Explain it to me like I'm 5 - Process Optimization

Have you ever been at a busy bar waiting to order drinks, eager to get back to your date, only to watch an inexperienced bartender struggle to keep up? There's nothing more frustrating than wondering if you'll ever be served or even noticed by the bartender.

During my time as a bartender, I became an expert in process optimization. By the peak of my bartending years, I could handle any mob that descended on my bar, pouring drinks with one hand while ringing up orders with the other. I made sure to always have backup bottles of liquor under the bar and learned to dance around my team while still serving drinks quickly. The more optimized my process, the bigger the cash wad I took home.

This same concept of process optimization can also be applied to an enterprise level. Inefficient processes result in opportunity cost and there is a lot of potential to improve even small processes. Identifying patterns in where processes get stuck, such as "awaiting user info" or "work in progress," can lead to modifications that speed things up. For example, automatically attaching a knowledge article to a ticket about a specific issue can resolve the problem more quickly, or identifying delegates for approves for when they are out of office.

ServiceNow Process Optimization uses process mining of logs to discover bottlenecks in workflows by analyzing the data generated by the platform.

Process mining algorithms can be applied to the data stored in these logs, which allows organizations to identify patterns in the data and discover bottlenecks in the workflow. The process mining algorithms can also be used to create process maps, which visualize the process and highlight the specific steps or tasks that are causing the bottlenecks.

Once the bottlenecks have been identified, ServiceNow Process Optimization can use this information to suggest improvements to the process. These improvements can include automating tasks, streamlining workflows, and implementing best practices to reduce errors and improve overall performance.

ServiceNow's process optimization can analyze the logs to identify specific performance metrics such as the average time taken to complete a task, the number of errors that occur, and the number of tasks completed. This data can be used to measure the success of the process improvements and make further adjustments as needed.

By using process mining of logs, ServiceNow Process Optimization allows organizations to gain a deep understanding of the performance of their business processes, identify bottlenecks and take steps to improve efficiency and reduce errors.