Use process mining
This topic explores situations when the use of process mining is appropriate and when it isn't. It also explores how a business can apply the define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (DMAIC) process, a methodology for process improvement of existing business processes within the larger Six Sigma framework, by using Power Automate process mining capabilities.
When to use Power Automate process mining
Most larger existing business processes can benefit from process mining. Process mining can help with the following types of analysis:
Process analysis - Process mining helps businesses understand how their processes work in practice, how they deviate from the intended design, and where bottlenecks occur.
Process improvement - Process mining helps identify areas where the business needs process improvements, such as reducing lead times, decreasing waiting times, or optimizing resource allocation.
Compliance and auditing - Process mining helps ensure compliance with regulations and internal policies by detecting noncompliant behaviors and deviations from standard procedures.
Performance monitoring - Process mining helps businesses monitor process performance in real-time, identify potential problems before they occur, and proactively address them.
However, it's important to recognize that not all processes are appropriate and effective for process mining. The following list outlines some situations where process mining might not be the best option.
Lack of data - Process mining relies on event logs from information systems. Therefore, if no data or limited data is available, the business might not be able to perform process mining.
Real-time processes - If process mining is analyzing a complex or dynamic process, it might not capture all relevant information or it might have difficulty interpreting the results.
Not structured or repetitive - If processes aren't structured and repetitive in nature, process mining might not generate valuable insights or provide clear results.
Lack of process understanding - Process mining is most effective when the business establishes a clear definition of the process that it wants analyzed. If the business doesn’t clearly define the processes, process mining might produce results that are difficult for the business to interpret.
Limited resources - Process mining can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, so if technical and business resources aren't aligned, it might not be feasible to conduct a process mining analysis.
Typical business process optimization journey
Every business process optimization journey has its own uniqueness. However, the DMAIC process from the Six Sigma model overlays well with process mining in Power Automate.
The preceding image illustrates a typical business process optimization journey, the ensuing numbers corresponding to the numerals in the image.
Define - This stage represents the planning phase, where organizations identify the processes that are good candidates for process optimization. Typically, good candidates for process optimization include processes that are automated, have high event log data availability, and are high profile in an organization.
Measure - This phase is where the organization prepares, transforms, ingests, and validates process data.
Analyze - This phase is where Power Automate process mining tools, such as process compare, rework detector, and root cause analysis, do the most difficult tasks of analyzing the process and identifying inefficiencies.
Improve - In this phase, the business automates and deploys solutions to improve inefficiencies that process mining identifies. This phase could include new Power Automate flow improvements, or it could involve updating or creating an app from Microsoft Power Apps based on identified inefficiencies. This phase could also include deploying improvements where business users work daily (Microsoft Teams or Microsoft Outlook).
Control - This phase is where the business monitors the implemented improvements and evaluates whether they achieved the desired improvements and should adjust accordingly.