‘If you cannot eliminate a process, automate it’ were the words written as a quote into the walls of an Information Technology division at one of the world’s largest retailers. It was the early 1990s and the quote stands as true to it’s core meaning today, in the early 2020s, as it did then and at the start of the new millennium. Worldwide, businesses have embraced automation and the words ‘Software Robots’ and ‘Digital Workers’ are now commonly understood to be the same.
Businesses who have adopted Intelligent Automation, earlier had performed what is popularly termed as ‘Process Discovery’. There is substantial literature available on the topic and the steps followed. The early adopters, who are fully aware of the process and have experienced the benefits, are now at the stage of selecting the next best process to have maximum impact on the business.
We already have this established ‘Process Discovery’ mechanism. So, ‘What is the big challenge in selecting the next process?’, one may ask. Well, if only it was that simple. The good news is that there are now tools available which make ‘Process Discovery’ an easy process. Let’s walk through some of the details.
What is Process Discovery?
Process Discovery is a technique to identify how processes and tasks are executed by an employee. This helps to identify the processes in ‘as-is’ state. The exercise is conducted with the help of a questionnaire and the demo/walk through of the process by the staff to the PD team. The result of this exercise is a document called Process Discovery Document.
What are Process Discovery Tools?
Process Discovery Tools capture each and every step taken by a staff member to complete their process. The tool then organizes those steps to show the workflow as it actually happens. Steps captured can include ‘clicking on a button’, ‘opening an application’, ‘taking a screenshot’ etc.,
What is Process Mining?
Process Mining is a technique to analyze and track processes by utilizing data logs available in enterprise systems. These data logs are used to develop a view of the different systems and screens that employees use to execute processes. System logs typically have key fields, such as ‘user performing the step’, ‘step description’ and ‘timestamps’.
Why are Process Discovery and Process Mining important?
Traditional ‘Process Discovery’ was conducted through interviews/questionnaire and workshops with business users and Subject Matter Experts (SME). However, these sessions generally resulted in capturing the best happy-path process flows and did not take variations or exceptions into account.
Which tools are better for an organization to use?
Not to undermine ‘Process Mining’ tools and techniques, but ‘Process Discovery Tools’ do a complete job of the Process Discovery and provide a ‘Process Discovery Document’ at the end of it. Actually, the tool gives out much more than that, which will be explained later. With ‘Process Mining’, a Business Analyst is required to make a document out of the analysis from the tool and often it is not 100% perfect.
How does a Process Discovery tool work?
Simply put, a ‘Process Discovery Tool’ records all of the user’s interactions on their desktop. By doing so, the tool can map processes out of the data captured. Pictorially, explained below.
What Can a Process Discovery Tool do to help businesses?
It can:
- Digitally interview and define process candidates
- Generate usable as-is documentation such as a PDD
- Calculate activity/ performance metrics for fact based financial proforma
- Highlight KPIs from the processes
- Generate an easy-to-use dashboard for management
- Help benefits realization management
Process Identification Dilemma
With the advent of Process Discovery Tools, selecting the next best process to have maximum impact on the business is not the ‘single most difficult task’ for automation evangelists. As highlighted, the advanced AI Powered ‘Process Discovery’ tools collaborate and serve on a platter – a dashboard – for the businesses to pick that next best process to have maximum impact on the business through automation.
In closing
Want to realize the full benefits of a Process Discovery Tool and Automation? Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a tool that can generate an ROI-driven road map for your business processes? Let’s chat. Reach out to WonderBotz for a demo of GENIE our AI-powered process improvement tool for digital transformation and iBPM. Borrowing lines from a famous advertisement, ‘Awarding a yearly bonus to staff to bring out smiles is monetary; relieving them from the repetitive day-today robotic tasks is priceless!’
