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Process mining beyond workflows

Published: 18 November 2024 Publication History

Abstract

After two decades of research and development, process mining techniques are now recognized as essential analysis tools, as they have their own Gartner Magic Quadrant. The development of process mining techniques is rooted in process-related research fields such as Business Process Management and fueled by increasing data availability. To cope with the complexity of business processes, the focus of process mining techniques needs to go beyond workflow-like processes, that represent the life-cycle of a single case and enable multiple object types and events. This can only be accomplished by capitalizing on essential concepts from production and logistics domains, such as Bills-of-Materials (BOMs), and Customer Order Decoupling Points (CODPs). Pioneer researchers, e.g. Hans Wortmann contributed to the development of Enterprise Resource Planning, enterprise modeling, product models, and lean manufacturing. Experiences from these fields help to lift the process mining domain from case-based (i.e. workflow mining) to object-centered process mining. These contributions could be realized by conducting insightful case studies at company sites, one of them being discussed in this paper. The evaluation of process mining techniques is elaborated by proposing an “evaluation ladder”, and its application is shown in the case study under consideration.

Highlights

Process mining need to move from single cases to multiple object types and events.
This aligns well with essential concepts from production and logistics.
Process mining evaluation is elaborated by proposing an “evaluation ladder”.
Hans Wortmann had seminal contributions in enterprise modeling and lean manufacturing.
Hans Wortmann ideas continue to inspire process mining research today.

References

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Published In

cover image Computers in Industry
Computers in Industry  Volume 161, Issue C
Oct 2024
247 pages

Publisher

Elsevier Science Publishers B. V.

Netherlands

Publication History

Published: 18 November 2024

Author Tags

  1. Process mining
  2. Workflow
  3. Bills-of-Materials
  4. Customer Order Decoupling Point
  5. Evaluation
  6. Case study

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