According to recent research by the Everest Group task mining has become one of the fastest growing categories of intelligent automation software, with investments by enterprise companies growing by 75-85% this year.
In this article we look at a concrete example of task mining software - Object-Centric Task Mining (OCTM) from the perspective of a credit approvals case.
What exactly is task mining?
Task mining is a category of software that automatically captures user interactions within various business applications, allowing for the evaluation and analysis of the execution of work tasks.
This technology enables the addressing of questions such as:
- Can individuals effectively execute the tasks assigned, utilizing the available tools and resources?
- What is the time allocation across various tasks, and are employees concentrating on value-adding work?
- Do diverse teams or individuals employ varying methods to execute tasks, and are there exemplary practices that could be disseminated?
- Which tasks are acting as bottlenecks in crucial processes, or inducing redundancies in workflows?
Object-centric approach to task mining
Object-Centric Task Mining (OCTM) is an innovative approach, formulated in the 2020s, aligning task mining technologies with advancements in artificial intelligence and cloud computing. This breakthrough enables enterprises to genuinely trace processes throughout various business applications and IT infrastructures. By employing cutting-edge technology like Work API, OCTM provides comprehensive visibility into both tasks and processes within business entities.
OCTM acquires business process information directly from the user interfaces of diverse business applications, offering an insight into processes and related object tasks such as invoicing, customer ticket management, and loan application throughout an organization. This methodology generates an automated, comprehensive perspective on processes and tasks.
The data capture technique of OCTM is non-disruptive to the workforce, capturing data related to business objects in real time, reminiscent of the Microsoft Task Manager found on numerous desktops. A crucial distinction is that OCTM refrains from gathering any user-specific information or data from non-corporate applications. Thus, it doesn’t monitor your activities on platforms like Spotify or Facebook or hold any knowledge about your identity. Its analytical focus is strictly on the business objects transitioning between applications.
In the illustrated example, task and process events are recorded through OCTM concerning the approval of a purchase order, with the business object being monitored identified as the unique purchase invoice number 4500016565. OCTM can associate all tasks related to this specific business object from disparate business applications and autonomously formulate an end-to-end process map, systematically outlining key tasks and process events.
Object-centric task mining case example
Object-Centric Task Mining (OCTM) is pivotal in addressing the pressing challenges posed by today’s globalized teams and business activities, offering adaptability to intricate digital environments consisting of both contemporary and legacy tools.
The central benefit of OCTM lies in its ability to monitor crucial business objects such as case IDs, customer service tickets, or distinct shipping numbers as they navigate through business operations, eliminating the necessity for screen recording or additional mining of event logs from system databases.
Consider a representative case from an international banking institution:
A novel credit application is submitted to the Salesforce cloud CRM and is scrutinized by the front office Team Washington in the United States. A preceding credit application is recognized and its adherence to policies is assessed. Following validation, the case is handed over to the next team. The team’s active work time measured on the case totals 25 minutes.Subsequently, the mid-office Team Madrid in Spain engages with the credit application 2.5 days afterward. Case number CA5324 is verified against an internal Microsoft Excel database, concluding the case review as approved, utilizing 30 minutes of active work time.Lastly, 14 days post-approval, the back office Team Bangalore in India reviews the case once the customer also consents to the credit terms. Credit terms are updated in SAP S4/Hana, and the credit team is notified via Microsoft Teams.
The overall manual processing time for this credit application, as recorded by OCTM, was 75 minutes, with a total throughput time of 17 days. These measurements are automatically compared with thousands of analogous transactions, and principal bottleneck points are highlighted to the process proprietors.
Next step: read more about task mining examples in the Object-Centric Task Mining ebook.
