Process mining combines data mining and process management, using event logs from IT systems to analyze and improve real-world processes. This blend of data science and process management enables organizations to become more agile and efficient.

Join us to explore process mining—what it is, how it differs from process discovery, how it works, and the techniques and stages involved. Discover the transformative potential of this game-changing technology.

What is Process Mining

As mentioned in the introduction, process mining is a transformative technique used to analyze business processes by extracting insights from event logs stored in information systems. Unlike traditional process modeling methods, which rely on subjective input, process mining tools utilize real data to provide an objective view of how processes are executed within an organization.

By examining event logs, process mining uncovers hidden patterns, bottlenecks, and variations, offering organizations a clear understanding of their workflows, deviations, and inefficiencies. This data-driven approach enables stakeholders to identify areas for improvement and optimization, ultimately enhancing operational efficiency and driving organizational success.

Process Mining vs. Process Discovery

While both process mining and process discovery focus on understanding and improving business processes, they are distinct in their approaches, methodologies, and outcomes. In comparison to process mining which is a data-driven approach that uses event logs from IT systems like ERP, CRM, and workflow automation software to analyze and improve actual business processes, process discovery is a technique to uncover and define business processes from scratch, often using interviews, workshops, and observations.

Purpose: Process mining focuses on analyzing existing event logs to improve process efficiency and compliance, while process discovery is the initial step in process mining, aiming to construct process models from observed events.

Analysis vs. Construction: Process mining analyzes historical data to understand how processes are executed, while process discovery constructs process models based on observed events, providing a foundation for further analysis.

Insight Generation: Process mining generates insights from existing data, uncovering actual process flows and deviations. In contrast, process discovery focuses on constructing an initial process model to understand process structure and behavior.

Iterative Process: Process mining is often an iterative process, where insights from initial analysis inform further data collection and refinement. Process discovery serves as a starting point for this iterative cycle, providing a baseline model for subsequent optimization efforts.

Phases in the Data/Process Mining Process

1. Discovery: This initial phase involves not only identifying data sources but also understanding the context and objectives of process mining within the organization. Stakeholders define the scope of the analysis, identifying key processes and desired outcomes.
2. Data Preparation: Once data sources are identified, the next step is to prepare the data for analysis. This involves data cleaning, transformation, and integration from various sources to create a unified dataset suitable for process mining.
3. Process Modeling: In this phase, process mining algorithms are applied to the prepared dataset to construct process models. These models represent the sequence of activities, dependencies, and decision points within the process, providing a visual representation of how the process flows.
4. Analysis and Interpretation: Once process models are constructed, they are analyzed to uncover insights and patterns. Stakeholders interpret the results to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement. This phase may involve statistical analysis, visualization, and collaboration among different stakeholders.
5. Validation and Verification: Before implementing any changes based on process mining insights, it’s crucial to validate the findings and verify their accuracy. This may involve comparing the constructed process models with domain knowledge or historical records to ensure they accurately reflect the reality of the process.
6. Implementation and Monitoring: Finally, the insights gained from process mining are implemented in the organization’s processes. This may involve redesigning workflows, reallocating resources, or introducing new technologies. Continuous monitoring is essential to track the impact of these changes and make further adjustments as needed.
7. Continuous Improvement: Process mining is not a one-time activity but rather a continuous journey of improvement. Organizations should regularly revisit their process models, collect new data, and refine their analysis to adapt to changing business needs and drive ongoing optimization.

Process Mining Techniques

• Process Discovery: This technique involves extracting process models from event logs to visualize how processes are executed. Various algorithms such as alpha, heuristic, and genetic algorithms are employed to construct these models, offering insights into process flow and behavior.
• Conformance Checking: Conformance-checking techniques compare observed behavior with predefined process models to identify discrepancies and deviations. By assessing the alignment between actual executions and expected behavior, organizations can pinpoint areas of non-compliance or inefficiency.
• Enhancement Mining: Enhancement mining focuses on optimizing existing process models to improve efficiency and performance. This technique involves analyzing process models to identify bottlenecks, redundancies, and opportunities for streamlining. By implementing changes based on these insights, organizations can enhance process efficiency and achieve better outcomes.
• Predictive Process Analytics: Predictive process analytics utilizes historical event data to forecast future process behavior. By analyzing past patterns and trends, organizations can predict potential issues, anticipate future resource needs, and make proactive decisions to optimize processes and enhance performance.
• Social Network Analysis: Social network analysis examines the relationships and interactions between individuals or entities involved in a process. By visualizing communication patterns and collaboration networks, organizations can identify key influencers, communication bottlenecks, and opportunities for improving collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Performance Mining: Performance mining techniques focus on analyzing process performance metrics to identify areas for improvement. By monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) such as cycle time, throughput, and resource utilization, organizations can pinpoint inefficiencies and optimize processes to achieve better performance outcomes.
• Text Mining: Text mining techniques analyze unstructured textual data within event logs to extract valuable insights. By mining text data from sources such as emails, chat logs, or support tickets, organizations can uncover hidden patterns, sentiment analysis, and emerging issues that impact process performance.

Conclusion

Process mining tools help businesses improve by analyzing event logs to uncover how processes truly work. It reveals patterns, identifies bottlenecks, and highlights areas for improvement. As we conclude, think of process mining not just as a tool but as a guide, leading us to a future where efficiency, agility, and innovation drive success.

Author Bio:
Vijayashree Shinde is the Digital Marketing Executive. She has worked in a wide range of industries, including the software testing industry. Currently, she is a Digital Marketer at Testrig Technologies. In addition to as marketing expertise, Vijayashree enjoys writing articles on quality assurance for a larger audience.

The post The Power of Process Mining Tools: Unlock Efficiency and Drive Innovation in Business Operations appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

• Processes can be monitored through Workbench and Processes Overview.
• Repetitive processes can be created, re-used, and monitored from Process Scheduling.
• Easily create templates in Process Templates to re-use them quickly.
• Notify yourselves or your team of a specific action upon a process with Notification Scenarios.
• Automate standardized Processes with Workflow.
• Processes are also created through a process-enabled application (App builder)

Create a Process

In order to access Generic Processes, go to Packages Icon > Process Orchestration > All Processes.

Start with creating a new process by clicking on the ‘+’ sign on the top right of your screen. A new form appears.

1. Fill in the Title of the Process and the Basic Info of the Process.
   • Category: Search for a Process Category based on the Process map and select it or add a new one. See how to add Categories in Data Management.
   • Assigned to: Click on the Assigned to field in order to see Comidor Users and Groups. You can assign this Process to as many people or groups as you wish. This means that the people you will select here, are those who will be responsible for this process completion.
   • Select Priority (Low, Normal, High, Top) of the Process.
   • Then, you should set the scheduling of the Process. Execution details will be filled in in the future when the Process will have been started.
   • Also, you can Link this Process with a related Account and a Workflow.
2. In additional info, you can complete the following fields:
   • • Category: Which is the 2^nd categorization of Processes
     • Select Importance (Normal, High, Top)
     • When Region code is set up in Regional Settings, suggested calculated hours give the timeframe of the working hours between scheduled start and end, excluding public holidays, etc.
     • You can also link the Process with either a Parent process, a Contact, a Personnel, or a Service. Type some related letters and click on the search to find an entity.
3. If you check the Execute automatically parameter, the process will be set as running the Scheduled start date and time, and automatically be completed at the date set above in Scheduled end.
4. You may want to add Location Details, such as Country, Address, and City information.
5. Complete a Description for this Process.
6. The status field will be later filled when the process will start. In case, that the Process has already started, make sure you will complete these fields as well.
   • The state will turn automatically to Created when the Process will be created. You may change this later as Confirmed, Scheduled, Running, Completed, Canceled, Paused, or Failed. Process State will be changed to Running and Completed automatically on the scheduled start and end dates and times, respectively, provided that you had check Execute automatically field above.
   • Start and End Dates & Times are the execution actual start and end dates and times. They will be displayed when the Issue starts and is completed.
   • Completed (%) is the percentage of Process completion and should be added and managed manually by the Process Owner.
   • The estimated workload refers to an estimation of the hours that will be spent on this Process. The Actual workload will be later automatically filled, when you complete tasks inside the process and add the actual Process duration, in hours.
   • Finally, link this process with an Objective. Find out more about KPIs here.
7. Set users that will be Administrators and Process’s Supervisor. Practically, this means that these users will have access to this process, even if you did not add them in the Basic Info above.
   • Send notification to Fill in Comidor Users and Groups, you wish to receive a notification when someone commented on this Process.
   • Additional access: People or/and Groups that should have access to this Process, without being necessary to act upon it.
   • Change rights: People or/and Groups that could edit this Process details in the future.  The choice “Everyone” is by default. This means that everyone who has access to this Process will have the right to modify it.
8. Finally, click on Save to save the Process, on Save and New to save this and start creating another one, on Save and notify when you need to save but also send a Notification message to appropriate people or cancel to cancel the procedure. Create from template option is available when you have already added a Generic Template in Process Templates Unit in Automation-this This will help you have ready-to-start Generic Processes with specified people participating in them.

Edit and Monitor a Process

In order to access Processes, go to Packages Icon > Process Orchestration > All Processes. A new Unit Action Tab appears with the name Processes in the Active Units Bar.

• After creating the Process, users can edit and monitor it through Processes Overview and Workbench units, too.

1. Click on a Process from the list view in order to enter and manage it. A new Unit Action Tab appears with the name of the Process in the Active Units Bar.
2. Click on the pencil button to edit the Process details.
   • The edit button only appears to people that you have added in the Change Rights field of a process.
   • Apply any changes in the fields that are explained further in Create a Process and click on Save or Save and Notify depending on whether you would like simply to save or send a Notification message as well while applying changes.
3. Click on the Actions button to open a list of actions. Firstly, the Refresh button gives an instantly updated view of this Generic Process.
   • Select Delete to delete this Generic Process. A check pop-up window appears.
   • Click on Print whether you need to print this Generic Process view. A new tab opens in the web browser. Click on Ctrl+P to Print. (Changes may apply in different browsers)
   • Click on Link with, in order to Link this Generic Process with any Comidor entity (another process, account, contact, project, opportunity, etc.). A pop-up window appears.
   • Click on Notify in order to Notify a person or group of people regarding this Generic Process. Watch out to Notify someone that has access to this Process.
   • Create a Duplicate Process based on this one.
   • Also, the user can Print notes added on the discussion board of this Process. Pop-up appears prompting you to select a timeframe of notes to report you are about to see/print.
   • Make a copy in process Scheduling will copies this Process in Process Scheduling unit, in order for you to be able to re-schedule it for the near future with repetition or not.
4. Change Process state simply by clicking on the state button on the top right. Then select the state of the process.
5. Select Confirmed or Scheduled in order to verify and schedule respectively the Generic Process that is about to start. A new pop-up window appears, where you can now set a different start time and date or take as granted the suggested time and date. Click on Save.
   • Select Running and a new window appears, where the user can set the execution time.
   • Select Paused in order to pause a Generic Process for some time. A new pop-up window appears and the user can see the update in execution information.
   • Click on Failed on a Process that failed to complete, update start and end dates and times, duration (suggestion of tracked or computed duration are available), and quantity, and click on Save. See the update in Generic Process execution information.
   • Click on Canceled on a Process that has been canceled, update start and end dates and times, % of completion, duration (suggestion of tracked or computed duration are available), and quantity, and click on Save. See the update in Generic Process execution information.
   • Click on Completed to set a Generic Process as complete. Update start and end dates and times, duration (suggestion of tracked or computed duration are available), and quantity and click on Save. See the update in Generic Process execution information.
6. Get a full Process analysis in Dashboard. You can monitor which stage is the process right now and which stages have left. Make sure, you have selected the workflow when creating the particular process. Furthermore, users can see information such as % of Process completion, time tracking, task count tracking, and task workload in hours from this point. Tasks Workload (in hours) is the # of actual Task(s) duration divided by the scheduled Process duration and the Completed percentage is the aforementioned field of the Generic Process that is filled by the user.
7. Click on Subprocesses at the side-box, in order to see all the processes that the main process includes. You can easily create a new subprocess, by clicking on the ‘+’ button. A new window appears and you have to fill in all the required fields. By default, the checkbox that links this new subprocess to the Mother Process is pre-checked. Then, click save to proceed, or Cancel to discard the changes you have made.
8. Opportunities in Comidor help you organize your potential deals. Hence, in the Opportunities tab, on the left side box table, you can view all the opportunities related to this specific process. In this view, you can see the basic details of the opportunity, such as Title, Final, and Target Revenue. Users can create an opportunity simply by clicking on the ‘+’ button. After that, they can fill in the appropriate data like Basic info, Scheduled and execution time and date, duration and make the necessary linkings. Get more information about Creating an Opportunity in Customer Relations Management.
9. In the Projects tab of the left menu, the user can either see an already linked project to the current Process or create a new one. You can find brief details of the projects here. In particular, you can see the title, the Financial, and the Target Revenue of the project. Users can create a project simply by clicking on the ‘+’ button. A new tab opens in Projects. Here, they can fill in the appropriate data like Basic info, Scheduled and execution time and date, duration and make the necessary linkings. Learn More about creating a Project.
10. Click on Notifications at the side-box to see all the Reminder – notifications that the system created and sent regarding this specific Generic Process. The notifications may refer to process completion, process start, process delay, or time before its start. You can see these notifications’ dates and times sent, whether they have read and removed them, too.
11. You can click on Tags and Links in order to give a Tag on this Process and Link it with other Comidor entities such as Accounts, Contacts, Projects, Opportunities, Messages, Files, etc.
12. Lastly, you can check the workflow logs from the Workflow audit tab. With Comidor’s workflow audit, you are enabled to get a clear overview of all the actions that have been executed in the whole lifecycle of the workflow.

Add Tasks & Files in a Process

Tasks setting is necessary to schedule work that should be performed by multiple people and groups. Add a quick Task by clicking on the ‘+’ icon, in the tab Related Tasks.

A new form opens. You can create multiple Tasks, enter and monitor them from this point. Click on refresh to instantly see all new-added tasks in the form.

Note that if this process is linked to a workflow all tasks that will be triggered from this workflow will be displayed in the Workflow Tasks tab.

Also, you can easily upload related files in the Attachments tab. Select one or more files either straight from your Desktop, attach an existing in Comidor File, or a File URL by clicking on the earth button. Click on an already uploaded file to Open it (downloading and previewing of current and previous versions are available), Rename it, or Delete it.

Discuss below a Generic Process

Users that have the right to view a Topic, can also read any discussion that occurs inside that Generic Process in Notes.

• Simply add a Comment using a simple or enriched HTML Editor (Open editor).
• Users can click on Refresh to see new comments. Click either on Show More or Show Less to see the number of comments they wish.

Only people and people in groups that you have added in the “Send Notification to” field, will receive notifications in the Notifications Bar about these comments.

Massive Processes actions

1. From the Modules Menu Icon, go to Packages Icon > Process Orchestration > All Processes. A new Unit Action Tab opens with the name Processes.
2. In the List view of Processes, check multiple Processes, and perform actions upon them. Select multiple processes and click on Delete to delete many Processes in one move. A check message appears in a pop-up window prompting you to be specific and check what Processes (and their sub-processes) you would like to delete. Choose between “Yes, delete all”, “Yes, but just those selected” and “No”.
   • Click on Link with to Link the Processes with a Comidor entity, such as another Process, Opportunity, Survey, Project, Account, Contact, Message, File, etc.
   • Select Print notes added on the discussion board of this Generic Process. Pop-up appears prompting you to select a timeframe of notes to report you are about to see/print.
   • Press Change state and a new pop-up window appear. Then, click to expand the list, select one state, and click on Ok. Changes will occur.
   • Change category. A new pop-up window appears. Then, click to expand the list, select one business category, and click on Ok. Changes will occur.
   • You can select Tag, in order to apply multiple tags at once.
   • Finally, select Make a copy in Process Scheduling, to copy this Process and transfer it to the Process Scheduling unit. There, you can set a repetition for it.

Print and Export multiple Processes

In the Processes, the main view, click on the Actions button and select between Export or Print buttons in order to export or print the list of the Processes that you are viewing at that moment or all.

Make sure prior to any action that you are viewing the searched or filtered or all Processes. You can simply sort them and/or group them by the way you wish. Check Data Management options for more information about all these options below.

The post Processes appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

From the Business Apps Menu Icon, go to Process Orchestration > Processes Dashboard. A new Unit Action Tab opens with the name Process Dashboard. In case you have already used Processes for your business, you will see a view as shown above.

You can quickly create a new process by clicking on the sign in the Unit Title Bar. A new form appears.

Monitor a Process

1. Filter the processes showed by its state. Select between:
   • Running processes.
   • Active processes, the ones that are in “confirmed” or “scheduled” or “running” and were scheduled to start in the past.
   • Pending processes are the ones that should have started.
   • Due today, refers to processes that have a scheduled end date today’s date.
   • Delayed are the ones that should have finished.
   • With delayed tasks those who have uncompleted tasks
   • All
   • Finally, Click on Custom status to create a custom status for your Processes Overview. Choose State of the Process (of any type), Scheduled Start and Finish Dates and Times and click on OK. Available presets are Future, Past, Last month, Last week, Today, This week, This month.

2. On the left side of the screen, there is a section where you can apply more filters:
   • Click on the pin button, in order to pin this side section so as to be stable and always visible in front of the text. Click on it again to unpin it. Being in a pinned mode, you can hide the side section by pressing OK.
   • In the side section, Search with Process keywords, Account name, Type (General, Ticket, Vacation, Opportunity, Campaign, Project, Survey, Topic, Event, Issue, Work Package), Process Category name, Responsible group, Assigned to and Role options (Creator, Administrator, Supervisor, Responsible Group leader, Working Group Leader).
   • Check Importance and Priority filters.
   • Or, click on Clear to clear all filters.
3. Select between sort options. Processes can be Sorted by Priority, Importance, Status, Date Created, Last Modified, Scheduled Start, Scheduled Finish, Start, Finish, Description, or Account in a Descending or Ascending mode.
4. Navigate through Processes with arrows and scroll-bars.
5. While viewing the Processes (of all Types) in Processes Overview, you can have instant information about:
   • Processes’ Rag Status, you will see them red-colored for Red RAG status and yellow-colored for Amber RAG Status.
   • Process’ State and when it has been created or last modified.
   • The Process’s related Account.
   • Process’s Responsible Group, which is the group that has the accountability of the Process.
   • Importance and Priority of the Process.
   • Type of the Process (General, Ticket, Vacation, Opportunity, Campaign, Project, Survey, Topic, Event, Issue, Work Package).
   • Category of the Process, which is its given Business Category.
6. When clicking on a Process a pop-up side page appears with process information to check. Change the process state. Then, click to Start, set as Complete, Cancel, Pause, set as Fail, or Postpone a process. A pop-up window appears, so as to change execution information.
   • Click on the square button on the top right, in order to navigate to the full Process information in the related Unit.
   • Check Process info, such as related Account, Scheduled start and end dates, Assignee(s), and Description.
   • Monitor the process through an Execution Dashboard and get any process information in detail.
   • Check or add any related sub-processes and tasks, messages, or files.  In particular, you can add or check any other related Comidor object from this point. For example, Notes, other related Processes (of any type), Contacts, Accounts, etc.

• • Also, you can easily upload related files straight from your Desktop or by clicking on to attach a File URL. Click on an already uploaded file to Open it (downloading and previewing of current and previous versions are available), Rename it or Delete
    • Users that have the right to view a Process, can also read any discussion that occurs inside that Process in Notes.
    • Simply add a Comment using a simple or enriched HTML Editor (Open editor).
    • Users can click on Refresh to see new comments. Just click on Show More or Show Less to see the number of comments you wish.
      • Keep in mind, only people and people in groups that you have added in the “Send Notification to” field, receive notifications in the Notifications Bar about these comments.

• • Finally, click on the right arrow in the center to close that pop-up page.

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