Optimizing Business Processes with Low-Code Development: From Design to Production

Business processes in large companies like Toyota Motor Europe can often be inefficient. This thesis focuses on the problems with the company's old way of managing test requests for vehicles and components, which used separate Excel files that caused many errors and were very slow to open. The goal was to replace this system with a faster, more reliable and user-friendly digital application. A low-code development approach with the Microsoft Power Platform was chosen because it allows for rapid development and connects easily with the company's existing Microsoft environment. The new system was built using Power Apps for the user interface, SharePoint to store all the data and Power Automate to automate tasks. It connects directly with Outlook to manage calendars and with Microsoft Teams to make communication easier. The application was released in steps to the entire department of 150 people, starting with a test phase with a small group of users. The results showed a major improvement in performance: the average time to open a test request was reduced from 23.93 seconds in Excel to just 3.18 seconds in the new application. This project successfully shows how a low-code approach can be used to effectively modernize a critical business process, delivering clear improvements in efficiency and enhancing the user experience.