By Bianca Gempesaw and Aly Virrey
Aboitiz is all about embracing and shaping the future. Since the start of GT2025, we’ve been uniquely positioned to drive digital transformation, thanks to our visionary leaders and talented team members. A great example of this is how the AEV IT Team empowered AEV TMs to build custom apps using Google tools. The collaborative effort brought together talented individuals from different CSUs, resulting in free, creative solutions and more efficient workflows.
Advancing Digital Literacy and Elevating Customer Experience Capabilities
We’ve all had those days where we get bogged down by repetitive tasks or complicated processes. These challenges can range from mundane tasks like manual data entry to tedious processes that can really slow us down and make it harder to do our best work.
To tackle these challenges head-on, the AEV IT team, led by AVP IT Solutions Kenneth Lim, introduced the “AppSheet Citizen Training” initiative. By leveraging Google’s AppSheet platform and applying the “squeezing the orange” mindset, it enabled TMs to develop cost-saving and impactful applications without requiring coding expertise. This initiative aligns with our vision of becoming a Techglomerate, fostering Digital & Data Literacy while prioritizing customer experience to ensure positive experiences.
The team carefully selected individuals who they have heavily collaborated with and demonstrated a knack and openness to learn app development. These citizen developers underwent training that covered the fundamentals of Google’s Appsheet, focusing on the developer’s interface, data importation, and other essential functionalities.
Becoming Citizen Developers
Meet Harmz Naparota and Kae Tayo, two of the innovative citizen developers from AEV. The two developed three functional applications—the WAM Online Service Desk, ACO Room Reservation, and the soon-to-be-released Automated PIA— which were all designed to improve their team’s ways of working.
While a former IT professional, Harmz is currently a part of the AEV Workplace and Asset Management Team. He successfully applied his new skills to develop two functioning applications: the WAM Service Desk to accommodate all WAM requests such as visitor management, security manpower, and incident reports; and the ACO Room Reservation to facilitate room bookings at Aboitiz Corporate Center in Cebu. His IT background, coupled with his new knowledge in Appsheet was instrumental in developing the system design and user interface.
A preview of how the applications and step-by-step guide on how to use it.
Despite initial hurdles, Harmz and his team, including Edbert Pasamba, overcame limitations and delivered valuable tools for their stakeholder and asset management. The apps have significantly enhanced WAM’s operational efficiency. By automating processes like room reservations through ACO Reservation and centralizing request tracking via the WAM Service Desk, they’ve enabled timely resolution and reduced manual effort. The transition to Appsheet was also a move to reduce reliance on third party services and costs, with the in-house applications, not only does it ensure data security, but it also saves the team around PhP 160,000 per year.
“Aspiring citizen developers should understand the process, create a clear flowchart, and be ready for iterations. Know your non-negotiables in automation, but be flexible with proper controls to ensure process integrity. Remember, every in-house automated application is a potential cost-saving opportunity”, said Harmz.
The team is now focused on launching two more applications for security management and safety checklists, and their work has inspired other teams to explore app development initiatives.
Data Privacy is one such team inspired by Harmz and WAM. Despite having no tech experience, Kae, who led the app development, was motivated to turn the mandatory Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) into an automated application to address the challenges faced by her team and stakeholders.
The current Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) process is tedious and time-consuming due to the reliance on Google Sheets, whose non-user-friendly layout adds to the inefficiency. On average, the submission and review process takes 6 days, underscoring the need for a more streamlined solution. With the guidance of WAM’s new developers and her Team Leaders, Kae aims to streamline the process by making it more gadget-compatible, with shortened forms, automated consolidation at the back-end, and integrating a faster sign-off process. The team plans to launch the app before the year ends and explore AI integration for further optimization.
“Ironically, I’m not the most tech-savvy person, but I’m determined to make things easier for our team and our stakeholders by automating the PIA process. As long as you’re open to learning, low-code tools like AppSheet make it easy to build apps and give us a taste of the digital world”, said Kae.
Empowering the Next Batch Citizen Developers
The training led by AVP for IT Solutions, Kenneth Lim, was designed to provide quick wins and practical learning experiences for team members. While this initiative has been successful, he recognized the challenges such as scheduling conflicts and competing priorities of interested members. He hopes that these success stories will help encourage more team members to take advantage of these training sessions and apply their new capabilities to their work.
“By giving people the tools to create their own solutions, we’re further driving digital transformation in AEV. We’re excited to train more citizen developers and see what amazing things they’ll create next,” said Ken.
Techglomerate Capabilities manifest in different forms and might not be noticeable from the start. With this initiative that embodies Data & Digital Literacy, as well as Customer Experience, it empowers to be more proactive in seeking process improvements, leveraging existing tools, and reducing costs and reliance on third-party services. The IT Team aims to empower more TMs to become app developers through low-code tools like AppSheet, and bring us closer to achieving our GT2025 goals.
