Research shows workflow automation is a top priority for most businesses, with an all-time high investment in artificial intelligence. However, knowing where and how to make changes may be the biggest challenge for business leaders, which is why so many are turning to process intelligence technology for help.
Communicating and enforcing rules can pose a challenge in any context, let alone assessing compliance with company procedures for over 70,000 people in 130 locations across 28 countries.
This was the task faced by global Fortune 500 manufacturing company Emerson, who went on a mission to standardize its procedures worldwide to improve efficiency.
Emerson’s journey is an incredible example of how AI-driven process intelligence tools can be used to see in real-time how every process is executed, as well as its impact on productivity and KPIs. The technology is a combination of process mining and task mining, giving both a real time analysis of overall company workflows along with micro-interactions like individual mouse clicks and keystrokes. In addition, the platform can provide inbuilt simulation capabilities to predict the impact of proposed or hypothetical changes to procedures, such as gauging if adding more staff to a process will clear bottlenecks or impact user experience.
Emerson used the simulation tool to project the ROI in automating certain procedures, adding KPIs in path analysis and “what if” scenarios such as “What will happen if we encounter supply chain problems?” According to a recent conversation with Simon Higgs, Director of Business Transformation and Optimization for Measurement Solutions at Emerson, it was an eye opener with respect to Emerson’s processes and gave them the knowledge and information to make the right decisions for moving forward with change.
See also: Real-Time Data Management Vital for New Compliance Rules
Start intelligent automation initiatives with process intelligence
Process intelligence has become an automation game changer for many large organizations, and according to analysts at Gartner, it is “integral to adapting to uncertainties and driving digital transformation at speed and scale.” The firm says by 2026, 25% of global enterprises will have embraced process mining platforms as a first step to creating a digital twin for business operations, paving the way to autonomous business operations.
The global process mining software market size is projected to grow from $2.46 billion in 2024 to $46.39 billion by 2032, a CAGR of a staggering 44.3%. Most of the growth is led by the rise in companies seeking high-quality data to guide digital transformation initiatives. Process intelligence is often introduced at the start of any automation project, as technology leaders want to know where best to focus their efforts to make positive changes that will maximize return on investment. It’s particularly valuable given that a survey of tech leaders identified “vague goals” as a leading cause of automation failure, with 7% of organizations even confessing to automating the wrong processes altogether. In fact, McKinsey reports that as much as 70% of digital transformation projects end in failure – a worrying statistic for any organization implementing change.
For Emerson, the process intelligence journey began with the desire to improve customer service and employee experience and ensure standardization of processes on a global scale.
Leverage data to assess productivity and make improvements
As a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, Emerson felt it was beneficial to start their automation process with their cash cycle to standardize and automate the company’s high-volume quoting and ordering processes, which encompass thousands of orders daily. This meant obtaining end-to-end visibility to uncover variances in every region worldwide.
The goal was to take a deep dive into their ERP system to assess productivity, see what a person could achieve in a day, and highlight the fastest route with the right quality, all while evaluating compliance – a key priority for the organization in ensuring processes are adhered to.
As a company with a philosophy of continuous improvement, Emerson had previously used six sigma tools and relied on tribal knowledge for assessing change.
However, as many organizations know, a “sticky note” approach can often bring up conflicting information – with biased and even inaccurate opinions from employees and management. By using AI to discover how your processes, people, and technology come together, organizations can address pain points to devise a happy path to optimization.
Having data at an individual level can determine who does what, why, and how best to standardize processes while scrutinizing back-end systems such as event logs and examining steps throughout larger processes can detect root causes of variations.
This can lead to increased efficiencies, cost savings and a better experience for workers. Recent research commissioned by us showed almost half of employees surveyed (48%) felt business processes make their job more challenging, and 63% say they could be simplified. Most admitted to taking shortcuts and not following protocol, mainly to serve customers better.
Emerson used process intelligence to set KPIs and other metrics and monitored them to see exactly where processes were going smoothly or deviating from the track. Examples included changing the cost base and evaluating how much it costs per hour to complete a process.
Expand across multiple areas of the business
Following on from the initial project to analyze the company’s quoting and ordering process, Emerson is now using process intelligence to look at their data to drive value throughout the entire organization.
Emerson factories in North America are using process mining to evaluate manufacturing operations, and in Europe, they are reviewing departments like finance and procurement. Simulation of potential improvements is now saving the organization time, effort, and expense.
Across the globe, organizations are feeling enormous pressure to streamline processes and be more efficient and productive. Insurers want quicker claims resolution, banks are desperate to speed up loan processing, and healthcare providers need more streamlined procedures to improve patient care. Research shows workflow automation is a top priority for most businesses, with an all-time high investment in artificial intelligence. However, knowing where and how to make changes may be the biggest challenge for business leaders, which is why so many are turning to process intelligence technology for help.
