A Low-Code Approach to Data Privacy Auditing in the Banking Sector

This Master’s Thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of the design and development of a low-code application undertaken during my employment at a multinational consulting corporation, within the role of Intelligent Automation Consultant. The objective of the project was to design and develop a cloud-based application for a large Italian banking group using Appian, one of the most widely used low-code platforms, which combines its proprietary programming language with a broad set of tools and technologies, including process automation, data integration, and RPA (Robotic Process Automation). The application was requested by the banking group to support the activities of the organization’s Data Protection Officers (DPOs), who are responsible for conducting audits in the field of data privacy and compliance. The development process followed the agile methodology, allowing for iterative enhancements and continuous feedback from the client and the internal development team. The research first explores the concept of low-code development, its origins, current situation, and future developments. It also examines the low-code applications market and discusses the benefits and limitations of using a low-code platform compared to traditional software development approaches. Subsequently, the focus shifts to the Appian platform, describing its scope and use cases, and analyzing its functioning, features, and components. This leads to the core of the thesis, an in-depth analysis of the Data Protection Officer application, which provides a detailed examination of the software’s architecture, development process, and operational workflow. The results highlight how the application streamlined DPOs auditing activities, while also identifying its current limitations and suggesting potential future enhancements to address them.