A method for objective performance benchmarking of teams with process mining and DEA

Process performance is influenced by the teams involved in those processes. However, objectively evaluating team performance is challenging. Process mining literature has mostly focused on the characteristics of social networks rather than their performance. Following design science research principles, we designed a method for objectively benchmarking team performance using process mining, data envelopment analysis, and social network analysis. Our stepwise method provides guidelines on choosing appropriate data, extracting teams, identifying and calculating relevant metrics, benchmarking team performance, and determining improvement areas by considering the process context. We demonstrate the application on a real-life loan management process. We conducted interviews with business professionals to validate the usefulness and applicability. The results show that the method can provide an objective and transparent mechanism for comparing the performance of teams. The method can be used by organizations to form efficient teams and facilitate an increase in productivity.