---
title: Process Mining (Basics)
type: method
tags: [bpm, process-mining, event-log, discovery, conformance]
sources: ["[[sources/2018-dumas-fundamentals-of-bpm]]", "[[sources/2011-vanderaalst-process-mining-book]]", "[[sources/2012-vanderaalst-process-mining-manifesto]]"]
created: 2026-04-13
updated: 2026-04-20
---

# Process Mining (Basics)

The data-driven branch of process discovery and monitoring: extracting insights from **event logs** produced by information systems ([[sources/2018-dumas-fundamentals-of-bpm]], ch. 11; [[sources/2012-vanderaalst-process-mining-manifesto]]). Situated within the [[concepts/bpm-lifecycle]] as the evidential backbone for the monitoring & controlling phase, and — where event data is available — also feeds discovery and analysis ([[sources/2011-vanderaalst-process-mining-book]]).

## Event log structure (§11.3.2)
Minimum schema:
- **Case ID** — identifies a process instance.
- **Activity / event name**.
- **Timestamp**.
Common extensions: resource, lifecycle transition (start/complete), data attributes.

Standard formats: XES (XML), OCEL (object-centric — see `raw/Predictive process monitoring/ocel20_specification.pdf`).

## Three classes of process mining (Manifesto 2012)

### 1. Automated Process Discovery (§11.4)
Input: event log → Output: process model.
- **Dependency graphs** (heuristic miner)
- **α-algorithm** (§11.4.2) — reconstructs a Petri net from direct-succession relations; foundational but brittle to noise.
- Successors: **Inductive Miner**, **Heuristics Miner**, **Split Miner** — robust to noise and structured output.
- Quality measures (§11.4.4): **fitness, precision, generalisation, simplicity** — jointly evaluate a discovered model.

### 2. Conformance Checking (§11.6)
Input: event log + model → Output: deviations.
- **Control-flow conformance** — token replay, alignments.
- **Data/resource conformance** — attribute-level rules.
- Outputs deviations as diagnostics for redesign or compliance.

### 3. Performance / Enhancement Mining (§11.5)
Enrich a process model with performance data:
- **Time dimension** — waiting time, sojourn time, cycle time.
- **Cost dimension** — cost-per-case, cost-per-activity.
- **Quality dimension** — rework rate, defect rate.
- **Flexibility dimension** — variant count, rare-path frequency.

## Variants analysis (§11.7)
Cluster cases by control-flow variant; compare performance across variants; identify outlier or deviant variants.

## Practical application (§11.8)
End-to-end workflow: log extraction → filtering → discovery → conformance → performance → insight → redesign hypothesis.

## Relation to downstream literature
This module is the **foundation** for the entire `raw/Predictive process monitoring/` corpus — PPM extends process mining from retrospective analysis to prospective prediction of running cases. See [[syntheses/ppm-landscape]] (once compiled).

## Declarative process mining
Parallel track targeting declarative languages rather than Petri nets / BPMN: **Declare Miner** (Maggi et al.), **MINERful**, **DisCoveR** mine [[frameworks/declare|DECLARE]]/ConDec constraint models from logs; conformance checking replays traces against LTL/LTLf constraints. See [[concepts/declarative-process-modelling]] and [[sources/2008-pesic-declare-manual]] for the original tooling that consumes ProM-exported declarative models.

## Deeper treatment — Van der Aalst textbook
[[sources/2011-vanderaalst-process-mining-book]] is the textbook-depth reference for this method. Beyond the Dumas-level coverage above it adds: **alignments** as the modern conformance technique ([[concepts/conformance-checking]]), the **four quality dimensions** (fitness/precision/generalisation/simplicity), the **refined framework** of cartography/auditing/navigation ([[concepts/process-mining-spectrum]]), **operational support** (detect/predict/recommend — [[concepts/operational-support]]), the **Lasagna vs Spaghetti** characterisation ([[concepts/lasagna-spaghetti-processes]]), process trees and causal nets, concept drift handling, and scaling via process cubes and streaming mining.

## Related
[[concepts/process-discovery]] · [[entities/wil-van-der-aalst]] · [[sources/2011-vanderaalst-process-mining-book]] · [[sources/2012-vanderaalst-process-mining-manifesto]] · [[concepts/bpm-lifecycle]] · [[concepts/conformance-checking]] · [[concepts/operational-support]] · [[concepts/process-mining-spectrum]] · [[concepts/lasagna-spaghetti-processes]] · [[frameworks/declare]]