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Managing Successful Process Mining Initiatives

with SAP® Signavio® Process Intelligence
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Table of Contents

3 Process Mining for Company

Optimization
3 Benefits of Process Mining

4 Process Mining Scenarios

5 Providing Insights into Business
Process Flow

6 Common Criteria for a Successful

Process Mining Initiative
6 Define and Share a Clear Goal
7 Involve the Right People at the Right Time
8 Communicate and Collaborate
9 Take Action and Measure Results
9 Create a Good Rollout Plan

10 Four Steps to Process Mining

Best Practices
10 Step 1: Define Your Scope
11 Step 2: Prepare Your Data
13 Step 3: Generate Your Insights
14 Step 4: Measure Your Results

16 Conclusion
16 Find Out More

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Process Mining for Company Optimization

When companies worldwide examine organizational efficiency and make efforts to

analyze where and how value is created – in other words, how processes run –
some common questions can arise:
• Why was this customer invoice sent out incorrectly?
• Why did some customers receive their orders two weeks late?
• Why isn’t the figure for “number of products sold” the same as the figure for
“number of products shipped”?
• Why do my customers complain about customer service despite my company’s
investment in it?

In many cases, there is a difference between how pinpoint optimization potential and any related
a company wants to operate and how it actually improvement actions, as well as allowing you to
operates. To bring both views together is the compare the effect of your actions over time.
task of process management. In recent years, the
analysis of processes has become an increasingly BENEFITS OF PROCESS MINING
important factor in optimizing a company. After all, Organizations can quickly get started with pro-
improving business processes means adding more cess mining. With the right people on board and
value, using less resources, and reducing risk. the right project approach, the first results of any
process-improvement initiative can often be seen
At the core of this endeavor is process mining. With after two to six weeks. Once it’s established as
process mining, you can look at your company in part of your daily work, process mining also
a way that goes beyond a static, snapshot view. provides continuous and long-term value. When
Process mining adds the process perspective to your company monitors operational processes,
the way you work, including the flow of informa- changes in how it functions become transparent.
tion, handovers, manual work, or automatic activ­ Even short-term challenges within a specific
ities. It’s the power of knowledge, enabling you area are identifiable.
to determine how your company operates from
a cross-functional point of view. In essence, process mining allows you to under-
stand your business processes as they currently
As a result, you can measure process performance operate and, therefore, gives you the information
across your business and identify deviations from you need to improve those processes. The follow-
the way things should be working. You can monitor ing information offers a process expert’s view
processes in real time and generate automatic on how to best introduce process mining to an
reports on deviations. This makes it easier to organization.

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Process Mining Scenarios

Process mining is a powerful technology. It intro- most companies are also surprised to see just
duces visibility and quantifiable numbers to pro- how much deviation is present across their pro-
cesses that traditional analysis tools can only cesses. Taking the example above, a request for a
analyze step-by-step. Process mining can provide new laptop might include deviations arising from:
the full picture, without interruptions or omissions. • Delays along the process
• Missing consideration of special requests
Consider a simple procurement process as an • Missing approval of the requester’s manager
example, such as an employee requesting a new • A lack of company-wide strategic buying, thus
laptop. Following a standard case, the process missing the opportunity for negotiated rates
begins with a purchase requisition from the for the laptop
employee, acknowledged by the employee’s • Multiple corrections of invoices due to lacking
manager. This is followed by an order by the pro- information when placing the order
curement department. The laptop is delivered to
the employee at some point, and the company As possible deviations across different procure-
receives an invoice. The invoice is checked and is ment processes are combined, the true cost of
paid on time in accordance with the invoice terms. deviation quickly becomes apparent. When start-
ing with process mining, most companies are
Most companies are aware that, in the real surprised by the potential their processes still hold
world, not all process instances exactly follow for improvements in efficiency and compliance.
the defined flow (see the figure below). However,

Figure: Ideal and Nonideal Organizational Processes

Right way

A B C D

Wrong way

A B C D

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PROVIDING INSIGHTS INTO BUSINESS
PROCESS FLOW FLEXIBLE PROCESS IMPROVEMENT WITH
Process mining can reveal the whole process flow, SAP® SIGNAVIO® SOLUTIONS
both at a high level (looking at all instances of a
process that have happened), or at a low level The vast flexibility of the SAP® Signavio® Process
(drilling down to the individual order item). In this Intelligence solution enables you to make use of
way, process mining adds a new perspective on the software in multiple scenarios. For example,
processes and uncovers new opportunities for a typical use case is the need to have a trans­
improvement. By comparison, traditional analysis parent process flow to introduce continuous
and reporting often focus on individual phases process improvements. A clear understanding
within the process and fail to cover additional of the process allows for analysis regarding
information, such as the order of process steps, bottlenecks, risks, or missing IT automation.
durations, waiting times, changes, corrections,
and the flow across multiple IT systems. As you take the the next step, moving from
continuous improvement to operational excel-
Some companies may already have a mature level lence, SAP Signavio Process Intelligence can
of business process management and seek to play a role at various stages of the initiative,
further improve their performance by adding a including helping you monitor the effective-
new view to the actual processes. Others may ness of controls, understand the legacy pro-
merely start with mapping processes. At this cess in preparation of ERP transformation,
stage, the quality and speed of interviews with and harmonize processes in preparation for
process experts can be increased by capturing the broader organizational transformations,
process as it currently operates and discussing such as mergers.
the expected and unexpected process behavior
in unison. This leverages both the experience of
the organization and the wisdom of the data.

Independent of the individual situation, all these

scenarios can be based on a few common goals:
measuring deviations from the intended process
flow, understanding the necessity of deviations
and adjustments, evaluating improvement poten-
tial, and gaining insights to form a foundation
for action.

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Common Criteria for a Successful Process
Mining Initiative

The goal of any process mining initiative will likely the data supports this goal. After all, if the criteria
vary between organizations, as will the way it is for success are not adequately communicated,
implemented, how long it takes, the individual staff expectations can hardly be managed.
involved, and so on. In short, there is no “one size
fits all” when it comes to process mining. However, Some examples of a clear and achievable goal
there are a few common criteria that can be con- might be:
sidered good measures of success and that will • Identifying key differences between country X
help any organization benefit from the advantages and country Y
of process mining. • Reducing process duration to 25 days
• Increasing process automation by 15%
DEFINE AND SHARE A CLEAR GOAL
Regardless of whether your process mining ini­ A goal can also be a problem description, for
tiative is a company-wide project or just a small example:
pilot, success is not just a matter of assembling • Identify the top three priorities for process
data and a project team. It is vital that the team improvement
is working to achieve the same goal and that • Align processes between organization A and
organization B

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INVOLVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT TIME • Project sponsor: Typically, the project sponsor
A crucial key to success is making sure you involve is responsible for the process being analyzed.
the right people. Equally important is bringing For example, if the procurement process is
people up to speed on the project at the right time. under inspection, the chief procurement officer,
This may be at different stages for different people or the process owner of your organization’s
and almost certainly will mean different levels of procure-to-pay process, is likely to be the proj-
engagement, but everyone involved should share ect sponsor. If not, they will certainly be one of
a common commitment to the project and be the key stakeholders.
aligned with the project goals. Usually, each pro- • Process expert: The process expert knows the
cess mining project includes someone in each of different variations of the process and usually
the following roles, though sometimes multiple already has a general sense of how the process
roles may be held by the same person: is executed. Process mining supplements this
by introducing an additional focus on facts,
rather than feelings, thereby driving process
analysis and improvement. The process expert
A NOTE ON CONSULTANTS should initiate the discussion around interest-
ing findings from the data, investigate unex-
It can be tempting to rely on external consul- pected outcomes, and monitor the success
tants when embarking on a large-scale process of any actions taken.
mining initiative. Although some of the roles • Business analyst: The person in this role works
outlined below could be filled by a consultant, closely with the process expert; in fact, both
this is by no means a requirement. After all, an roles could potentially be filled by the same
effective process mining initiative collects your person. In either case, the business analyst
own data using your own IT landscape, inter- should drive the process analysis and initiate a
rogates your own processes, and ultimately discussion around the insights gained through
shapes your own business. With effective the process mining project.
planning and the right software support, • Data expert: The “footprint” of any given pro-
process mining is a task that any business has cess that exists in an organization’s IT landscape
the capacity and capability to take on alone. needs to be extracted and transformed so that
it can provide answers to questions about the
way that process is performing. Therefore, a data
expert who knows both the process and the IT
system is required. The main activities of the
data expert are the adaptation and configuration
of process mining to the requirements of an
organization’s IT landscape through a connector,
as well as data extraction and transformation
for customized processes or systems.

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COMMUNICATE AND COLLABORATE process deviations correctly, companies should
When analyzing any organizational process, a consider these alterations and behaviors as part
deep understanding of the subject matter is of the evaluation. In many cases, there are reason-
usually required. It is rare to find an organization able explanations for unexpected process varia-
where this understanding is limited to only one or tions that can be better understood when the
two staff members. Although it’s true that some people responsible for the changes are consulted.
staff may hold specialized technical knowledge,
other staff from entirely different business areas In other words, the success of a process mining
may interact with a given process in a very differ- initiative also depends on a common, discussion-
ent way and therefore have a unique perspective based interpretation of the insights. In turn,
on how the process could be improved. any corrective actions should be considered
on the basis of debates and discussions among
Furthermore, every company has its own “special colleagues that enable them to express their dif-
tricks” and historical workarounds that have ferent views and arrive at a collaborative solution.
been introduced over time. To interpret KPIs and

CASE STUDY

A midsized software company was seeking to introduce a new central ERP system but was stuck at
the point of assessing its current processes. Previous attempts to overcome this blockage by inter-
viewing key users and process owners in fit-gap workshops had taken up significant amounts of time
and led to several unproductive discussions about minor (and rare) situations while leaving out other
important variations of the process.

Using the SAP Signavio Process Intelligence solution to assess the current process situation, includ-
ing process flow and variations in elements of the process, the company was able to build a common
understanding of its processes, leading to a new round of workshops that were more focused on the
important points. This led to faster, clearer, less-emotional, and more-accurate conversations.

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TAKE ACTION AND MEASURE RESULTS CREATE A GOOD ROLLOUT PLAN
Insights and findings about processes are interest- Starting with a manageable part of the overall
ing to someone, but unless they are interpreted process landscape avoids long project durations
and given meaning, the result is simply informa- and helps ensure quick results. Depending on the
tion. The analysis becomes meaningful only when complexity of both the process and the IT systems
actions are defined and undertaken based on involved, the first process chosen for process
those insights. After the actions have been imple- mining should fulfill a few requirements.
mented, the effect can be measured by analyzing
and monitoring the process again so that the Specifically, the process should be clearly defined,
impact of the actions can be calculated, controlled, with a beginning and end and a series of identifi-
and, if necessary, replicated. Therefore, any able steps in between. The process should also
process mining initiative requires some way of be part of your organization’s core business and
gathering the information (for example, using the one that is executed frequently. Procurement,
SAP® Signavio® Process Manager solution) and customer support, logistics, or sales processes
then some way of disseminating that information often work well. Less suitable are processes that
for use by management and staff in formulating seldom run or feature very little automation or
actions in response (for example, using the IT support requirements.
SAP Signavio Process Collaboration Hub solution).
Once a first process (or part of a process) is ana-
lyzed and first insights are gained, the process can
be enhanced with more detail or a different start or
end point, and further processes can be analyzed.

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Four Steps to Process Mining Best Practices

A best-practice approach to introducing a pro- involving all stakeholders of the project, as

cess mining project into your organization that described above. During the workshops, the
addresses the success criteria and prevents some following items are agreed upon.
of the common pitfalls contains the following
four steps: Objective of the Project
• Step 1: Define your scope What should be the result of the process mining
• Step 2: Prepare your data initiative? What are the most important outcomes
• Step 3: Generate your insights and benefits expected by each member of the
• Step 4: Measure your results team? In short, there is a need for clarity regarding
why the project is being undertaken before defin-
The time taken to implement each step depends ing the detailed process and the relevant data
on the organization, the process, the IT system, required.
and the availability of the required project team
members. A typical process-improvement initia- Process Details
tive can see first results after two to six weeks, This stage includes defining all steps between the
whereas complex processes that cross many IT start and end of the process undergoing analysis.
systems might take up to three months, or longer. SAP Signavio Process Manager can be used to
visualize the process, with the “QuickModel” tool
In parallel with each of these steps, change in SAP Signavio solutions often proving especially
management techniques are critical, including useful in workshop environments. If a process
empowering key users. On-the-job training and model already exists, it can be used to review
coaching, in combination with a short software the process during the workshop.
training session, comprise a strong foundation
for ensuring that process mining becomes part However, the granularity of the analysis does not
of your employees’ daily work. This approach necessarily match the granularity of the process
also allows for follow-up actions and long-term model. This could mean, for example, that too
process improvement. many manual steps that are not required to
achieve the goal are included in the process
STEP 1: DEFINE YOUR SCOPE model, or the model is created for a high-level
Many of the criteria for a successful process abstraction of the process and an analysis on
mining project are directly related to the initial that level cannot offer the required insights. In
planning phase of the project, which ultimately these cases, it might be more appropriate to
forms the basis for all further action. This step aim for a level of detail equivalent to the process
usually consists of one or more workshops, analysis created using process mining.

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Data Requirements STEP 2: PREPARE YOUR DATA
Based on the process details defined above, Once the scope is clarified, the technical prepara-
the relevant business documents need to be tion starts. Process owners often dread this step
identified, as well as the storage location for these and perceive it as a significant challenge. However,
documents and their storage format (for example, project experience indicates that complicated
systems, tables, reports, and so on). Of course, technical challenges rarely arise. A clear definition
the process defined for an initial project can always and communication of data requirements,
be enhanced, adapted, or enriched by further KPIs. coupled with early involvement of IT staff,
From a project point of view, starting with a small should simplify matters and speed things up.
and precise scope enables quick success. This This second step involves three related tasks:
smaller scope can be either within the process • Data extraction
itself or within the organization. • Transformation into process mining structure
(reconstructing the chain of events)
For example, in a procure-to-pay process, the • Transfer of the data to the process mining
focus may start on the invoice-checking sub­ software
process, or it may begin with examining each
instance that the process is run in a specific There are two technical integration scenarios
geographic area. Starting small and securing that can be considered to complete these tasks:
an early “victory” provides a positive platform the use of a software connector or the definition
from which to tackle a greater number of larger of the extract, transform, and load (ETL) queue.
or more-challenging optimization activities at Keep in mind that the outcomes of this project
a later stage. phase are independent of the chosen technical
solution.

A NOTE ON CONNECTORS

In the context of process mining projects, a connector is a piece of software that enables the corpo-
rate IT landscape to talk to a process mining product. A connector is specifically developed for an
IT system and enables process mining for the core processes supported by the system. Both regular
data extraction and relevant data transformations are performed by the connector. SAP Signavio
solutions offer a variety of standard connectors and an API for new connectors to be built by
customers or partners.

However, depending on the unique IT landscape of a specific company, a standard connector might
be insufficient. For those scenarios, other means of data extraction are available. These may range
from extracting the data manually, to ETL processes, to custom connector implementations. The
complexity and effort required for these alternatives depend on the IT system and process scope.
Experience suggests that this can normally be defined and developed within a few weeks.

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For some projects, a continuous data integration • Log files (for example, audit logs and change
between the transactional system and process logs)
mining is not required in a first step. In that sce- • Comma-separated value files and other data
nario, data can be extracted and transferred to
the process mining tool manually, and a regular After the data is extracted, it is transformed into
data load is set up at a later point in the project a chain of events. The data is structured into
lifecycle. instances of a process execution, called cases.
These cases can determine information such
Of course, before extraction can take place, the as the order referred to in a particular invoice
relevant data must be identified. The required data and the invoice to which a payment belongs. The
is derived from the process and process-related case is enriched with time-stamp information
questions in step 1. Unfortunately, IT systems are that shows which activity (for example, creation,
usually organized by business documents rather approval, and so on) was executed at what time
than by processes. For example, there tends to be for a specific case. The sum of all this information
one data source for all sales orders and another makes up the event log, the main data structure
for all invoices, and so on. These actual sources for process mining that is transferred to the
of data need to be identified. Typically, these are process mining software.
as follows:
• Database tables of transactional systems These steps (extract, transform, and load into the
(for example, ERP and CRM) target) are performed by the connector or ETL.
• Analytical data (for example, reports, business The procedure is therefore scheduled regularly,
intelligence, and data lakes) usually daily, so that up-to-date process informa-
tion is available whenever needed.

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STEP 3: GENERATE YOUR INSIGHTS
After the technical and nontechnical preparation steps have
been performed, the data is ready for process mining. This
is the start of the exciting phase of the project as the pro-
cess experts begin to analyze the identified processes. You
can start at a high level of the process flow, then drill down
to analyze the different parts of the process. By comparing
different process information, factors influencing KPIs
across the whole organization can be identified, and their
impact can be quantified.

On many occasions, the process experts might need to go

back to the key users from different departments to under-
stand why a specific phenomenon appears. The outcome
of this project step is a clear understanding of the process
flow, metrics, bottlenecks, and optimization potential.

COLLABORATIVE INVESTIGATIONS WITH

SAP SIGNAVIO SOLUTIONS

The SAP Signavio Process Intelligence solution offers more

than process monitoring. Investigation functions provided
by SAP Signavio solutions enable detailed follow-up on any
unexpected process behavior, using a documented, story-
like process analysis. Each investigation answers a single
process question and is structured into different chapters
that cover subsections of the process.

The content of an investigation can be as unique as the

process question itself, and investigations can be shared
with other staff members to help ensure collaborative
process analysis. Results and follow-up actions are
documented directly next to the finding, meaning the
discussion can be simultaneously data-driven and collab-
orative while ensuring the path to insights is not lost.

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STEP 4: MEASURE YOUR RESULTS improvement initiative is never really “complete,”
When all questions are clarified and the necessary as further improvements and projects can be kick-
insights are achieved, it’s time to act. Use your started from this point, while the process lifecycle
findings to identify specific opportunities for is controlled.
improvement and determine the exact steps
you need to implement to take advantage of Depending on the goals that the process mining
those opportunities. The process-improvement initiative set out to achieve, successful improve-
opportunities are simulated and tested for their ments could range from reduced time to complete
effects, and the process changes are documented, a particular process to an increased level of auto-
communicated, and implemented. mation for repetitive tasks, fostering a “preferred
supplier” relationship for a specific material or
In the meantime, continuous monitoring and improved customer experience through faster
reporting of the core metrics of the process are delivery times. No matter the goal, simply making
established. Behavior changes, improvements, a change to the business process involved is only
and upcoming bottlenecks can thereby be identi- part of the story.
fied, analyzed, and reported. Therefore, a process-

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The next step, which may occur days, weeks, or mining initiative to tackle the ongoing work of
even months after process improvements have addressing issues of lesser importance that
been made, is to extract the new data, see what nonetheless create significant costs or inhibit
has changed, and assess whether the changes further revenue growth. At this stage, process
have resulted in more-efficient and more-effective mining can be used in an iterative way, helping
processes. Some key questions might include organizations build increasingly detailed records
the following: of their business data.
• Are the revised processes working as they
should? This is also the point at which many organiza-
• Are there any unexpected “knock-on effects” tions realize the true value of taking a process-
impacting other processes? driven approach to the way they work. Being able
• Have the revised processes revealed challenges to pinpoint exactly which business processes are
in other, unrelated processes? operating as they should, which ones aren’t, and
• Have the processes themselves changed since why can sometimes lead to a powerful concep-
they were revised? tual shift: from process mining as a project tool
• Is the operating environment the same? Have to process mining as a way of doing business.
any requirements changed or new regulations
been introduced? The ideal state is to be able to identify and elimi-
• How can I further improve the process? How can nate future issues before they have a significant
I measure it? impact on the business. This may be achieved
by establishing a clear understanding of the
Answering these questions allows organizations way each process should work and immediately
to move beyond the original goals of their process responding to variations as and when they occur.

THE NEXT STEPS WITH SAP SIGNAVIO SOLUTIONS

The SAP Signavio Process Intelligence solution offers tremendous benefit by enabling organizations
to visualize an existing process, foster data-driven discussions, and take corrective action based on
meaningful insights. However, to see the improvements over time, monitor the adaptation of a new
ERP system after the system is live, or continuously measure the performance of revised processes,
process mining needs to be more than a project tool.

Therefore, the SAP Signavio Process Transformation Suite offers more than just process mining.
The suite combines the insights of process intelligence with the ability for organizations to design
and model their own improved processes using the SAP Signavio Process Manager solution.
They can then automate those processes using the SAP Signavio Process Governance solution.
The SAP Signavio Collaboration Hub solution underpins this work by allowing for real-time sharing
and interaction between staff working on a process-improvement initiative.

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Conclusion

Every organization is made up of processes. In an ideal

world, these processes all run smoothly, interact neatly, and
work together in service of the organization’s overall goal.
Sadly, we do not live in an ideal world. Too often, businesses
are left wondering why their processes are not working as
they should, how they can evaluate the enormous amount
of data that feeds into and is generated by their processes,
and how they can make process improvements across their
entire organization.

Process mining is the answer. While it cannot offer a “one-

size-fits-all” solution, a process mining initiative implemented
using the four steps outlined in this document – define your
scope, prepare your data, generate your Insights, and mea-
sure your results – gives you a clear understanding of the
way your business works and helps you implement change
that matters.

FIND OUT MORE

For more information, visit us online.

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