Flow, process and networks
Process-mining map
Derives process paths, frequencies or durations from case-level event logs.
- Diagram
- Process analysis
- Flow
What it answers
What process occurs in recorded cases?
- Shape
- Activity nodes and process links
- What it shows
- Common routes, rework and delays.
Example
The question
How does an invoice really move through approval?
Invoice approval as recorded in the system, 1,000 cases (process map)
Illustrative data. It belongs to no company.
When to use it
Use it when
Discovering actual case workflows from event logs.
Avoid it when
Poor case IDs, missing events or assuming the map is the prescribed process.
How to read it
Read activity links and inspect their frequency or duration measure.
Note
Order events consistently within each case.
The data you need
- Layout
- Case event log
- Fields
- CaseID: text; Activity: text; Timestamp: datetime
- One row is
- One activity event within a process case. What is the grain?
- Rules
- Use stable case IDs and resolve same-time events. Define event completion versus start semantics.
- Optional
- Resource,StartTime,EndTime,Lifecycle,Cost.
- Preparation
- Resolve user/session/case identities; sort within each trace and define ties, repeated events, windows and start/completion semantics before deriving links.
- Units
- Counts may mean users, sessions, cases or events; state which. Conversion uses eligible entities, and durations require explicit time units.
Worked example
Case 1 Received 09:00->Approved 10:00. Its observed transition takes 60 minutes; more cases are needed for a representative average.
| CaseID | Activity | Timestamp |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | Received | 2026-01-01T09:00:00 |
| C1 | Approved | 2026-01-01T10:00:00 |
| C2 | Received | 2026-01-01T09:30:00 |