Processes that are primarily based on information flows are particularly challenging to analyze because they are inherently invisible. When I told Mathew, a Lean Six Sigma practitioner, about process mining he thought that was fantastic. And he made a comparison that I really like. He said:
Making information flows visible is the equivalent of walking on a factory floor.
In an assembly line, you can move from one step to the next step in the process and easily observe what is happening. But information-based processes usually don’t pass around piles of papers anymore. That means you simply can’t see what is going on. Making the process flows visible based on IT data is therefore really valuable.
Since 2009, we have used the X-ray metaphor to explain process mining. Wil often uses the metaphor of a TomTom navigation system. Now we have the factory floor metaphor. Which one do you like best? Which other metaphors have you seen? Let us know in the comments.
Meet us in Utrecht on 6 April
If you are in The Netherlands, come to the Lean Six Sigma Seminar in Utrecht next week Wednesday. We will have a product booth there and would love to talk to you in person!
Anne Rozinat
Market, customers, and everything else
Anne knows how to mine a process like no other. She has conducted a large number of process mining projects with companies such as Philips Healthcare, Océ, ASML, Philips Consumer Lifestyle, and many others.
info@fluxicon.com