What are fusion teams?

If you have been considering a digital transformation initiative, and researched Low-Code platforms as a solution, you may have come across the terms citizen developer and fusion teams.

Citizen developers are employees who operate outside of IT and create applications using Low-Code or no-code tools. Fusion teams, however, are made up from employees across the different business functions. These teams will work together and use data and technology to create business applications to solve business problems. They will have a blend of business users, who know and understand the data and processes, and business technologists who are experienced in creating applications.

What are the key benefits of utilising fusion teams?

Research by analyst firm Gartner reports that 84% of companies have now set-up fusion teams and that 59% are relying on these teams to develop applications.

Faster application delivery – In the same Gartner Report it states that those utilising fusion teams properly are able to deploy new solution much faster. In many cases up to 2.5 times faster.

Higher adoption and retention rates – The new applications and solutions are more likely to be adopted due to having employees from the teams that will be using them involved in the process. They have the subject matter knowledge and are the people who experience the challenges on a daily basis, therefore they are invested in finding a solution that meets their specific needs.

How to assemble your fusion team.

Assembling the right team for the job is just as essential as selecting the software that is used. If you have the wrong mix of people on the team you may not get the results that you expect. If you rely too heavily on business technologists you will find that the resulting applications won’t fully address the problems that the customer-facing users are experiencing, potentially leading to employee and customer dissatisfaction.

Conversely, not having enough business technologists on the team may hamper the speed in which the applications can be delivered. Citizen developers at the lower end may be able to go so far with drag-and-drop Low-Code or no-code tools, but may find the going a bit tough once complex processes are tackled.

You should also consider having the IT department represented within your team, as they will be the gateway to many of the integrations that will be needed from other business systems across the organisation.

Giving your fusion team the tools for success.

For fusion teams to be successful it is essential for them to have access to the right tools. Low-Code offer these teams the perfect platform to collaborate and create their solutions. In the beginning they may map out their existing business processes using a workflow designer. With the process mapped out, the team can look at areas where improvements can be made.

The workflows can be worked on by the business users, whilst the business technologists on the team can focus on creating the connections to data sources and screens required.

With IT on-board your fusion team you can also be assured that your applications sit within a governed IT infrastructure, so they are not posing any security or compliance risk to the business.

PhixFlow the all-in-one platform for fusion teams

Drive efficiency and cost reductions in your business with PhixFlow, the Low-Code Application Development Platform that allows your teams, to easily create business applications that automate complex processes, fix data problems, visualise and interact your data. All user types within a fusion team are catered for. There’s drag-and-drop functionality for the business users and application can be extended by the business technologists.