug-fixes may follow a quicker path to production.
The responsibility for maintaining the application should be assessed every time the application is significantly enhanced. At times, citizen-developed apps can cross a threshold of complexity or mission criticality that require a professional developer going forward.
Monitor
Enterprises should monitor application usage including the number of active users, transaction volumes, trend analysis, etc.
Applications that are no longer being used should be evaluated for retirement and removal from the platform. It is recommended that enterprises conduct an application review/user review on a regular basis, at least once a year.
Retire
The following are the best practices associated with applications identified for retirement.
If possible, notify the previous users that the application is going to be retired and removed from the platform. A technical assessment of the application should be performed to determine if any other applications or processes are dependent upon this application or its data. If there are technical dependencies, they need to be addressed before the application can be retired.
The application and all its data should be backed up and securely stored according to enterprise policies. Once the application is backed up, the application can be deleted from the platform.
