Process mining is a powerful technique that combines data science and process management to analyze and optimize business processes. Process mining can help organizations discover, monitor, and improve their processes by extracting insights from event logs generated by their information systems. However, applying process mining effectively requires a systematic approach that follows a clear framework. In this article, we will introduce a process mining framework that consists of three main phases: focus, act, and scale. We will also explain the steps involved in each phase and provide some tips and best practices for conducting process mining projects.

Plan: Define the scope and objectives of the process mining project

The first phase of the process mining framework is to focus on the specific process or processes that you want to analyze and improve. This phase involves the following steps:

• Identify the business problem: What is the main challenge or opportunity that you want to address with process mining? For example, do you want to reduce costs, increase efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction, or comply with regulations?
  
• Define the process scope: What are the boundaries and characteristics of the process that you want to investigate? For example, what are the start and end events, the main activities, the roles and resources involved, and the key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure the process performance?
  
• Select the data source: What are the information systems that capture and store the event data related to the process? For example, do you use an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, or a Workflow Management System (WMS)?
  
• Extract and prepare the event log: How can you access and transform the raw data from the data source into a structured event log that can be used for process mining? For example, what are the data quality issues that need to be addressed, such as missing values, duplicates, outliers, or inconsistencies? Do you want to know more about process mining event logs and how to build one? Read my previous blog post on this topic.
  
• Validate the event log: How can you ensure that the event log accurately reflects the reality of the process? For example, what are the methods and criteria that you can use to check the completeness, correctness, and relevance of the event log?

The focus phase is crucial for setting up a successful process mining project. It helps you to narrow down your analysis scope, align your expectations with your stakeholders, and ensure that you have reliable and relevant data for process mining.

Execute: Apply process mining techniques to analyze and improve the process

The second phase of the process mining framework is to act on the insights derived from the event log using various process mining techniques. This phase involves the following steps:

• Discover the process model: How can you automatically generate a graphical representation of the actual process behavior based on the event log? For example, what are the tools and algorithms that you can use to discover different aspects of the process, such as control-flow, organizational, case, and time perspectives?
  
• Check the conformance of the process: How can you compare and measure the alignment between the discovered process model and a predefined reference model? For example, what are the tools and metrics that you can use to detect and quantify deviations from the expected or desired process behavior?
  
• Enhance the process model: How can you enrich and refine the discovered process model with additional information or recommendations for improvement? For example, what are the tools and methods that you can use to add performance or compliance indicators, suggest root causes for problems, or propose automation opportunities?

The act phase is where you can leverage the power of process mining to gain insights into your process performance and improvement potential. It helps you to understand how your process actually works, identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and discover opportunities for optimization.

Expand: Embed process mining into your organization’s culture and practices

The third phase of the process mining framework is to scale up your process mining efforts and integrate them into your organization’s culture and practices. This phase involves the following steps:

• Monitor the process continuously: How can you keep track of your process performance and improvement progress over time? For example, what are the tools and dashboards that you can use to visualize and report your KPIs and improvement actions on a regular basis?
  
• Communicate and collaborate with stakeholders: How can you share your findings and recommendations with your stakeholders and involve them in your improvement initiatives? For example, what are the channels and formats that you can use to present your results and solicit feedback from different audiences?
  
• Expand your scope to other processes: How can you apply your learnings and best practices from one process to other processes within your organization? For example, what are the criteria and methods that you can use to prioritize and select new processes for analysis?

The scale phase is where you can sustain and amplify your process mining impact by embedding it into your organization’s culture and practices. It helps you to monitor your improvement outcomes, communicate and collaborate with your stakeholders, and expand your scope to other processes.

Conclusion

Process mining is a valuable technique that can help organizations discover, monitor, and improve their processes. However, to apply process mining effectively, it is important to follow a systematic approach that follows a clear framework. In this article, we have introduced a process mining framework that consists of three main phases: focus, act, and scale. We have also looked at the steps involved in each phase and provided some tips and best practices for conducting process mining projects. I hope that this article has given you some useful guidance and inspiration for your own process mining journey 😊.