Start - gladly, but how?

The actual implementation of process mining is relatively simple and quick - all the more so if it is supported by an experienced team.

The experts at Celonis and its certified partners provide advice right from the start - because it's important to start with processes that promise a quick ROI, are easy to implement and promise a high level of employee acceptance.

Each Celonis customer has an individual Customer Success Manager who supports them with the implementation.

Implementation

The first step is solid planning:

• How can I introduce this new technology into my organization?
• How does my company cope with the new transparency?
• Which processes are critical in which I can quickly create added value?

Some companies think big from the outset, while others start by testing in a manageable area. Technological complexity is not an obstacle to a successful rollout.

There are a large number of standard connectors for a company's core processes. In addition, the Hana backend offers a stable and reliable environment for quickly obtaining up-to-date process information.

The question is rather how many tables, source systems and Z columns should be integrated. The specific adaptations to the respective process in the company are carried out in workshops, in which users already delve deep into the processes and learn a lot about their own workflows.

However, soft factors have a greater influence.

• Are the right people on board?
• Does the project team have the process knowledge and creativity to turn the findings into potential?
• Do employees really benefit from the complete transparency offered by the tool?
• Does management support the change process?

Requirements at a glance

The question of where process mining should be organizationally located is determined by the company organization and the objectives that are set.

If there are departments that deal with operational excellence and lean processes, Celonis is a good tool to use here.

The advantage of a central "Center of Excellence" is that best practices can be exchanged and synergies created here. The specialist departments then have direct contacts with specialized analysts and data scientists with comprehensive knowledge.

If the business processes are very inhomogeneous and should remain so, a more decentralized approach is recommended. The infrastructure is usually still hosted by the central IT department. Those who know the processes and requirements in their area well are then responsible for the analysis.

They become "process specialists" for their department, quickly become familiar with the Celonis user interface and can confidently use the technology to produce fast and appropriate analyses.

With just a few days of training, an employee who knows the SAP table structures and perhaps even Hana can install the process mining software, connect IT source systems and analyze configurations - the consultants at Celonis impart this knowledge.

Process Mining will be live within just a few weeks. The next step is to train more users and get them on board.

The customer's data scientists can independently set up new analyses and evaluate additional processes. Once the documentation and user management have been handed over, the path is clear for a broad roll-out of process mining in all areas where inefficiencies, rework or process deviations are suspected.

From university project to Entrepreneur of the Year

Celonis emerged in 2011 from university technology research at the Technical University of Munich. As part of a student project, mathematician Alexander Rinke, business information scientist Bastian Nominacher and computer scientist Martin Klenk analyzed a set of process data and found that the available analysis methods such as data mining or business intelligence were unable to provide the necessary insights. The process mining approach of Prof. Wil van der Aalst from Eindhoven University of Technology promised more. Based on his research, the three later founders of Celonis developed process mining software in the enterprise sector. Their customer base soon included well-known companies such as Siemens, ABB, Bayer and Vodafone. Celonis Process Mining is now used in 15 different industries. Celonis is Germany's fastest growing technology company (Deloitte Fast 50) and has received the EY "Entrepreneur of the Year" award, among others. With growth financing of 27.5 million US dollars from Facebook investors Accel Partners and 83North, the company expanded globally with offices in New York and Miami. Today, Celonis employs a total of 120 people. The list of Fortune 500 companies such as Cisco, Adobe and Dow Chemicals is growing continuously.