There are few words in standard corporate vocabulary as broad as the word "process". Process management, process intelligence, process improvement, process mining, process automation - what applies where, and what does it mean for me?
While it would take more than one article to cover all the nuances woven into these process categories, we can set our sights on two increasingly important areas that have the potential to significantly impact a company's daily operations: process mining and process intelligence.
What is Process Intelligence?
It's only fitting to start with process intelligence - the method of using operational data to evaluate and ultimately optimize business processes. Process intelligence is a data-driven approach that solely focuses on using measurable output to identify inefficiencies in a process and opportunities for improvement. Sure, building a process from scratch and creating documentation around it is a great way to understand a process front-to-back, but at the end of the day, the output - the results - are the main attraction. Process intelligence methodology gives organizations the tools to easily manage productivity, quickly address any instances of breakdown, and identify opportunities for cost savings.
What is Process Mining?
Similar in its focus, process mining is the technique of collecting and analyzing process data to improve business processes. There is no process intelligence without process mining. Gathering operational data via mining can look different for every organization, whether it involves more manual reporting from a smaller population or process mining software that gathers millions of data points from various CRMs and workflow tools. It's important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all formula in process mining, but one thing is certain: the effort you put into the input of accurate operations data and clean reporting can create an incredible opportunity for your organization to pinpoint and address process variations, bottlenecks, or inefficiencies with little operational interference.
So, What’s the Difference?
It's easy to get lost in the sea of process buzzwords. If you are wondering where to start, two key takeaways will apply to organizations of any age, size, or industry:
- Shift focus toward Process Intelligence by making operational data accessible throughout the organization. Teams should be able to easily see their output at any time. Allow team members to get familiar with seeing results regularly so that variations are easily identifiable.
- At its core, Process Mining is simply gathering consistent, accurate data. Before exploring more complex options like new software, focus on data governance and organization within the company. Successful process mining is an intentional, collaborative effort between operations and data engineering teams that will take time. Don't rush it, and don't get discouraged!
Ultimately, process mining and process intelligence go hand-in-hand. Though the concepts may sound complex on the surface, an organization that takes data integrity and analysis seriously will be successful in utilizing these methods to create a streamlined, efficient operation. To gain more insight from our SSO Network, please join us for our upcoming digital event- Record to Report Virtual Summit !