Automation digitizes millions of front and back-office tasks, giving a well-documented window into how an enterprise truly runs. However, this treasure trove of data accumulates in many organizations with little interest in extracting its insights. Now, the trend is shifting. Instead of process performance data languishing in the dark corners of virtual storage rooms, analysts and stakeholders are shining the spotlight on it. Using process mining, organizations can pick apart process logs to tweak and optimize workflows.
What is process mining?
People and automation technologies perform tasks. Process mining systems capture their activities to transform it into event logs. Stakeholders, process analysts, and curious managers can scrutinize these event logs to find better, more optimized routes to acing business goals. How is process mining helping organizations improve their overall efficiency?
- The question “why are things taking so long?” is usually fraught with best-guess answers—and if the question is posed in a pan-department meeting, blame-casting conjectures.
Process mining eliminates the guesswork, spotlighting precisely where the choke points occur. Whether the culprit is a series of redundant steps or a lagging individual deviating from SOP, you can use this analysis to fine-tune workflows. Process mining can make recommendations not according to hypotheses, but in line with actual process performance.
- Pit an event log against a process model to ensure everything went according to plan. Process mining is a tool analysts can use to QC activities across your entire organization.
- Bolster customer experiences with data-backed insight. You can find out what delays invoice processing so vendors can get paid more quickly. You might identify why you’re continually running over the targeted turnaround time for approving new account applications. By eliminating the guesswork, you can find faster routes to improve customer experiences.
Without an effective process mining strategy, digital transformation initiatives are flying blind. Organizations are unaware of inefficiencies lurking behind their automation workflows and lack the documentation to make change. But, with the right process mining systems in place, you can unearth valuable insights primed to improve how your organization conducts business.
