End-User Software Development Managing Nonprofessionals Various office productivity suites with word processing and spreadsheet applications such as Google Docs, Open Office, and Microsoft Office allow users to create their own macros, functions, and even programs. These features are open to end users to help them improve their own productivity--especially with spreadsheets.
Although this sounds great in principle, most users aren't professional developers, and their mistakes can be costly. Assume the role of an IT director for a mid-sized company and answer the following questions:
a. Would you ban end-user development as too risky? Why or why not?
b. Search the Internet for risks associated with end user development and list what you find.
c. What could you do to help support end-user development in your organization?