Process Management News Round-Up – October 2024 Edition

Welcome to the October edition of the Noreja News Round-Up, your go-to summary of the most significant developments in the Business Process Management (BPM) space. This month, we’re maintaining the momentum from last week’s special edition, diving into new research with a particular emphasis on specific process mining applications. From environmental sustainability to industrial efficiencies, this issue explores how process mining is evolving to address pressing challenges and future possibilities.

In this month’s roundup, we bring you insights on using process mining to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, build digital twins, and explore its implications for public administration and healthcare. Let’s dive in.

Process Mining to Curb CO2 Emissions

The first article we highlight this month is a newly published study by Costache et al., presented at the Process Mining for Sustainability Workshop (PM4S 2024) as part of the International Conference on Process Mining (ICPM). Titled “Process Mining Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Emission Management in Production Processes,” this research provides a detailed framework to help organizations use process mining for managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in production processes.

The authors outline the Process Mining Guidelines for GHG Management (PMG3), aimed at addressing a critical gap: integrating sustainability metrics into production process management. Given the increasing regulatory pressures, like the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which takes effect in 2024, these guidelines are timely and much needed. The CSRD mandates that large EU companies disclose sustainability metrics, including emissions throughout their supply chain. PMG3, therefore, provides a much-needed tool for organizations to comply with these requirements by defining business and data needs, analyzing inefficiencies, and offering recommendations to improve both sustainability reporting and overall performance.

In practical terms, PMG3 was demonstrated using real-world data from the consumer goods sector, showing promising outcomes in terms of usability, acceptance, and its potential for industry adoption. The guidelines help businesses not only track direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2 and Scope 3) emissions but also improve operational transparency, thereby promoting a greener and more sustainable approach to business process management.

As businesses worldwide face the dual challenge of operational efficiency and environmental responsibility, frameworks like PMG3 are critical. The importance of environmental sustainability cannot be overstated, and integrating process mining into sustainability efforts is an innovative step toward a more responsible future.

Process Mining for Digital Twin Building

Another notable publication comes from Francesco Vitale and his colleagues, who have been working on process mining for digital twin development of industrial cyber-physical systems. Published in the IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, their paper explores the intersection of process mining and digital twins for industrial applications—a topic that has been gaining traction within BPM circles as companies increasingly invest in Industry 4.0 initiatives.

Vitale et al. introduce a novel framework for developing digital twins that utilizes process mining to build models based on historical data and then uses these models for real-time anomaly detection and what-if simulations. The framework operates in two main phases: an offline phase that identifies the most suitable process model for normal system dynamics, and an online phase for real-time monitoring and detection of anomalies. A proof-of-concept was successfully applied to a water distribution system, which highlighted the advantages of using process mining for anomaly detection and improved system performance.

We’ve been discussing the role of process mining in digital twin development for a while now, and it’s heartening to see others in the field expanding on this concept. By connecting data-driven methods with process-based models, this research offers practical insights into how process mining can help create more robust, responsive digital twins that enhance efficiency and reliability.

Potential applications for this approach extend well beyond industrial cyber-physical systems—ranging from smart cities to complex logistics networks, where accurate simulation and real-time adaptability are key. By bridging gaps in data quality and connecting real-world dynamics to actionable insights, digital twins powered by process mining represent a promising step forward in advancing both operational efficiency and resilience.

Process Mining for Health

Next, we turn our attention to the healthcare sector, where process mining is being applied to mobile health (mHealth) data analysis. A recent perspective article by Michael Winter et al., published in npj Digital Medicine, delves into how process mining can be leveraged to analyze mHealth data for clinical insights. The study emphasizes the value of analyzing temporal process patterns within health data to complement data-driven techniques like machine learning.

The authors used data from the TrackYourTinnitus project, a long-term mHealth initiative focused on tinnitus patients. Process mining allowed them to highlight temporal dynamics of symptoms by creating visual process maps, providing deeper insights into patient journeys and helping to understand the variability of health conditions. The study argues that, unlike traditional clinical trials that often fail to capture inter-individual variability, process mining offers an adaptable approach capable of revealing hidden patterns and individual trajectories in health data.

As digital health becomes increasingly significant, the potential applications for process mining in this space are vast. Future research might focus on integrating process mining techniques with machine learning to further enhance predictive modeling, aiming to improve individualized treatment pathways and outcomes. This approach could also lead to more informed public health strategies, as understanding temporal patterns at an individual level may reveal broader trends relevant to population health.

Business Process Management in Government Bodies

A new study spotlights how the digitalization of a public university in Italy—through a Business Process Management (BPM) approach—can significantly enhance performance, even within a rigid bureaucratic structure. Conducted at an Italian public university, researchers including Salvatore Ammarito and his colleagues adopted BPMN2.0 notation to re-engineer and optimize internal processes. They compared the “AS-IS” (pre-change) and “TO-BE” (post-change) states, demonstrating substantial quality improvements in efficiency and effectiveness. The use of BPM lifecycle frameworks provided a systematic method for managing organizational changes, both technical and cultural.

The implications are significant: the success of BPM in this context shows that even traditionally bureaucratic sectors like public education can benefit immensely from a structured approach to digital transformation. It points towards a new blueprint for universities and public institutions aiming to improve operational efficiency and service delivery through digital means. The study also suggests that adopting BPM can serve as a guiding tool for organizations to make informed technical and strategic decisions, thereby reducing the inertia associated with change.

This work contributes to a growing body of literature on digital transformation in the public sector, highlighting BPM’s versatility and value beyond private enterprises. By focusing on higher education, it provides a fresh case for decision-makers and administrators in similar contexts who are grappling with the complexity of digitalization, offering not just a strategy but evidence of tangible results.

Summary

With the International Conference on Process Mining (ICPM) taking place this month, it’s no surprise that there’s a heavy focus on academic research in this roundup. The diverse applications of process mining—from sustainability efforts and digital twin creation to healthcare and government efficiency—reflect the broad potential of this technology to address some of the most pressing issues faced by industries today.

We hope this month’s round-up has provided valuable insights into the ongoing innovations in BPM. If you’re interested in exploring any of these topics further or would like a demo of our own BPM solutions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Food for Thought

As we continue to explore the expanding scope of process mining, consider the broader impact of applying these techniques across various domains. From public health to government efficiency, the ability to uncover hidden dynamics and improve decision-making has significant potential to change the way we live and work. How can your organization benefit from the latest advancements in BPM?

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