--- title: 'What is Grassroot IT about?' url: 'https://grassroot.it/en/konzept' markdown: 'https://grassroot.it/en/konzept.md' lang: en date: '2026-11-11' description: 'Grassroot IT is a framework that helps organisations turn their employees’ specialist knowledge into useful applications and manage the entire lifecycle responsibly. It connects…' --- # What is Grassroot IT about? Values, lifecycle, the two main fields and shared foundations in context. [![Organisational value and compliance apply to all six lifecycle phases. The two main fields are developing and operating applications; skills and collaboration form the foundation.](https://grassroot.it/user/pages/02.konzept/grassroot-konzept-en.svg)](https://grassroot.it/user/pages/02.konzept/grassroot-konzept-en.svg) [Enlarge graphic ](https://grassroot.it/user/pages/02.konzept/grassroot-konzept-en.svg)[Save as PNG](https://grassroot.it/user/pages/02.konzept/grassroot-konzept-en.png) Grassroot IT is a framework that helps organisations turn their employees’ specialist knowledge into useful applications and manage the entire lifecycle responsibly. It connects practical development with professional operations and the organisation’s requirements. The starting point is work within business departments: an analysis in [Microsoft Excel](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/microsoft-excel), an application in [Microsoft Access](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/microsoft-access), an automated workflow or a prototype developed with [artificial intelligence](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/ki-entwicklung-pruefen). Grassroot IT provides a shared approach with traceable decisions, suitable methods and clear responsibility. ## Two values guide every decision **[Organisational value](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/wertbeitrag)** means that an application should deliver an identifiable benefit, such as more reliable results, shorter processing times or fewer manual transfers. Assessment includes effort, dependencies and possible adverse effects. Expected benefits are later compared with actual outcomes. **[Compliance](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/regelkonformitaet)** means identifying the requirements applicable to an application and providing traceable evidence of meeting them. This includes legal and supervisory requirements, internal policies, [information security](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/informationssicherheit), [data protection](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/datenschutz-in-anwendungen) and business controls. The relevant requirements must be established for the particular organisation and application. ## The lifecycle provides the organisational structure [Lifecycle management](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/lebenszyklusmanagement) starts with a need. First clarify the task, expected benefit and existing alternatives. Development or adoption follows, then testing and introduction, operation and improvement, and finally replacement and retirement. Each phase identifies the expected outcome, owner, necessary decision and appropriate evidence. Operational experience feeds back into assessment. Changed work may require an extension; an obsolete need may lead to replacement. Orderly [retirement](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/ausserbetriebnahme) also addresses data, access rights and dependencies. ## Two main fields **[Develop applications](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/vom-prototypen-zur-anwendung)** turns departmental knowledge into usable solutions. Requirements are described clearly, prototypes have defined limits and results are checked against business expectations. Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, [low-code](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/low-code), [no-code](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/no-code) and artificial intelligence are possible tools, selected according to the task and its constraints. **[Operate applications](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/anwendungen-verlaesslich-betreiben)** makes sustained use reliable. It includes ownership and deputies, [controlled changes](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/aenderungen-und-versionen), maintenance, incident handling, access rights and tested [recovery](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/sicherung-und-wiederherstellung). Even a small application needs an understandable transition into operation. ## Skills and collaboration form the foundation [Training](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/befaehigung-und-schulungen), [methods, tools and templates](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/methoden-werkzeuge-vorlagen) help people fulfil their lifecycle responsibilities. [Sharing experience](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/zusammenarbeit) between business departments, application operations and central information technology (IT) keeps solutions understandable and makes use of existing capabilities. Support scales with the importance and complexity of the application. A short [application profile](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel/anwendungssteckbrief) provides a practical start, recording purpose, users, data, ownership and main dependencies. It helps identify the next development step and operational foundations needed. --- ## Navigation - Previous: [Grassroot IT](https://grassroot.it/en/index.md) - Next: [Articles](https://grassroot.it/en/artikel.md)