Advanced Process Mining Analysis - Understanding Your Process Paths
Overview
Process variants are one of the most powerful features in mindzie Studio's process mining toolkit. They reveal the different paths that cases take through your business processes, showing you exactly how work actually gets done in your organization versus how you think it should be done.
Process variants in mindzie Studio provide unprecedented visibility into how work actually flows through your organization, transforming complex process data into actionable insights.
What Are Process Variants?
In process mining, a variant represents a unique sequence of activities that cases follow from start to finish. Each variant shows a different "way of working" through your process. For example, in a purchase-to-pay process, one variant might show the ideal path where everything happens in order, while another variant might reveal cases where invoices arrive before goods are received.
mindzie Studio showing multiple process variants with their frequencies and activity sequences
Key Characteristics of Variants:
Unique Activity Sequences
Each variant represents a distinct path through your process, showing the exact order of activities.
Frequency Analysis
See how often each variant occurs, helping you identify the most common ways work gets done.
Performance Metrics
Understand the duration and efficiency of different process paths.
Case-Level Drill-Down
Click on any variant to explore the individual cases that followed that path.
Understanding Variant Analysis in mindzie Studio
Example: Purchase Order Process Variants
Variant 1 (20% of cases):
Create Purchase Order -> Vendor Creates Invoice -> Record Goods Receipt -> Record Invoice Receipt -> Clear Invoice
Variant 2 (15% of cases):
Create Purchase Order -> Record Goods Receipt -> Vendor Creates Invoice -> Record Invoice Receipt -> Clear Invoice
Notice how Variant 2 shows goods being received before the vendor creates the invoice - a different but valid process flow.
Comparison of process variants showing how the timing of goods receipt and invoice creation can vary
How to Use Variants for Process Investigation
Step-by-Step Process Investigation
Identify Patterns
- Review the variant list to understand the most common paths through your process
- Identify any unexpected or concerning patterns
Analyze Frequencies
- Look at the percentage and count for each variant
- Understand which paths are most prevalent in your organization
Investigate Anomalies
- Click on variants that seem unusual or incomplete
- Drill down into specific cases to understand why they occurred
Explore Case Details
- Use the Case Explorer to examine individual cases within a variant
- Understand the specific circumstances that led to that process path
Case Explorer allows deep-dive analysis into individual cases within a variant
Real-World Investigation Examples
Investigation: Incomplete Process Paths
In our demonstration, we discovered variants that only contained two activities: "Create Purchase Order Item" and "Change Approval for Purchase Order Item" - but then nothing else happened. This raises important questions:
- Why did these purchase orders never progress further?
- Were they cancelled or did they get stuck in the approval process?
- Is this indicating a systemic issue with the approval workflow?
This type of analysis helps organizations identify process bottlenecks and improvement opportunities.
Process Flow: Activity Sequencing Variations
Different variants can reveal legitimate business flexibility or concerning process deviations:
- Positive variation: Goods receipt happening before or after invoice creation based on supplier relationships
- Concerning variation: Steps being skipped or performed out of required compliance order
- Efficiency opportunities: Identifying the fastest variants to standardize best practices
Complex process variants showing the diversity of paths cases can take through business processes
Business Benefits of Variant Analysis
Process Standardization
Identify the most efficient variants and work to standardize processes around proven successful paths.
Exception Handling
Understand when and why processes deviate from the standard path, enabling better exception management.
Compliance Monitoring
Ensure that critical regulatory or business requirements are being followed across all process variants.
Performance Optimization
Compare the performance of different variants to identify and eliminate inefficient process paths.
Training Insights
Understand where additional training might be needed based on problematic or inefficient variants.
System Improvements
Identify where system design might be forcing users into suboptimal process paths.
Technical Implementation
How mindzie Studio Calculates Variants
mindzie Studio analyzes your event log data to identify unique sequences of activities for each case. The system:
- Groups cases by their exact activity sequence
- Calculates frequency and percentage for each unique path
- Provides performance metrics (duration, resource usage) for each variant
- Enables filtering and drilling down into specific cases within variants
Navigation and Interface
The mindzie Studio variants interface provides intuitive navigation:
- Variant List: Shows all variants with their frequency and key metrics
- Activity Flow: Visual representation of the sequence for each variant
- Case Explorer: Detailed view of individual cases within any variant
- Filtering Options: Ability to focus on specific time periods, departments, or other dimensions
Getting Started with Variant Analysis
Quick Start Guide
Access the Variants View
- Navigate to the Variants section in mindzie Studio to see your process variants
Review Top Variants
- Start by examining the most frequent variants to understand your standard processes
Investigate Outliers
- Look at low-frequency or unusual variants to identify potential issues or opportunities
Drill Down for Details
- Use the case explorer to understand the context behind interesting or concerning variants
Best Practices
Regular Monitoring
- Schedule regular variant analysis sessions to monitor process evolution
- Set up alerts for new unusual variants that emerge
Focus Areas
- Prioritize investigation of variants that represent significant case volumes
- Pay special attention to variants with extreme performance characteristics
Stakeholder Engagement
- Share variant insights with process owners and stakeholders
- Use variants to facilitate discussions about process improvement opportunities
Benchmarking
- Compare variant performance across different time periods
- Benchmark variants against industry standards or internal targets
Use Cases Across Industries
Manufacturing
- Quality control process variations
- Production line efficiency analysis
- Supplier management optimization
Financial Services
- Loan approval process paths
- Customer onboarding variations
- Compliance process monitoring
Healthcare
- Patient care pathway analysis
- Treatment protocol variations
- Resource utilization optimization
Supply Chain
- Order fulfillment variations
- Inventory management processes
- Vendor interaction patterns
Advanced Features
Filtering and Segmentation
- Filter variants by time periods, organizational units, or custom attributes
- Segment analysis by process dimensions like department, product type, or customer category
Performance Comparison
- Compare duration, cost, and resource usage across variants
- Identify performance outliers and optimization opportunities
Conformance Checking
- Compare actual variants against reference process models
- Identify deviations from expected or mandated process flows
Predictive Analytics
- Use variant patterns to predict likely future process paths
- Identify early warning signals for process problems
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Too Many Variants
- Use filtering to focus on the most significant variants
- Consider process standardization initiatives
- Look for opportunities to reduce unnecessary process variation
Missing Expected Variants
- Check data completeness and quality
- Verify that all process steps are being logged
- Review filtering criteria that might be excluding relevant cases
Inconsistent Variant Definitions
- Ensure consistent activity naming across systems
- Standardize process definitions and terminology
- Implement data governance practices for process logging
Integration with Other mindzie Studio Features
Process Discovery
- Use variants to understand discovered process models
- Validate process mining results against business knowledge
Performance Analysis
- Combine variant analysis with performance metrics
- Identify bottlenecks within specific process paths
Social Network Analysis
- Understand how organizational networks influence process variants
- Identify collaboration patterns within different process paths
Root Cause Analysis
- Use variants as starting points for deeper investigation
- Connect process variations to external factors and triggers
Conclusion
Process variants in mindzie Studio provide unprecedented visibility into how work actually flows through your organization. By understanding these different paths, you can:
- Optimize processes by standardizing around the most efficient variants
- Ensure compliance by monitoring adherence to required process steps
- Train employees more effectively based on actual process patterns
- Improve systems by identifying where design forces suboptimal paths
- Deliver better business outcomes through data-driven process improvement
The variant analysis feature transforms complex process data into actionable insights, helping organizations move from wondering "what happened?" to understanding "why it happened" and "how can we improve it?"
Ready to explore your process variants? Start by identifying your most common process paths, then investigate any variants that seem unusual or inefficient. Remember that every variant tells a story about how work gets done in your organization.
Additional Resources
Documentation Links
- Case Explorer - Drill down into individual cases
- Process Map - Visualize process flows
- Process Variants Filter - Filter data by top variants
Training Materials
- Interactive variant analysis tutorial
- Video demonstrations of key features
- Hands-on workshop materials
Support
- Community forums for variant analysis discussions
- Expert consultation services
- Regular webinars on advanced techniques
This documentation is part of the mindzie Studio process mining platform.