Citizen Developers Are Elevating L&D
In an era where business agility is key, the role of Learning and Development (L&D) has shifted dramatically. It’s no longer just about offering training—it’s about delivering strategic value by enabling employees to adapt, innovate, and contribute in new ways. One major driver of this evolution is citizen development—where nontechnical employees use visual builders like no-code and low-code platforms to build applications that support their day-to-day work and learning needs [1].
But as citizen development grows, L&D leaders face a critical challenge: how do you measure its true impact on learning outcomes and business performance? While the concept is transformative, proving ROI and driving continuous improvement requires clear, aligned metrics.
This article explores the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics that matter most when evaluating how citizen developers are reshaping learning programs. Whether you’re launching your first citizen development initiative or scaling across departments, here’s how to track the value it delivers.
Why Measurement Matters In Citizen Development For L&D
Citizen development in the L&D landscape goes far beyond DIY software. It empowers employees—particularly non-IT staff—to:
- Create learning aids and internal apps.
- Automate onboarding, compliance tracking, and skill assessments.
- Customize training workflows to suit team or departmental needs.
Without measurement, these efforts risk being undervalued or misaligned with business objectives. With the right KPIs, however, organizations can:
- Justify continued investment.
- Prove efficiency gains and performance improvements.
- Pinpoint successful use cases for scaling.
Top Metrics For Measuring The Impact Of Citizen Development In L&D
1. Application Development Metrics
These metrics track how actively employees are engaging in citizen development efforts and how these efforts are influencing learning workflows.
- Number of learning-related apps built by citizen developers
This includes training trackers, onboarding forms, learning feedback tools, or compliance modules. A rising count shows increased empowerment and engagement. - Time-to-deploy
How long does it take from ideation to app deployment? A reduction here demonstrates agility in responding to learning needs. - Reuse rate of citizen-built apps
When an app or module created by one employee is adopted by others, it shows value and usability. - Customizations by role or department
Measuring how different functions adapt citizen-built learning tools reveals how tailored and decentralized the learning culture has become.
2. Learning Engagement And Experience Metrics
Citizen development can boost learner ownership and relevance. These metrics help quantify the impact on the learning experience itself.
- Training completion rate improvement
Custom-built learning workflows often increase learner engagement, leading to higher completion rates. - Learner satisfaction scores (via feedback tools)
Ask employees how the citizen-developed modules and tools impacted their learning journey. - Learning Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Track whether learners would recommend citizen-developed tools to peers. It’s a proxy for usefulness and satisfaction. - Drop-off rate in standard vs. citizen-developed training modules
This helps compare traditional L&D content with more customized, role-specific ones created through citizen development.
3. Performance And Productivity Metrics
These are tied directly to how the use of citizen development affects real-world performance and workplace productivity.
- Time saved on learning-related processes
For example, if a team automates certification tracking or knowledge assessments, measure how much manual effort is eliminated. - Improvement in job performance post-learning
Correlate citizen-built learning tools to on-the-job efficiency, customer service quality, or production output. - Reduction in IT dependency for L&D tech solutions
Track how often the L&D team turns to citizen developers rather than IT to solve small but essential issues. - Task automation rate
What percentage of repetitive or administrative L&D tasks are now automated by citizen developers?
4. Adoption And Scalability Metrics
If citizen development is to become a long-term asset, you need to measure how well it’s being adopted and scaled.
- Number of active citizen developers in L&D or business units
Growth over time shows cultural adoption of no-code tools and digital innovation. - Departments involved in citizen development
A cross-functional increase signals widespread utility and a thriving citizen development culture. - Repeat participation in training or development sessions
Employees returning to upskill further shows interest and momentum. - Participation in citizen developer communities or forums
Active internal communities signal engagement and knowledge-sharing.
5. Governance And Risk Management Metrics
While empowering, citizen development must be structured and safe. These metrics help ensure governance is being maintained.
- Policy adherence rate
Are citizen developers following defined data, access, and workflow standards? - Number of support or intervention tickets raised to IT
A decreasing number may show better design practices and stronger L&D training for developers. - Number of applications needing revision due to compliance or security issues
Tracking this can help improve governance and training content.
Connecting Metrics To Business Outcomes
To win continued support and funding for citizen development in L&D, you must connect these metrics to broader organizational goals. Ask:
- How is reduced time-to-deploy improving time-to-productivity for new hires?
- How are custom learning apps supporting regulatory compliance?
- Are automated L&D tools freeing up time for managers to coach and mentor?
When these metrics align with KPIs like employee engagement, cost savings, or speed of change implementation, you move beyond vanity metrics to business impact.
Real-World Example: A Manufacturing Company’s L&D Transformation
A mid-sized manufacturing firm deployed a no-code platform for its L&D team and trained frontline supervisors as citizen developers. Within six months:
- Over 30 internal training apps were created (e.g., safety checklists, onboarding tutorials)
- Time to onboard new hires dropped by 45%
- Learner satisfaction scores rose from 6.2/10 to 8.7/10
- IT requests from the L&D team decreased by 60%
These metrics helped leadership expand the initiative into operations and logistics, further accelerating digital maturity.
Best Practices For Data Collection And Reporting
To make the most of your metrics:
- Integrate analytics dashboards into your no-code platform.
- Survey learners regularly using short, in-app feedback forms.
- Establish KPIs before launch—what success looks like must be defined up-front.
- Benchmark against traditional methods to highlight improvements.
Conclusion: Data-Driven Growth For L&D With Citizen Development
Citizen development holds the power to decentralize innovation, personalize learning, and accelerate digital transformation. But like any strategic initiative, its value must be quantified.
By tracking the right mix of adoption, performance, engagement, and governance metrics, organizations can confidently scale their citizen development efforts within L&D—and demonstrate real business impact.
Remember: what gets measured, gets managed. And when learning is being managed by empowered employees themselves, organizations build a future-ready, innovation-first culture.
Key Takeaways
- Measure more than just the number of apps—focus on engagement, efficiency, and results.
- Use KPIs to justify investment, demonstrate ROI, and shape future training.
- Link learning impact directly to business outcomes for stakeholder buy-in.
References:
[1] Visual Workflow Builder: Simplifying Process Automation in 2025