Overview
The Time Between Activities filter selects cases based on the duration between two specific activities. This case-level filter calculates the time difference between a selected occurrence (first or last) of one activity and a selected occurrence (first or last) of another activity, then applies comparison logic to filter cases. The filter is useful for identifying cases with unusual processing times, detecting bottlenecks, ensuring compliance with time-based service level agreements (SLAs), and analyzing process performance.
The time calculation always uses the formula: (ActivityName2.Time - ActivityName1.Time), regardless of which activity occurred first chronologically. Cases where either activity is not found are automatically excluded from the results.
Common Uses
- SLA Compliance: Identify cases where time between request and fulfillment exceeds SLA thresholds.
- Bottleneck Detection: Find cases with unusually long durations between process stages.
- Fast-Track Identification: Discover cases processed exceptionally quickly between key milestones.
- Process Efficiency Analysis: Compare time between activities across different case categories.
- Quality Investigation: Find cases where insufficient time elapsed between steps (potential quality shortcuts).
- Workflow Optimization: Analyze time patterns between activities to identify improvement opportunities.
Settings
First Activity Name: Select the first activity in the time calculation. You can choose whether to use the first or last occurrence of this activity if it appears multiple times in a case.
First Activity Occurrence: Choose whether to use the First or Last occurrence of the first activity within each case.
Second Activity Name: Select the second activity in the time calculation. The time difference is calculated as the second activity's timestamp minus the first activity's timestamp.
Second Activity Occurrence: Choose whether to use the First or Last occurrence of the second activity within each case.
Comparison Method: Select how to compare the calculated time difference:
- Equal: Time difference exactly matches the specified value
- Greater Than: Time difference exceeds the specified value
- Greater Than or Equal: Time difference is at least the specified value
- Less Than: Time difference is below the specified value
- Less Than or Equal: Time difference does not exceed the specified value
- Between: Time difference falls within a specified range (inclusive minimum, exclusive maximum)
Compare Value / Time Range: Depending on the comparison method, specify either a single time threshold or minimum and maximum time boundaries.
Examples
Example 1: Finding Cases with Excessive Order-to-Delivery Time
Scenario: You want to identify purchase orders where the time from order creation to delivery exceeded 10 days, which violates your standard delivery SLA.
Settings:
- First Activity Name: "Create Order"
- First Activity Occurrence: First
- Second Activity Name: "Deliver Order"
- Second Activity Occurrence: Last
- Comparison Method: Greater Than
- Compare Value: 10 days
Result: The filter returns only cases where more than 10 days elapsed between the first "Create Order" event and the last "Deliver Order" event.
Insights: These cases represent SLA violations that may require investigation into supply chain delays, vendor performance issues, or processing bottlenecks.
Example 2: Detecting Rush Processing
Scenario: Identify insurance claims processed in less than 2 hours from submission to approval, which might indicate insufficient review time.
Settings:
- First Activity Name: "Submit Claim"
- First Activity Occurrence: First
- Second Activity Name: "Approve Claim"
- Second Activity Occurrence: First
- Comparison Method: Less Than
- Compare Value: 2 hours
Result: The filter selects cases where less than 2 hours passed between claim submission and approval.
Insights: These fast-tracked cases might warrant quality review to ensure proper procedures were followed and all necessary documentation was reviewed.
Example 3: Monitoring Payment Window Compliance
Scenario: Find invoices where payment occurred between 30 and 60 days after invoice receipt, representing cases that met payment terms without early payment discounts.
Settings:
- First Activity Name: "Receive Invoice"
- First Activity Occurrence: First
- Second Activity Name: "Process Payment"
- Second Activity Occurrence: Last
- Comparison Method: Between
- Minimum Time: 30 days
- Maximum Time: 60 days
Result: The filter returns cases with payment occurring 30 to 59 days after invoice receipt (the upper bound is exclusive).
Insights: This helps analyze payment timing patterns, optimize working capital, and identify opportunities for early payment discounts.
Example 4: Analyzing Approval Turnaround Times
Scenario: Identify loan applications where approval decisions were made within exactly 24 hours of application submission.
Settings:
- First Activity Name: "Submit Application"
- First Activity Occurrence: First
- Second Activity Name: "Approval Decision"
- Second Activity Occurrence: First
- Comparison Method: Less Than or Equal
- Compare Value: 24 hours
Result: The filter selects cases where 24 hours or less elapsed between submission and decision.
Insights: These cases represent efficient processing that meets or exceeds customer expectations for quick turnaround.
Example 5: Finding Stalled Manufacturing Cases
Scenario: Discover manufacturing cases where more than 48 hours passed between the last quality inspection and the first shipment preparation activity.
Settings:
- First Activity Name: "Quality Inspection"
- First Activity Occurrence: Last
- Second Activity Name: "Prepare Shipment"
- Second Activity Occurrence: First
- Comparison Method: Greater Than or Equal
- Compare Value: 48 hours
Result: The filter returns cases with at least 48 hours between the last inspection and shipment preparation start.
Insights: This reveals cases with delays in the post-inspection phase, potentially indicating inventory holding issues, resource constraints, or coordination problems.
Example 6: Validating Minimum Review Periods
Scenario: Find contract reviews completed in less than 15 minutes between initial review start and final approval, which may indicate insufficient due diligence.
Settings:
- First Activity Name: "Start Review"
- First Activity Occurrence: First
- Second Activity Name: "Approve Contract"
- Second Activity Occurrence: Last
- Comparison Method: Less Than
- Compare Value: 15 minutes
Result: The filter selects cases where less than 15 minutes elapsed between starting the review and final approval.
Insights: These cases might represent rubber-stamped approvals that warrant additional scrutiny or process improvement.
Output
The filter returns a new dataset containing only cases that meet the specified time criteria between the two activities. Cases where either activity is not found are automatically excluded from the results.
The filtered dataset preserves all original events and attributes for the selected cases. The comparison is performed at the case level, so entire cases are either included or excluded based on whether they meet the time threshold.
This documentation is part of the mindzieStudio process mining platform.