August 2020

What Is Process Mining?

Gartner defines Process Mining as a technique used to discover, monitor, and improve real business processes by extracting knowledge from event logs within information systems.

Simply put, Process Mining helps organizations uncover inefficiencies by following the digital trail of data across their systems. It allows leaders to see how processes truly operate — not how they assume they work.

Quick Insight: Process Mining identifies gaps between how processes are designed and how they actually run.

How Does Process Mining Work?

Every time your employees, customers, or vendors interact with systems — whether ERPs, CRMs, or other applications — they leave behind digital footprints.

Process Mining uses this data to:

• Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies
• Visualize workflows in real-time
• Track performance metrics automatically

As Gartner explains, “Process Mining helps you look at your business processes in an unbiased and transparent manner.”

Process Mining vs. Traditional Process Mapping

Traditional process mapping relies heavily on interviews and manual flowcharts, often based on assumptions. These methods are time-consuming, subjective, and static.

In contrast, Process Mining is data-driven and dynamic, providing real-time insights. Because it uses actual system data, organizations can:

• Measure process changes with precision
• Document measurable improvements
• Transition from process discovery to process monitoring

Think of it this way:

Process Mapping is asking for directions.
Process Mining is using GPS.

Key Benefits of Process Mining

Implementing Process Mining offers several measurable advantages:

• Faster identification of inefficiencies across workflows
• Data-backed decisions instead of assumptions
• Continuous process monitoring for improvement tracking
• Alignment with digital transformation goals
• Enhanced ROI through process visibility and automation readiness

In essence, Process Mining empowers smarter operations and ensures that transformation initiatives deliver the intended outcomes.

Top Use Cases for Process Mining

Process Mining applies across industries and business functions. Below are the most impactful use cases:

1. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Identify repetitive tasks that consume employee time. Process Mining pinpoints automation opportunities, allowing RPA bots to handle routine work 24/7 with minimal errors — freeing employees for high-value tasks.

2. Customer Journey Optimization

Visualize and analyze the customer journey using real behavioral data. Understand how customers interact with your brand and identify friction points to improve experiences.

3. Work-from-Home (WFH) Operations

Monitor how remote work impacts processes. Process Mining reveals workflow deviations, inefficiencies, and policy compliance gaps introduced by distributed work models.

4. Data Governance and Compliance

Track how data moves through your organization to detect silos, ensure compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA, and support audits through data-backed process visualization.

How to Prepare for Process Mining

To ensure successful implementation, follow these key steps:

1. Define Business Goals:
   Identify clear objectives and KPIs — such as improving customer experience, reducing process time, or enhancing data governance.
2. Ensure Data Quality:
   Confirm that your system data is accurate, complete, and accessible. Essential attributes include:
   • Time stamp
   • Unique case ID
   • Activity ID
3. Adopt a Data-Driven Mindset:
   Let real data guide decisions. Avoid biases and assumptions that could limit your insights.

Pro Tip: The quality of your Process Mining output depends directly on the quality of your data.

Real-World Examples of Process Mining in Action

Below are summarized case studies across industries that highlight the versatility of Process Mining:

Financial Services

• Claims Processing: Identified inefficiencies and optimized claim resolution time.
• RPA Implementation: Discovered repetitive tasks and validated automation outcomes.
• Customer Onboarding: Compared performance across regions to detect best practices.
• Loan Approval: Reduced processing time using automated dashboards.

Healthcare

• Medication Tracking: Improved pharmacy workflows and reduced supply inefficiencies.
• Invoice Verification: Saved 900+ man-hours annually and reduced SLA violations by 97%.

Manufacturing & Industrial

• Maintenance and Repairs: Standardized machine recovery procedures.
• Supplier Payments: Reduced late fees through compliance monitoring.
• Equipment Usage: Optimized MRI machine utilization for physicians.

Telecommunications

• Customer Journey Analysis: Enhanced IVR system to reduce call transfers.
• Fraud Detection: Identified SIM activation anomalies indicating potential fraud.
• Debt Collection: Improved payment recovery rates with behavioral insights.

Why Choose Us for Process Mining

Our team brings deep industry expertise across banking, finance, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, and the public sector.

With us, you gain:

• Faster outcomes — typically within three weeks
• Lower costs through automation-driven efficiency
• Integrated services including AI, hyperautomation, and security
• Proven ROI with measurable process improvements

Because we use real data, our Process Mining projects deliver results you can trust.

Ready to Transform Your Processes?

The “new normal” demands agility and insight. Let’s discuss your challenges and build a data-driven path to efficiency.

Contact us: solutions@prolifics.com

Process Mining and the New Working-From-Home Normal

The pandemic has made a lot of things the New Normal. One of them is having a remote workforce, also known as working from home (WFH). How are processes and procedures changing to accommodate people working remotely? How do you control – or even know about – the changes that may be happening ad hoc or even unintentionally throughout your organization? Process Mining may be the key.

Working from home (WFH) is part of the New Normal

Salesforce Research offers a “Snapshot Research Series – Insights on How Consumers and the Workforce are Navigating Change.” In its “Future of Work” section (filtered for US responses only), we find these interesting responses from worker surveys in early May and mid-June:

• 67% agree with the statement “The pandemic will permanently change the nature of work.”

• 42% agree, with only 8% disagreeing, with the statement “Expect employer to reassess long-term remote work policy.”

• For “most appealing work scenario,” 73% would want a home or split home/office scenario.
  • 43% – Work from home full-time
  • 30% – Split between home and workplace
  • 27% – Work from workplace full-time

In its May survey titled “Navigating Covid-19, Returning to the Workplace,” the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that 68% of organizations report that they “probably or definitely” will adopt broader or more flexible work from home policies for all workers.

How will WFH affect processes and procedures?

It may be too early to tell – there are a lot of ad hoc situations going on for processes and procedures to accommodate people working remotely. But there are those giving thought to it.

Writing in techradar.com, Camilla Winlo’s article Remote Working & COVID-19: 5 Things Companies Need to Consider Before Employees Work From Home asks “How will your existing processes be affected?” She succinctly provides a complete answer:

“Some processes will be easier to move to remote working than others, so it’s important to firstly identify and thoroughly understand how all of your processes operate. You should establish:

• Which processes are critical and/or high-risk?
• Are there any processes that require someone’s physical presence to complete? This includes any processes to maintain your IT infrastructure.
• Have you locked any systems down so they can only be accessed from the office, or only from specific named IP addresses?
• Do you have any paper-based processes or processes that cannot be easily moved online?

It is much easier to get a handle on this if you have comprehensive, up-to-date process and data flow maps. If you don’t, I would suggest you begin by identifying and mapping your critical and high-risk processes – these are the ones where any problems will cause the biggest impact.”

Unfortunately, most companies did not have the luxury to do this as lockdowns and quarantines came down pretty quickly and organizations had to scramble with a sudden WFH staff. So, as the New Normal progresses, what’s the best way to get “comprehensive, up-to-date process and data flow maps?” In our view it’s through Process Mining.

What is process mining and how does it work?

Process mining identifies how a process works by following the digital trail of data through the targeted system. Every day you have employees, customers, vendors and others generate a digital footprint when they utilize your company systems. These digital footprints get captured in these systems, such as ERPs, CRMs, application databases, log files, audit tables, Excel documents and many others. Process mining uses these digital footprints to create visualizations and analysis charts for the process.

Many of you may be familiar – unfortunately too familiar – with process mapping and its interviews and flowcharting. Process mining is significantly quicker and more accurate than traditional process mapping. Think of it this way: Process mapping is like asking a lot of people for directions. Process mining is like using your GPS.

For more information about process mining, check out the ultimate guide to process mining we put together.

So, how does that help with the WFH New Normal?

Process mining discovers what is actually happening based on the event data captured in enterprise systems.  – which is probably now different from what was happening pre-pandemic. Process Mining shows you how data moves through your organization – diagraming the actual (including variations, exceptions, gaps and siloes) against what you want: an instituted policy or procedure; defined standard; or best practice. Don’t take the chance of thinking you know what’s happening in the New Normal – Process Mining will let you know exactly what’s happening.

Prolifics can help.

The “New Normal” is here. You have a vision – don’t let your technology slow you down. Our Process Mining solutions and experience will get you there. Sit down with us – let’s talk about your challenges, review and reevaluate your plans and get you started where it makes the most sense. Vision to Value. Faster. It’s not just our tagline, it’s what drives us. It’s how we deliver solutions and services. It’s our commitment to you – and it’s needed today more than ever. Visit www.prolifics.com or email solutions@prolifics.com.

How Process Mining and RPA Work Together for Quick Wins

Sometimes two technologies complement each other so well that they create immediate value. Process Mining and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) are a perfect example. Together, they deliver measurable cost savings, increased efficiency, and a more productive workforce. Let’s explore how combining these tools can give your business a quick return on investment.

Are You Losing Time and Money Without Realizing It?

Yes — and it’s more common than you think. Every organization has hidden inefficiencies. Employees often waste valuable time on repetitive, manual tasks that no longer make sense.

These outdated processes are so embedded in operations that no one questions them anymore. Examples include:

• Manually rekeying data from one office to another
• HR administrators fixing incomplete payroll entries
• Loan officers searching through endless emails for missing information

Each of these tasks drains productivity and morale — costing time, money, and talent.

The Hidden Cost of Mundane Work

When employees are stuck doing repetitive work, they quickly lose engagement. This leads to:

• More human errors
• Lower overall productivity
• Higher turnover and training costs

These inefficiencies don’t stay contained — they ripple through departments, slowing down the entire organization.

Finding the Real Problem: From Process Mapping to Process Mining

Traditional process mapping involves lengthy interviews, manual documentation, and subjective assumptions. You might spend weeks gathering insights, only to realize the data is inconsistent or outdated.

The Better Way: Process Mining

Think of process mining as a GPS for your operations. It follows the digital footprints your systems already generate—from ERP, CRM, and databases to log files and Excel sheets.

With Process Mining, you can:

• Visualize actual workflows across departments
• Identify gaps, delays, and silos in real time
• Use hard data to find inefficiencies and areas for improvement

This data-driven approach provides clarity and confidence to optimize processes and align them with your business goals.

Turning Insights into Action with RPA

Once you’ve uncovered inefficiencies through Process Mining, the next step is Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

RPA allows you to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks — quickly, safely, and at scale. Most organizations can move from idea to deployment in 3–4 weeks.

Benefits of RPA

• Operates 24/7 with minimal errors
• Adapts easily to system changes
• Scales to handle seasonal or volume fluctuations
• Integrates with AI and machine learning for intelligent automation

This combination of Process Mining and RPA delivers fast, measurable results.

Will Automation Replace My Team?

Not at all. RPA isn’t designed to replace people — it’s built to empower them. By automating repetitive work, employees can focus on higher-value tasks like strategy, customer service, and innovation.

Most teams welcome RPA once they see how much time it saves. It enhances productivity and creates a more satisfying work experience.

How We Can Help

The “new normal” demands speed, agility, and smarter operations. Our Process Mining and RPA experts help you identify where automation makes the biggest impact — and implement it seamlessly.

We’ll collaborate to:

• Review your existing processes
• Uncover automation opportunities
• Deploy and customize digital workers to suit your business

Our approach focuses on delivering value faster — from vision to execution.

Vision to Value. Faster. It’s not just a tagline — it’s our promise.

Email solutions@prolifics.com to start your automation journey today.

Use Process Mining to Supercharge Your Customer Journey Mapping

A good customer journey mapping will give you a leg up on your competition. But the mapping usually falls short because it’s hard to nail down your customers’ interactions. Process mining can save the day.

What is the customer journey?

Writer Audra Sorman gives a succinct definition in her surveymonkey.com article Process Mining and Customer Journey:

“The customer journey is the complete sum of experiences that customers go through when interacting with your company and brand. Instead of looking at just a part of a transaction or experience, the customer journey documents the full experience of being a customer.”

Why is mapping the customer journey important?

Gartner.com contributor Laura Starita states the importance of understanding the customer journey in her February 2020 article Process Mining and Customer Journey:

“Eighty-two percent of organizations have created a customer journey map, but only 47 percent are using those maps effectively. Despite putting hours or days into the plans, working with cross-functional partners, digging into the data and learning more about the customers, nearly half of those organizations are not seeing a return on their time investment.”

In examining why mapping fails, contributors agree on a number of things, one of them being lack of true customer input:

• Sometimes we fall into the trap of believing we know more about our customers than we actually do and we don’t do enough external research.
• Many Journey Maps are created from the wrong perspective. That is an ‘inside-out’ perspective, or ‘what do we do along the customer journey.’ But this will never unearth the information you need to know.
• Basing your (customer journey mapping) on imagination and assumption (rather than customer validation.
• Not including customers… we continually run across these maps that were done by talking to internal employees only.

Process Mining can take your customer journey mapping to the next level.

Process Mining uses your data to quickly identify what you’re looking for and get you to your desired business outcomes. Every day your customers generate a digital footprint when they interact with your company systems. These digital footprints get captured in these systems, such as ERPs, CRMs, application databases, log files, audit tables, Excel documents and many others.

Process Mining shows you how your customers’ data moves through your organization – visualizing and diagraming the actual flow, including variations, exceptions, gaps and siloes. Process Mining will let you know exactly what’s happening by using hard data – it’s true customer input generated by the customers themselves, not an opinion from an interview or survey.

You’ll generate fact-based customer journey maps, gaining greater insights and understanding of your customers’ digital interactions, thereby helping to create a better customer experience.

And, unlike other static parts of customer journey mapping, process mining goes forward to become process monitoring – analyzing the process for current performance against the new customer policies, procedures, standards or best practices you put in place.

Prolifics can help.

The “New Normal” is here. You have a vision – don’t let your customers down. Our Process Mining solutions and experience will get you there. Sit down with us – let’s talk about your challenges, review and reevaluate your customer journey plans and get you started where it makes the most sense.

Vision to Value. Faster. It’s not just our tagline, it’s what drives us. It’s how we deliver solutions and services. It’s our commitment to you – and it’s needed today more than ever. Visit www.prolifics.com or email solutions@prolifics.com.