Surveys indicate that in spite of many shortcomings with end-user computing (end-user development of their own programs and systems), it continues to increase in amount and importance in most organizations.

There are three major factors that are driving the push to end-user development.

• Conventional approaches to application development are very time-consuming and labor intensive. Managers cannot afford to wait.
• Technical advances have produced new generations of application generating software that is easy for users to utilize. Actual programming skills are no longer needed to develop many applications. These software advances have been made possible through new generations of extremely powerful desktop hardware platforms. The tools exist to allow managers to do it.
• Information and computerized information systems have become more and more critical to managers being able to do their jobs. As information becomes the core element in management, the need to be able to develop applications and systems quickly is critical to management. Managers have high motivation to do it themselves.