What Do We Mean by a Process?

I often get asked what we mean by a "business process" in the context of process mining. It's not the kind of thing people bring up over dinner, but if you've ever wondered how your online order arrived the next day, or why your expenses are still "pending approval" three months later, then you've already felt the impact of processes (both good and bad).

What we mean by a "business process"

A business process is an end-to-end flow of work that delivers an outcome for the business, its customers, or employees. It usually involves multiple steps, people, and systems working together.

Some everyday examples:

• From a customer order → to delivery
• From a support ticket → to resolution
• From a job application → to a new hire's first day
• From a sales lead → to a signed contract
• From a loan request → to funds received

Each of these flows can take different routes. Sometimes things are smooth and fast. Other times, steps are missed, repeated, or delayed making the experience change completely.

Below is an example of a loan request process, mapped end-to-end, showing how variations and loops play out in practice:

A loan request process mined using Flow Myna

Processes as the customer and employee experience backbone

Here's a useful way to think about it: many customer and employee experiences are just processes in disguise.

• "Why is my refund taking so long?" → that's the Return-to-Refund process
• "Why is my loan application taking so long to be approved?" → that's the Loan-Request-to-Approval process
• "Why hasn't my expense claim been paid yet" → that's the Claim-to-Reimbursement process
• "Why has it taken weeks to get my laptop fixed?" → that's the Support-Request-to-Resolution process

When companies focus on processes as the backbone of customer and employee experience, they start to see how much these flows really matter. The outcome of a process shapes how customers and employees perceive the entire organisation.

What makes a good candidate for process mining?

The best process mining candidates share three characteristics:

The process leaves a digital trail. Key steps are recorded in the systems people already use. Finance tools, order platforms, ticketing systems, or HR software. If you don't have a digital footprint, you can't see the trail.

The process varies. Processes with high variation and complexity are strong candidates for mining. When work follows many routes with exceptions, bottlenecks, or repeated steps, analysis can reveal the hidden inefficiencies that aren't obvious on the surface.

The process matters. If delays frustrate customers, slow down employees, or tie up cash, then there's real value in finding opportunities to improve. A smooth process can be the difference between a happy customer and a lost one, a thriving employee and a burnt-out one, capital available and cash quietly slipping away.

Final thought

A process is simply the flow of work behind every outcome we experience as a customer, an employee or as a business.

The sweet spot for process mining is when that flow is digital, variable, and important.