The Alpha and Omega of Process Mining

Process mining is a discipline that enables organizations to visualize, analyze, and improve their work processes. To leverage process mining capabilities, an organization first needs to prepare and extract its data in a specific format, the event log. An example of the work involved in event log extraction is the definition of the data sources from which the data will be extracted. Various methodologies and techniques to apply process mining in organizations have been developed, particularly regarding process discovery and analysis. After insights are acquired through these techniques, an organization needs to work towards translating the acquired insights into actual process improvements. However, these methodologies do not provide support in this last, but not least, step. What remains unclear is the work that it takes to go from data within the organization, i.e., before a process mining initiative can start, to process improvements, i.e., translating the results of the initiative into action. Therefore, we study the following main research question: How effective is process mining in supporting organizations? We answer this research question in two parts: the alpha and omega of process mining. In part alpha, we systematically identify the variety of manual tasks still involved in event log extraction. We provide a view on the work that it takes to go from data generated by information systems into an event log, to enable process discovery and analysis. After an event log is generated, process mining tools and techniques for process discovery and analysis can be used to acquire insights about the work processes of the organization under scrutiny. In part omega, we study the diverse space of actions and objects of actions (e.g., update document, increase resource, conduct root-cause analysis, etc.) triggered by process mining insights. This provides a view on the work that it takes to go from the acquired insights to actual process improvements. Moreover, we unveil challenges and specific causes that hinder organizations in effectively adopting process mining to improve their work processes. Combined, our findings provide researchers and practitioners in the process mining field with a knowledge base to (1) understand the variety of work required for carrying out a process mining initiative and (2) proactively counter challenges that may arise during the course of the initiative.