Digital transformation is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for businesses aiming to stay competitive in today’s dynamic market. However, many organizations struggle to identify inefficiencies in their workflows, which slows down their transformation efforts. This is where automated business process discovery (ABPD) comes into play. According to Gartner, ABPD is a game-changing approach that overcomes the shortcomings of traditional process discovery methods, creating business process models at a fraction of the time and cost.
One of the major benefits of ABPD, as highlighted by Gartner, is its ability to uncover processes across the “white space”—the knowledge gaps that exist between departments, functions, and at the edges of processes. By observing how processes are executed in supporting technologies, ABPD uses unstructured, event-level data to automatically build process definitions and models. This quantitative data enables rich, interactive analysis, providing insights into bottlenecks, variances, root causes, and the distribution of process instances.
In this blog, we’ll explore how automated business process discovery works, its role in enabling intelligent process automation, and why it’s a game-changer for businesses looking to transform faster.
What is Automated Business Process Discovery?
Automated business process discovery (ABPD) is a technology that uses advanced algorithms and data analytics to map out an organization’s workflows. Unlike traditional methods that rely on manual input and observation, ABPD automatically captures and analyzes data from various systems, such as ERP, CRM, and task management tools.
As Gartner explains, ABPD techniques start from event logs—such as audit trails, messages, transactions, and databases—and discover patterns to fit a process model to the information obtained from these events. The underlying techniques are so robust that users don’t need to specify a process model; it is created from scratch through pattern recognition. This approach accelerates process discovery and identifies previously unseen process patterns, enabling meaningful simulation and optimization.
For example, a retail company might use ABPD to analyze its order fulfillment process. The technology could reveal that a specific step in the workflow is causing delays, enabling the company to address the issue and improve efficiency.
The Role of Intelligent Process Automation in Digital Transformation
While automated business process discovery lays the foundation for understanding workflows, intelligent process automation (IPA) takes it a step further. IPA combines robotic process automation (RPA) with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to automate complex, rule-based tasks.
Together, ABPD and IPA create a powerful synergy. ABPD identifies inefficiencies, and IPA automates the solutions, resulting in faster, more accurate processes.
1. Improved Process Visibility
One of the biggest challenges businesses face is a lack of transparency in their workflows. ABPD provides a real-time, end-to-end view of processes, helping organizations pinpoint inefficiencies and identify areas for improvement.
2. Faster and Smarter Decision-Making
Automated Business Process Discovery eliminates reliance on guesswork and outdated data by delivering actionable insights. With real-time analytics, businesses can make informed decisions quickly, enhancing agility and strategic planning.
3. Enhanced Collaboration and Role Clarity
By mapping workflows, ABPD clarifies team roles and responsibilities, fostering seamless collaboration. With a clear understanding of individual contributions, teams stay aligned toward common goals, improving overall efficiency.
4. Cost Savings and Resource Optimization
Identifying and eliminating inefficiencies leads to significant cost reductions. Automating repetitive tasks minimizes labor expenses and allows businesses to allocate resources toward more strategic initiatives, maximizing productivity.
5. Scalability and Compliance Assurance
As organizations grow, Automated Business Process Discovery ensures that workflows remain efficient and adaptable. Additionally, built-in compliance mechanisms help businesses adhere to regulations effortlessly, reducing the burden of manual compliance checks.
6. Streamlined Operations and Error Reduction
By identifying redundant and inefficient workflows, ABPD optimizes processes, increasing throughput and improving resource utilization. Automation also minimizes human errors, ensuring higher-quality outputs and greater operational consistency.
How Automated Business Process Discovery Drives Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is more than just adopting new technologies: it requires businesses to rethink and optimize their operations. Automated Business Process Discovery (ABPD) plays a crucial role in this transformation by uncovering inefficiencies, streamlining workflows, and driving innovation.
ABPD works by analyzing system logs, user interactions, and transactional data to map out existing processes. It identifies bottlenecks, redundancies, and automation opportunities, helping businesses make data-driven decisions for continuous improvement. For example, a manufacturing company might use ABPD to analyze its production line, revealing that a specific machine frequently causes delays. This insight could lead to automation investments or equipment upgrades, ultimately improving productivity and reducing downtime.
ABPD in Financial Services
A bank looking to optimize its loan approval process can leverage ABPD to analyze data from various systems—loan applications, document verification, and credit assessments. The bank can automate document verification and optimize approval workflows by identifying redundant steps and approval bottlenecks. This reduces processing time from weeks to days, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.
ABPD in Transportation
A logistics company struggling with shipment delays can use ABPD to analyze GPS logs, driver schedules, and traffic patterns. The system might uncover inefficiencies in route planning or dispatching. With these insights, the company can implement real-time tracking and dynamic route optimization, leading to faster deliveries and lower operational costs.
These are just two examples—ABPD is transforming industries across the board, including healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and supply chain management. By uncovering hidden inefficiencies and optimizing workflows, ABPD enables businesses in every sector to improve productivity, reduce costs, and enhance customer experiences—key drivers of digital transformation.
Challenges of Implementing Automated Business Process Discovery
Gartner notes that while ABPD offers significant benefits, it struggles to capture informal human tasks not recorded in event logs. To overcome this, it works best alongside techniques like social BPM and BPA for the masses. While some manual efforts, like interviews, may still be needed, ABPD significantly reduces the time required to uncover hidden processes in automated systems.
Some other common obstacles faced by organizations include:
Data Quality Issues
Automated Business Process Discovery relies on accurate, up-to-date data to generate meaningful insights. If the data is incomplete or outdated, the findings may be unreliable.
Resistance to Change
Employees may be hesitant to adopt new technology, particularly if they fear job displacement. Clear communication about ABPD’s benefits and involving teams in the process can help ease this transition.
Integration with Existing Systems
For ABPD to be effective, it must seamlessly integrate with existing infrastructure. This can be particularly challenging for organizations relying on legacy systems that may not easily support new technologies.
Despite these challenges, the benefits of ABPD far outweigh the risks. With the right strategy and support, businesses can overcome these obstacles and unlock the full potential of this technology.
Best Practices for Implementing Automated Business Process Discovery
To maximize the value of ABPD, businesses should follow these best practices:
1. Start Small and Scale Gradually
Begin with a pilot project to test ABPD’s capabilities and demonstrate its value. Once the benefits become evident, expand its implementation across broader processes.
2. Engage Key Stakeholders
Involve employees, managers, and executives early in the process. Their insights, feedback, and support are crucial for seamless adoption and long-term success.
3. Prioritize Data Accuracy
Ensure that the data used for ABPD is accurate, complete, and regularly updated. High-quality data enhances the reliability of insights and leads to better decision-making.
4. Integrate with Intelligent Process Automation (IPA)
Maximize efficiency by combining ABPD with IPA. While ABPD identifies inefficiencies, IPA enables automation, ensuring continuous process improvement and optimization.
5. Continuously Monitor and Optimize
Digital transformation is an ongoing journey. Regularly track performance metrics, analyze workflow trends, and refine processes to maintain efficiency and stay competitive.
These advancements will enable businesses to not only identify inefficiencies but also predict and prevent them before they occur. This will further accelerate digital transformation and help organizations stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.
Unlock the Power of Automated Business Process Discovery with Predikly
At Predikly, we empower businesses with automated business process discovery and intelligent process automation, providing the insights and tools needed to streamline workflows, cut costs, and drive digital transformation. Ready to elevate your operations? Contact Predikly today to explore our ABPD and IPA solutions and unlock the full potential of your processes.
