Low Code / No Code for Public Authorities - Citizen Developers as the Key to Digital Transformation
Rethinking administration
The Digital Transformation of public administration is more urgent than ever: citizens expect modern services, a large proportion of civil servants will be retiring in the next few years, and at the same time, major digitalization projects will tie up resources for years. Traditional IT development is too slow for the pressure on many authorities to act.
This is where low platforms come in: They enable public authorities to implement their digitalization faster, more cost-efficiently, and closer to practice. Low-code tools and no-code platforms offer the advantage that specialist departments can develop simple applications themselves without having to rely on traditional IT projects. This creates new freedom in the public organization and reduces dependence on external development.
Low Code / No Code as an Accelerator of Administrative Digitization
Low-code/no-code platforms for public authorities enable the development of digital applications through visual interfaces, modular building blocks, and drag-and-drop functionalities. Even without programming experience, processes can be modeled, automated, or entire form sections can be mapped digitally. This significantly lowers the barriers to entry, especially for employees with no prior IT knowledge.
This is a huge advantage for public administrations with many repetitive processes and limited resources, this is a huge advantage. With the Microsoft Power Platform for public authorities, digital applications can be created with Microsoft Power Apps, approval workflows can be automated, and data analyses can be set up in a secure, efficient, and user-friendly way.
Expertise Meets Technology: The Role of Citizen Developers
A citizen developer in public authorities is an employee from a specialist area who develops digital solutions using low-code / no-code tools. They do not require traditional IT training but are enabled to translate their expertise into practical applications through targeted Citizen Developer training.
With Citizen Developer in public administration, solutions are developed directly in line with requirements: employees know the processes, identify potential for improvement, and implement them independently. Using tools like Microsoft Power Apps Administration, they develop practical, data protection-compliant solutions quickly, securely, and sustainably.
Governance and Security as the Foundation for Platform Operation
A sustainable governance strategy is a key success factor for introducing low-code / no-code in public administration. After all, citizen development can only have a tangible impact if it is regulated who is allowed to develop what, how quality and low-code security are ensured in public authorities, and how operations are organized in the long term. This is precisely where the Power Platform Foundation from Arvato Systems comes in. It supports the structured, secure, and sustainable introduction of the Microsoft Power Platform for public authorities.
In a compact, practical workshop format, Arvato Systems and the administration jointly develop all the necessary foundations: from the definition of clear roles and authorization concepts to technical security and data protection standards and the establishment of a Center of Excellence (CoE), which serves as a control instrument for all platform activities. The focus is not only on technical implementation, but also on building skills within the organizations: The Power Platform Foundation teaches methods, training concepts, and best practices that can be used to specifically empower citizen developers in public authorities and embed them in the organization.
This creates a framework that covers all relevant dimensions - Power Platform governance for public organizations, security, platform operation, user qualification, and scalability - and meets the specific requirements of the public sector. With the Power Platform Foundation, public authorities create the necessary basis for using the Microsoft Power Platform selectively, strategically, and organization-wide - in a controlled, compliant, and future-proof manner. Arvato Systems contributes a deep understanding of technology and many years of experience working with public authorities, making it a reliable partner on the path to a modern low-code / no-code organization.
Change Management: Success Factor for Sustainable Implementation
The introduction of low-code/no-code platforms is changing more than just the technical landscape. New roles are emerging, specialist departments are taking on development tasks, and collaboration between IT and administration is being rethought. Anyone who wants to introduce low-code/no-code in public administration must actively shape this cultural change, strategically accompanied by suitable methods and robust platform governance.
With the emergence of citizen developers in public authorities, responsibility is shifting to the specialist departments. People who were previously pure users are becoming digital creators themselves. This only works with trust, clear framework conditions, and targeted citizen developer training. Without structured change management, there is a risk of uncertainty, excessive demand, or a lack of acceptance, and therefore, challenges that many authorities underestimate during their low-code digitalization.
Successful change starts with communication: What goals is the organization pursuing with low-code / no-code? What will change in concrete terms for those involved? At the same time, practical training, internal community formats, and eye-level exchange are needed. Here, the Power Platform Foundation from Arvato Systems provides valuable support with methodological building blocks, training concepts, and governance guidelines that closely interlink technological introduction and cultural change.
In this way, low code / no code does not become a parallel self-build solution, but an integrative element of a modern administrative structure: supported by the people who live it every day and actively develop it further. The combination of platform, structure, and change is crucial and makes Citizen Development a sustainable innovation approach for the digital transformation of public administration.
Low-code/no-code platforms offer administrations the opportunity to drive forward their digital transformation independently and in a future-proof manner. With citizen developers in public authorities, solutions are created exactly where they are needed—quickly, user-centered, and practical.
The Power Platform Foundation from Arvato Systems provides the methodological and technological framework for this, from power platform governance for public organizations to security and training to sustainable scaling. If you want to introduce low-code in public administration, you need a partner who not only supplies technology but also provides holistic support for the change. Arvato Systems brings platform expertise, implementation experience, and a comprehensive understanding of public authorities to the table.
Now is the right time to set a new course by strategically introducing low-code/no-code in public administration.
Frequently Asked Questions on This Topic
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What is a low code / no code platform?
A low code / no code platform is a development tool with which digital applications can be created visually - i.e. using drag-and-drop. This allows processes to be automated or digital forms to be developed without traditional programming.
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What is a Citizen Developer in public authorities?
A citizen developer is an administrative employee who develops their own applications with the help of low-code / no-code tools, without traditional IT training. They contribute specialist knowledge and process understanding and drive digitalization directly from the specialist departments.
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How can authorities use low code / no code platforms securely?
Through a central platform strategy with clear roles, technical standards and control mechanisms. The Power Platform Foundation from Arvato Systems offers a structured governance framework that is specifically tailored to the requirements of public organizations.
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How to create digital applications with Microsoft Power Apps?
With Microsoft Power Apps, user-friendly application forms can be created without programming. They can be connected to existing specialist procedures or data sources and automated with workflows, ideal for many internal and external administrative processes.
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How do you prevent shadow IT in Citizen Development?
Through clear governance, transparent approval processes and the central provision of low code / no code platforms. The Power Platform Foundation ensures that citizen developers work under defined framework conditions: structured, secure and traceable.
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What is the Power Platform Foundation?
The Power Platform Foundation is a structured workshop approach from Arvato Systems that supports public organizations in developing and implementing customized governance for the Microsoft Power Platform.
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What advantages does the Power Platform Foundation offer?
The Power Platform Foundation offers tailored governance, comprehensive security and data protection guidelines, structured implementation, efficient control, sustainable adoption, future-proofing and competence building for your organization.