A N A LY S T Q & A

Q&A on Process Intelligenceand the Automation FabricFeaturing Bernhard Schaffrik
Principal Analyst

Following a webcast featuring guest speaker Bernhard Schaffrik of Forrester Research, ABBYY
asked Forrester to share a bit more on the automation fabric and how process intelligence cansupport it.
Q:

W h ic h bu s i ness p ro cesses/area s would benef it the most f rom ins ights yield e dt h ro u g h pro cess a nd t a sk m i ni ng ?

A:

There are no limitations! The more complex a process regarding the number of tasks and variations tocomplete, variety of human contributors, IT systems involved, and data types created and processed, thehigher the benefits of mining the process! For practical reasons, the majority of process mining projects islimited to processes supported by one ERP system, which will only deliver small value adds. The true valueof process mining will show only with increasing complexity of processes mined, which cross IT-systemborders. Similarly, with task mining: Continuously mining the behavior of a lot of users, not just one or a few,
will uncover precious insights for process improvement.

Q:

W h at c a pa b i l i t i es sho ul d orga nizations look for to dif ferentiate the various
pro c e s s m ini ng vend o r offer i ngs?

A:

The product’s time to value is an important differentiator: how fast can IT systems be connected that run a
to-be-mined process? Is there a broad set of out-of-the-box connectors to all sorts of IT systems available,or do they have to be built? Once process data have been mined, are analytics generated, or do they haveto be manually configured? Which skills are required to analyze process data?
Another differentiator is the breadth of available tools to improve processes before implementing them;e.g., by comparing them with reference process models; process simulation allowing to run what-if
scenarios; or conducting impact analyses of process changes.

Q:

H ow c a n other technol o gi es b e unif ied with proces s optimization tools toe n h a n c e t he st a b i l i t y o f t he a utomation fabric?

A:

The automation fabric represents the set of connected automation tools that support the automation ofan organization’s operational processes. Therefore, transparent processes on an operational level are thecenterpiece and starting point of any automation, and any automation fabric. Uncovering, visualizing, andimproving processes before automating them is top priority. Process optimization tools such as process mining,task mining, process modeling, and process analytics are key enablers for process transparency, automation
decisions, and continuous monitoring of an organization’s automation fabric—on an operational level.

Q:

Wh at a re the m ost com m on p i t falls of organizations s eeking to optimize the ir
p ro c e s s e s , and how ca n t hey b e avoided?

A:

1.

Often, SMEs from the functions that a process is running through are not included in a processoptimization project, and it is purely driven from an IT or a project management function. Involve those
who run the processes day in and day out both in the project setup and process analysis to leverage
their knowledge and provide tangible areas for process improvement.

2. Processes are not considered end-to-end, but end at departmental boundaries; hence, the mined
process data are not representative of the whole process, and improvement ideas might optimize
individual parts of a process, but not the whole process. Therefore, cross-functional, end-to-end
processes must be the scope of any process optimization project.
3. There is no target state or vision for a process regarding improvement areas as processes are not in
scope of organizational improvement, just functions. Process improvement can mean higher quality,
lower cost, shorter cycle time, and ultimately better employee and customer experience. Process visionmust be derived from organizational or company strategy. If not feasible, detected process weak points
can be prioritized according to value add and worked through accordingly.
4. Removing identified process weak points would require disruptive organizational and IT-systemchanges, which appear non-affordable or too major from a change point of view. However, in thelong run, improving a process always pays off for employees and customers in contrast to sticking toinefficient or ineffective operations.

Q:

Wh at c a n o rgani zat i ons d o to fa cilitate the natural ups killing of employees intoc i ti ze n pro cess ex p er t s?

A:They should encourage everything that is deemed appropriate to democratize process improvement. Itstarts with providing short trainings about business process improvement basics, such as how to detect
process weak points. These trainings can be provided through video tutorials, lunch-and-learn sessions,or similar formats. Employees should get access to process optimization tools to leverage them for mining,
analyzing, and improving the process(es) they are working in. Therefore, process optimization tool trainings
are essential, too. Ideally, training offerings are accompanied by in-depth support on process optimization
methods and tools, provided by a COE or similar. ChatGPT and other natural-language based humancomputer interfaces will enable more employees to make sense out of mined process data than in the past
as data science skills will at least partially be provided by the AI.

Access the full webinar, “The Four Drivers Reshaping
the Future of Process Optimization” here.

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