Digital Transformation Step by Step — with Process Mining
The continuing digitization of the economy, society and industry has developed into one of the greatest challenges for companies’ ability to stay competitive. While many companies have already switched to fully digital business models, just as many are still in the early stages of digital transformation. As a consequence, the gap between digitized and non-digitized companies is widening. And the market shows that those who do not keep up are left behind.
But to blindly change one’s own business model in the hope that “digital” equals “digitized” would be the wrong approach. Digital transformation requires a well thought-out strategy. Especially important: This strategy must be based on facts, on objective data.
Process Mining is the ideal technology to create this factual basis.
— Read here what Process Mining is all about.
Process Mining tools such as LANA use the continuously stored data from your IT system to visualize and analyze real process flows. But wait — IT systems and complex data collection and analysis sounds more like a solution for already digitized companies, right?
Not at all. Process Mining supports companies in every step of the digital transformation. LANA helps you to answer the three most important questions of business transformation:
1. Where do we stand?
2. Where do we want to go?
3. How well do we get there?
In this article we explain exactly how this works. Let’s look at the possibilities step by step.
Step 1: Analysis of the as-is situation
Before you work out strategies to make your company fit for the digital age, you should first determine how the business is currently positioned. For digitized companies, we often imagine highly automated units working in the cloud. Data instead of paper. Computers instead of company offices. It should be obvious that most companies are far away from this situation. But nobody starts at zero.
Your purchasing department receives invoices by post and processes them manually — but in the end the data is stored in a tool like SAP. Your workers check the goods from the assembly line by hand — but the order information is saved on the computer.
LANA Process Mining uses this data. The visualization of the current process flows gives you comprehensive transparency into many details of your business processes. You can see which parts of your processes are already digitally recorded or possibly even automated — and which are not. Use this insight to precisely identify which areas of your day-to-day business can benefit from digital transformation.
One of LANA’s strengths is the identification of potentials. Take advantage of this — find your potential for digitalization.
Step 2: Developing a strategy
Now that you have identified potential for improvement, it is time to draw on this potential. The term “digital transformation” feigns to be a clear, linear process. But every company has its own framework, and every transformation is different. A strategy for targeted advancement is therefore indispensable.
In order to define this strategy, all business units involved should come together — from management to employees. But think back to the database that LANA Process Mining provides. This data is your guide to effective transformation. Which business units are most affected by possible changes? In addition, use LANA’s Machine Learning based root cause analysis to directly identify optimization opportunities that can be translated into strategies.
Once a strategy has been formulated, it is also worth defining an ideal target model for future process flows. Why? Let’s look at the next step.
Step 3: Implementation of digitization measures
Based on the previously defined strategy, the next step is implementation. This can include the introduction of new technologies, or the migration to a new IT system, or the start of completely new business models.
Whatever it is — it is crucial to keep the overview. Onboarding new software is only the first step. The more important question is: Does this measure also achieve its desired goal? Are the business processes more efficient, faster and more effective after the change? Does the new business model generate the desired turnover?
Here too, LANA Process Mining represents your magnifying glass for details. The visualization of your processes does not stop at Step 1. After the implementation of new measures, a new Process Mining analysis is worthwhile to check the new actual status. At this point, your previously created target model comes into play. With the automated target/actual comparison, LANA shows you exactly how the newly implemented processes are running.
LANA Process Mining as your faithful companion
As you can see, there is a lot to do for a Process Mining tool like LANA in every step of your business transformation. The software understands itself as an out-of-the-box solution. Once LANA is connected to your system, you can use the intuitive user interface and flexible dashboards to design the change process from start to finish.
