Process discovery tools can give enterprise leaders end-to-end visibility into key workflows and processes. But, with so many solutions to choose from it can be confusing to know where to begin.
We've compiled this list of process intelligence tools to help you pick the right solution for you!
Process discovery is a series of methods and tools used to define, visualize, and analyze business processes. It provides a measurable understanding of how people carry out daily operations and processes in the workplace.
You can think of process discovery as the exploration of the as is of an organization's existing processes while process redesign is the exploration of the to be state of improved processes.
Discovering processes is one of the most critical steps in understanding how the organization works and, frankly speaking, is a prerequisite for any successful business process transformation.
Process discovery tools use a combination of different techniques, including process mining algorithms and task capture technology, to automatically map business processes. They use different methods to monitor and capture user interactions within different information systems and applications, recording the digital traces of work.
In the past, discovery happened through workshops, questionaires and as part of process analysis projects, but in recent years it has been vastly improved and automated through advanced technology.
Process discovery uses various computational and statistical methods to get valuable, applicable information from the data it gathered into actionable process analysis. You can think of it as the application of data mining methodologies to business process management.
Process discovery and process mining are related terms that often get confused. Process mining is the technique to gather data related to a business process to uncover important trends and insights, while process discovery is the application of process analysis to discover the current real state of processes within an organization.
Process mining often involves mining event logs in enterprise data systems to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement. The goal is to improve the process by making necessary changes and optimizations. Process discovery can be done manually or through dedicated process discovery tools. Many process mining tools offer process discovery functionality, but process discovery can also be done through general business process management tools that allow you to map business processes.
Process discovery is also closely aligned with task mining - and is a core component of many task mining tools. While process discovery can be a key feature within task mining, not all task mining solutions include process discovery, nor do every process discovery solutions involve task mining.
The reason why task mining is a great first step in to process discovery is that many businesses leaders simply don't know the scope of all business applications and systems used within their organization. Task mining software can log and identify which tools are being used and the time spent on different applications. This can initiate process discovery as well as support in conformance checking, although some companies may have separate solutions to fulfil this need.
Compared to manual or consultant-lead process discovery, process discovery software provides a number of advantages.
There are over 35 different process intelligence software solutions in the market offering different levels of process discovery. No matter what your specific needs, it’s good to keep in mind some key areas to consider:
Workfellow is both a process and task mining solution, offering complimentary process discovery functionality for a cloud-first world through a method called Work API. For more information download Work API whitepaper.
Workfellow works with enterprise companies across different industries but is especially focused on knowledge-intensive digital work, such as financial operations, insurance and banking. For more information, read case-study how one medium-sized business process outsourcing (BPO) firm uncovered over € 2 million ($2.17 million) in process waste.
Workfellow is a good option for any organization that doesn’t have extensive data science and process mining resources in-house looking for an effortless and fast way to gain process intelligence without data mining hassle.
UiPath is a major process automation and orchestration platform. It provides a suite of tools to help automate processes, including an easy-to-use visual workflow designer, a powerful robotic automation platform, and an AI-powered document understanding component.
UiPath is a pioneer in robotic process automation used by over 10,000 customers ranging from independent developers to large enterprise businesses such as Verizon, Coca-Cola and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. UiPath’s process mining solution has been developed based on the acquisition of ProcessGold in 2019.
UiPath is well suited for an enterprise with a strong focus on RPA looking to advance their intelligent automation through a single-suite platform.
Celonis is a process mining and intelligent automation suite that allows companies to improve their business processes through a platform called the “Execution Management System” (EMS). It gives users visibility and insights into the performance of their processes through extracting and analyzing event logs from different data sources, for example, ERP or CMS systems. Celonis EMS also allows users to discover bottlenecks, discover inefficiencies, and optimize processes.
Celonis is one of the first commercially available process mining solutions and is today a recognized market leader in the category. Since 2011 the company has grown rapidly and now has a market valuation over $13 billion. Celonis has over 1000 customers, mostly in North America and Europe.
Celonis can be a good fit for a large enterprise with in-house data science resources with most of their workflows and processes within a single ERP system, such as SAP or Oracle.
The Fujitsu Automated Process Discovery (APD) service helps organizations visualize their existing business processes using an evidence-based approach with analytical and actionable insight to maximize the value of process improvement initiatives. Unlike traditional business process discovery efforts, where models are created after a multitude of interviews with task or process owners, the APD service relies on facts and evidence within company application log files to trace the process and render the flow “as it really happens”.
Global 1000 companies that have working relationship with Fujitsu or are looking for a integrated consulting + software experience to process discovery.
Nintex is a leader in end-to-end process intelligence and workflow automation with over 10,000 customers. Nintex expanded their process discovery and mining functionality in 2022 through the acquisiton of Kryon.
Kryon's Process Discovery solutions were considered best-of-breed solutions at the time of the acquisition, especially with unique computer vision features for event capture on user interfaces. In addition, Kryon offered robotic process automation (RPA) functionality under Kryon RPA.
Nintex has a broad customer base in services, manufacturing and retail industries and can be a good option for any business considering an automation focused, established vendor.
If you’re a believer in “you won’t get fired for buying IBM,” you’ll be glad to know the Big Blue offers its own process discovery and intelligence solution. Added to IBM’s portfolio in 2021 through an acquisition of MyInvenio, IBM Process Mining discovers, monitors and optimizes business processes by extracting system data from enterprise systems.
Key features of IBM Process Mining
IBM Process Mining is a good option for companies looking to build on IBM's data and consulting expertise, especially with the interest to align business process management and design models with standard practices, such as BPMN models.
For organizations with an SAP ERP landscape Signavio is a process discovery and mining solution to consider. In the past you may have been more familiar with SAP’s Intelligent Business Process Management Solution or the integration of Celonis Process Mining within the SAP solution. SAP acquired Signavio in 2021 and has worked on integrating Signavio as a prime process intelligent offering.
SAP Signavio’s Process Transformation suite can be used for a variety of purposes, including process insights, process automation, process management and process modelling. It's especially valuable for enterprise looking to implement a broad business process management (BPM) approach on the SAP data stack.
Avo Discover is a niche process discovery solution that enables businesses to transform end-to-end processes into documentation and automation opportunities. The company is based in Cincinatti and is especially growing in the APAC and Middle East region.
Avo Discover is especially relevant for automation specialists looking for a solution for automated software testing and test automation.
Microsoft is an enterprise software provider that needs no introduction. What’s less well known is that Microsoft has an increasing solution offering in enterprise automation through it’s Power Platform.
In 2022 Microsoft acquired Minit, a best-of-breed process mining solution based in Bratislava, Slovakia. As of 2023 Microsoft has signaled plans to integrate Minit into it’s service offering.
Key Features of Minit
If you are a true believer in the Microsoft ecosystem and are looking to build your process intelligence stack on Microsoft’s track record in integrating best-of-breed solutions, Microsoft Minit may be for you.
Appian is an established enterprise software vendor founded in 1999. Its business process management suite traces back to 2004. Appian is known for being an end-to-end workflow management solution with service-focused enterprise organizations, including BFSI and government agencies.
Appian’s process mining solution was developed through the acquisition of Berlin-based Lana Labs in 2021. The software utilized Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies to analyze data from various sources such as ERP systems and log files, to provide a visual representation of the process flow.
Key features of Lana Labs / Appian Process Mining
Disco is a process mining solution offered by Fluxicon, a company with a background in academic research into process and data mining. Fluxicon first started to explore process mining technology in the late 1990s and are one of the first process mining solutions available on the market.
Mehrwerk is a process mining solution built on the Qlik Sense business intelligence platform. It offers comprehensive pocess mining capabilities combines self-service functionality process visualizations.
QPR Software is one of the first vendors to offer process mining functionality. The QPR ProcessAnalyzer offers broad analytical functionality, customizable dashboards and enhanced BPMN modeling.
BusinessOptix is a US-based Process Transformation suite offering end-to-end process transformation tools including process mining functionality. BusinessOptix process mining is offered as part of a cloud-based platform for transforming business processes in areas such as customer experience (CX).
Apromore is a process mining solution with deep links to the academic sector founded by university professors. Apromore offers a free version of it's software for education and research purposes.
DCR Solutions is also another emerging process mining vendor with strong links to the academic world. Based out of Denmark, DCR offers a suite of solutions for business process management, including process mining and process discovery modules.
BusinessOptix is a US-based Process Transformation suite offering end-to-end process transformation tools including process mining functionality. BusinessOptix process mining is offered as part of a cloud-based platform for transforming business processes in areas such as customer experience (CX).
The iGrafx Business Process Optimization platform helps to identify and analyze processes, model processes, and ultimately automate them. iGrafx offers process intelligence solutions through the acquisition of Logpickr - a process mining vendor based in France.
Inverbis is a process mining and value stream mining company based in Spain. InVerbis is developed as part of an incubation and technology transfer from CiTIUS, the Research Center on Intelligent Technologies at the University of Santiago.
