Process Mining

Process Mining is the technique of generating interactive process flows based on time-stamped event data from enterprise systems. It provides transparency into business process execution, showing every step, path and duration involved. The technique combines elements from Business Process Management (BPM) and Data Mining and most platforms come with additional functionality to support root cause analyses, improvement actions, process redesign and automation.

Functionality

Common functionality offered through Process Mining products includes:

Process Discovery: Automatically generate interactive process flows based on event data. The ability to select and filter specific process events or combinations of process events. Showing the number and time of cases or transactions per event and path.
Process Insight: Dashboards with interactive graphs, charts, and tables for data insights and interaction with the data.
Process Analytics: Analytics to analyse data and process activities. SQL type queries for analysing loaded process data.
Predictive Analytics: Machine Learning and Advanced Analytics capabilities for predictive insights.
Data Preprocessing: The ability to perform analytics over data prior to transfer and loading. This enables use of database and data warehouse resources and functionality, and it helps to reduce platform data loads and performance.
Data Integration: Seamless integration with various data sources and source systems (ERP, CRM, workflow) through database connectors, extractor programs, and APIs for cloud-based applications.
Process Modelling: Functionality to manually build business process models (BPM), document process steps, and compare these process models with the automatically generated flows through process execution data.
Process Simulation: Simulating scenarios for process change with analytics to assess business impact.
Alerts: Automated alerts via email or SMS for critical events.
Audit & Compliance Reporting: Functionality to generate reports for audit and compliance purposes.
Action Workflow: Workflow functionality to support follow-up actions.
Task Mining: Functionality to analyse user interactions at application level or from laptops or other end-user devices and use these interactions (mouse clocks, key strokes, logs) for process visualisation and analyses.
Process Automation: Options for automating business processes through RPA, low-code, and AI Agent functionality.

Product Vendors

There are several providers of Process Mining software. However, there are differences in their focus and the functionality offered through their platforms. Below provides an overview of providers of Process Mining software.

Celonis: Market leader with a comprehensive, enterprise-focused platform. Known for deep Process Analytics, advanced Data Integration, and a 360-degree view of business processes. Best suited for large companies seeking full-scale transformation.
SAP - Signavio: With SAP's purchase of the Signavio BPM software their focus has been on integration with the SAP suite. The platform combines Process Mining, Process Management, and Process Modeling, with native SAP integration.
IBM: Offers Process Discovery, Process Simulation, and Business Process Modeling. Works well for companies using IBM’s ecosystem.
UiPath: Integrates Process Mining with their Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform, making it ideal for businesses looking for automation. Offers no-code workflow design and strong visualisation. Tends to be more focused on identifying automation opportunities than deep process analytics.
ServiceNow: Offers Process Discovery, Comparison, Benchmarking, and Task Mining. Fully integrated into the ServiceNow platform with comprehensive workflow functionality.
Software AG - ARIS: One of the earliest Process Mining tools, with strengths in Process Modeling, root-cause analysis, and integration with BPM enterprise architecture.
ProcessMaker: Hybrid platform combining process and task mining. Known for fast implementation, automated insights, and privacy-first design. Suitable for organisations seeking quick, low-resource deployment.
Apromore: Academic roots, offers a no-code, easy-to-deploy platform, with free versions for research and education purposes. Strong in simulation, advanced analytics, and continuous monitoring.
ABBYY Timeline: Focuses on Task Mining, capturing user interactions and recommending automation opportunities, with privacy-protecting features.
Intellifold: Self-service Process Mining and AI platform for Process Discovery, Insight, Analytics and AI automation. Delivers tailored Solutions and consultancy services for process improvement and automation.

Comparison

Table below provides an overview of Process Mining products and some of their key differences. Please note products evolve and capabilities change rapidly in this space.

Vendor/Product

Focus

Functionality

Strengths/Weaknesses

Celonis EMS

End-to-end process intelligence for enterprise transformation

✓ Process Discovery, ✓ Process Insight, ✓ Process Analytics, ✓ Predictive Analytics, ✓ Data Integration, ✓ Process Simulation, ✓ Alerts, ✓ Action Workflow, ✓ Task Mining
~ Data Pre-processing, ~ Process Modelling, ~ Audit Reporting, ~ Process Automation

✓ Deep analytics at scale + extensive connectors
✓ Mature task-to-process coverage
✓ Robust action & alerting framework
~ Limited process modelling (imports & merges)
~ No integrated RPA/ESB (only connectors)
~ More complex to implement
~ Higher license fees

SAP Signavio Suite

Integrated mining + modelling for SAP systems

✓ Process Discovery, ✓ Process Insight, ✓ Process Analytics, ✓ Data Integration, ✓ Process Modelling, ✓ Process Simulation, ✓ Alerts, ✓ Action Workflow, ✓ Process Automation
~ Predictive Analytics, ~ Audit Reporting, ~ Task Mining

✓ Integration with SAP ECC/S4
✓ Integration Signavio modeller and simulation
✓ Single tenant security & governance (SAP)
~ Non-SAP data needs extra effort
~ Immature Task Mining
~ SAP system focus & knowledge

IBM Process Mining 2.0

AI-assisted process discovery, simulation & optimisation

✓ Process Discovery, ✓ Process Insight, ✓ Process Analytics, ✓ Predictive Analytics, ✓ Data Pre-processing, ✓ Data Integration, ✓ Process Modelling, ✓ Process Simulation, ✓ Alerts, ✓ Action Workflow, ✓ Task Mining, ✓ Process Automation
~ Audit Reporting

✓ Integration with IBM ecosystem & cloud
✓ Process optimisation focus with strong simulation
✓ Comprehensive automation (RPA)
✓ Strong Analytics & ML
~ Limited compliance and audit focus
~ Higher license fees

UiPath Process Mining

Discover automation opportunities inside UiPath RPA platform

✓ Process Discovery, ✓ Process Insight, ✓ Process Analytics, ✓ Data Pre-processing, ✓ Data Integration, ✓ Alerts, ✓ Action Workflow, ✓ Task Mining, ✓ Process Automation
~ Predictive Analytics, ~ Process Modelling, ~ Process Simulation, ~ Audit Reporting

✓ Link from process mining to automation (RPA)
✓ AI integration for automation
✓ No-code development across the platform
~ Less extensive root cause analyses
~ RPA focus over broader process transformation and continuous monitoring
~ Limited BPM (modelling, simulation)

ServiceNow Process Mining

Native process mining for workflow optimisation on ServiceNow platform

✓ Process Discovery, ✓ Process Insight, ✓ Process Analytics, ✓ Predictive Analytics, ✓ Data Integration, ✓ Alerts, ✓ Action Workflow
~ Data Pre-processing, Process Modelling, Process Simulation, Audit Reporting, Task Mining, Process Automation

✓ Integration with ServiceNow platform for ITSM
✓ Great workflow capabilities through platform
✓ License included with ServiceNow (NOW)
~ ServiceNow focus and data from other systems requires ETL work
~ Fewer advanced analytics and no preprocessing analytics
~ No process modelling and similation

Software AG ARIS

Unified suite for business process analysis, process modelling & process mining with AI

✓ Process Discovery, ✓ Process Insight, ✓ Process Analytics, ✓ Predictive Analytics, ✓ Data Integration, ✓ Process Modelling, ✓ Process Simulation, ✓ Alerts, ✓ Audit Reporting, ✓ Action Workflow, ✓ Task Mining
~ Data Pre-processing, ~ Process Automation

✓ Best-in-class modelling-to-mining traceability
✓ Full Enterprise Architecture management
✓ Strong compliance focus with reporting
~ UI feels dated to non-ARIS users
~ Cloud pricing complex with higher fees depending on functionality use
~ Process automation through partners (Automation Anywhere and Kryon)

ProcessMaker PI

Hybrid process + task mining with rapid deployment

✓ Process Discovery, ✓ Process Insight, ✓ Process Analytics, ✓ Process Modelling, ✓ Alerts, ✓ Action Workflow, ✓ Task Mining, ✓ Process Automation
~ Predictive Analytics, ~ Data Pre-processing, ~ Data Integration, ~ Process Simulation, ~ Audit Reporting

✓ Plug-and-play, quick time-to-value
✓ BPM for process modelling and workflow
✓ Privacy-first desktop capture for Task Mining
~ Limited dtaa integration options (API focus)
~ No pre-proccesing analytics and very limited deep analytics (predictive or ML)
~ No process simulation
~ Smaller client reference base

Apromore

Open, academic-rooted process mining platform with strong simulation

✓ Process Discovery, ✓ Process Insight, ✓ Process Analytics, ✓ Predictive Analytics, ✓ Process Modelling, ✓ Process Simulation, ✓ Audit Reporting
~ Data Pre-processing, ~ Data Integration, ~ Alerts, ~ Action Workflow, ~ Task Mining, ~ Process Automation

✓ Powerful simulation & conformance tools
✓ Strong analytics including ML
✓ Compliant Centre for audit reporting
~ Limited enterprise connectors & support
~ No built-in workflow for follow-up
- No process automation functionality
~ Scripts to enable Alerts

ABBYY Timeline

AI-driven process & task intelligence

✓ Process Discovery, ✓ Process Insight, ✓ Process Analytics, ✓ Predictive Analytics, ✓ Process Simulation, ✓ Alerts, ✓ Audit Reporting, ✓ Task Mining
~ Data Pre-processing, Data Integration, Process Modelling, Action Workflow, Process Automation

✓ Strong task mining capabilities
✓ Integrated AI for intelligence
✓ Privacy-protecting capture
~ Limited data integration (low-code connectors)
~ Basic process modelling only
~ No built-in workflow for follow-up
~ Reliant on partner ecosystem for automation

Intellifold Process Mining & AI

Self-service process mining with AI guided improvement services

✓ Process Discovery, ✓ Process Insight, ✓ Process Analytics, ✓ Predictive Analytics, ✓ Data Integration, ✓ Data Pre-processing, ✓ Alerts, ✓ Audit Reporting, ✓ Process Automation
~ Process Modelling, ~ Process Simulation, ~ Action Workflow, ~ Task Mining

✓ Self-service solutions with tailored consulting
✓ Analytics options with preprocessing and ML
✓ AI driven process insight and improvement.
✓ Smaller fees linked to process improvements
~ No process modelling, simulation and task mining functionality
~ No built-in workflow for follow-up
~ Smaller client reference base