Process Discovery Adoption: A Mismatch of Expectations

To enable RPA (Robotic Process Automation) at scale and accelerate digital transformations, enterprises are increasingly adopting process discovery tools, primarily motivated by the benefits and returns process discovery tools promise.

However, in our recently conducted study, The State of Process Discovery, we uncovered a mismatch between the benefits and challenges process discovery adopters expect and the ones they actually realize.

Whether you’ve already adopted a process discovery tool or you’re currently evaluating solutions for implementation, this research will undoubtedly prepare you for your process discovery efforts, regardless of where you are in your digital transformation journey.

A Mismatch Between the Expected and Realized Benefits of Process Discovery Tools

In our survey of 400 Executives, Directors, Department Heads, and Senior Manager across the United States and the United Kingdom, the most common expected benefit of process discovery was improving tasks by eliminating waste and delivering more task automation.

When asked which benefits they had actually realized since implementation, respondents reported an increase in the quality and performance of task execution, enhanced compliance, and improved task visibility as critical outcomes.

While task automation and the increased efficiency of tasks were still high on the list of realized benefits, they weren’t the clear front-runners that adopters projected.

One possible explanation for this mismatch of expected and realized results is the time required to manage and monitor the amount of data task mining – the main process discovery technology our research focused on – provides, producing a longer time to value for improved task efficiency and automation.

The amount of data machine-based task mining tools produce can also explain why companies are turning to more intuitive task capture solutions for a faster time to value.

The discrepancy between expectations and reality isn’t just limited to process discovery’s benefits either; the mismatch of expectations extends to the challenges adopters anticipate—meaning, the most anticipated pain points aren’t necessarily the pain points organizations have seen after implementation.

A Mismatch Between the Expected and Realized Challenges of Process Discovery Tools

When implementing new enterprise software and technology, there are always obstacles that can surface. Some can be anticipated. Others are a surprise.

When surveyed about the biggest challenges adopters have seen after implementing task mining tools, respondents reported security/privacy concerns and the time required to manage and monitor process discovery efforts as their biggest pain points.

Breaking down the mismatch between expectations and reality showed that 31% of users experience security and privacy concerns, while only 21% of those considering the implementation of process discovery tools held this as a concern.

Similarly, 30% of those currently using process discovery tools experience challenges with the time required to manage and monitor them, while just 23% of those in the consideration stage held this concern.

One possible explanation for the underreporting of a concern for privacy and security could be because task mining tools commonly use recorders that sit at the desktop level and record the tasks a user completes. Employees can have adverse reactions to this type of invasiveness on their work.

This is another element driving more and more organizations to task capture solutions which are human-driven and don’t produce the negative effects on the employee experience.

On Wednesday, September 29^th, Blueprint released the State of Process Discovery report. This report includes expanded insights on the mismatch of expectations, in addition to further observations on:

• All the benefits process discovery adopters have realized
• How process discovery is being managed
• The functionality gaps users have experienced with task mining tools
• What adopters plan to do with process discovery next, including growing or reducing their process discovery operations and which departments they’d like to apply it to next.

Don’t miss all the great insight the report has to offer! Download your free copy here.