Process mining: spreadsheet-like technology for processes

Spreadsheets can be viewed as a success story. Since the late seventies spreadsheet programs have been installed on the majority of computers and play a role comparable to text editors and databases management systems. Spreadsheets can be used to do anything with numbers, but are unable to handle process models and event data. Event logs and operational processes can be found everywhere. Recent breakthroughs in process mining resulted in novel techniques to discover the real processes, to detect deviations from normative process models, and to analyze bottlenecks and waste. Comparable to spreadsheet programs like Excel which are widely used in finance, production, sales, education, sports, process mining software can be used in a broad range of organizations. Whereas spreadsheets work with numbers, process mining starts from event data with the aim to analyze processes. This keynote paper uses spreadsheets as an analogy to make the case for process mining as an essential tool for data scientists and business analysts.