PL-100 and PL-200 delineate distinct roles and target audiences within the realm of application development, particularly concerning who the applications are built for and the developer's background. The core distinction lies in whether the apps are for internal personal/team use or for external clients/organization-wide deployment as a professional service.
Key Differences at a Glance
The following table summarizes the primary differences between PL-100 and PL-200, highlighting their respective focuses and target professionals:
| Feature | PL-100 | PL-200 |
|---|---|---|
| Target Audience | Individuals building apps for themselves and their immediate colleagues. | Professionals whose primary job involves building apps for others within an organization or for external clients. |
| Developer's Background | Often lack a formal IT background, focusing on solving specific business problems with intuitive tools. | Typically hold a professional role dedicated to app development, often implying more formal technical skills or experience. |
| App Purpose | Empowering individual productivity and improving small team workflows. | Delivering robust, scalable applications to meet broader organizational or client-specific business requirements. |
| Role Emphasis | Citizen Developer, Business User, App Maker | Professional App Developer, Solution Architect, Consultant |
Deeper Dive into Roles and Responsibilities
Understanding the nuances of each designation helps clarify the scope and expectations for individuals aligned with PL-100 versus PL-200.
PL-100: The Citizen Developer / App Maker
Individuals aligning with PL-100 are often referred to as citizen developers or app makers. Their primary objective is to create solutions that directly benefit their own work or that of their immediate team.
- Focus on Personal and Team Productivity: They build applications to automate personal tasks, streamline departmental processes, or enhance collaboration within a small group.
- Business-Centric Approach: Their motivation is typically rooted in solving a specific business challenge they encounter daily, rather than being driven by a formal IT development mandate.
- Leveraging Low-Code/No-Code Tools: They are adept at utilizing platforms that enable rapid application development without requiring extensive coding knowledge, making technology accessible to users without a formal IT background.
PL-200: The Professional App Developer / Solution Builder
PL-200 is geared towards individuals whose profession involves building applications for others. This implies a more structured, professional, and often broader scope of development.
- Service-Oriented Development: Their role is to design, develop, and deploy applications as a service to various departments, teams, or external clients within an organization.
- Formal Role in IT/Development: These individuals typically hold dedicated positions as app developers, solution builders, or consultants, where app creation is a core job responsibility.
- Broader Scope and Complexity: They often handle more complex requirements, integrate with diverse systems, ensure scalability, security, and maintainability for applications used by a wider audience. They might also be responsible for governance and deployment best practices.
In essence, while both PL-100 and PL-200 involve building applications, PL-100 is about empowering the end-user to create solutions for themselves and their immediate circle, whereas PL-200 focuses on the professional delivery of applications for a broader user base as a dedicated role.
