Beyond Directly-Follows

Graphs
834 5
680

Process mining: 1745

655

From Theory to Execution 2514

8945

4856

prof.dr.ir. Wil van der Aalst

www.vdaalst.com @wvdaalst | www.pads.rwth-aachen.de
 information
systems

extract

process conformance predictions

models align performance apply improvement
replay diagnostics compare s
discover enrich
event
data

ML
explore show show
select interpret
filter model drill
clean adapt down act

transform

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 857 cases place receive receive pay
close
42.85% of the log order Invoice goods order

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
857 traces place receive receive pay
close
42.85% order Invoice goods order

539 traces place receive receive pay

close
26.95% order goods Invoice order

538 traces place receive pay receive

close
26.90% order Invoice order goods

35 traces place pay receive receive

close
1.75% order order Invoice goods

27 traces place receive pay receive

close
1.35% order goods order Invoice

Directly-Follows
4 traces place pay receive receive
close
0.20% order order goods Invoice

Graph (DFG)

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 pay order

857 traces place receive receive pay

close
42.85% order Invoice goods order

receive
place order close
invoice
539 traces place receive receive pay
close
26.95% order goods Invoice order

538 traces place receive pay receive

receive goods Can be discovered by most
close
26.90% order Invoice order goods process discovery including the
alpha algorithm approaches,
region-based techniques, etc.
35 traces place pay receive receive
close
1.75% order order Invoice goods
pay order

27 traces place receive pay receive

close
1.35% order goods order Invoice receive invoice

receive
4 traces place pay receive receive
close goods
0.20% order order goods Invoice

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
285 traces
place order receive goods close
14.25%

251 traces
place order pay order close
12.55%

238 traces
place order receive Invoice pay order close
11.90%

236 traces
place order close
11.80%

216 traces
place order receive goods close
10.80%

183 traces
place order receive Invoice receive goods close
9.15%
177 traces
place order receive goods pay order close
8.85%

103 traces
place order receive Invoice receive goods pay order close
5.15%

79 traces
place order receive goods receive Invoice pay order close
3.95%

78 traces
place order pay order receive goods close
3.90%

72 traces
place order receive Invoice pay order receive goods close
3.60%

68 traces
place order receive goods receive Invoice close
3.40%

6 traces
place order pay order receive Invoice close
0.30%

4 traces
place order receive goods pay order receive Invoice close
0.20%

3 traces
place order pay order receive Invoice receive goods close
0.15%

1 trace

Cannot see
place order pay order receive goods receive Invoice close
0.05%

The three middle activities are now optional … anything …

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 Model discovered by the
inductive mining technique
first implemented in ProM and
later added to Celonis.

285 traces
place order receive goods close
14.25%

251 traces
place order pay order close
12.55%

238 traces
place order receive Invoice pay order close
11.90%

236 traces
place order close
11.80%

216 traces
place order receive goods close
10.80%

183 traces
place order receive Invoice receive goods close
9.15%
177 traces
place order receive goods pay order close
8.85%

103 traces
place order receive Invoice receive goods pay order close
5.15%

79 traces
place order receive goods receive Invoice pay order close
3.95%

78 traces
place order pay order receive goods close
3.90%

72 traces
place order receive Invoice pay order receive goods close
3.60%

68 traces
place order receive goods receive Invoice close
3.40%

6 traces
place order pay order receive Invoice close
0.30%

4 traces
place order receive goods pay order receive Invoice close
0.20%

3 traces
place order pay order receive Invoice receive goods close
0.15%

1 trace
place order pay order receive goods receive Invoice close
0.05%

The three middle activities are now optional …

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
Notations such as BPMN also use
token-based semantics!
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c
b

a d
start end
e

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a b
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a b c
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a b c d
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a c
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a c b
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a c b d
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a e
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a e d
b

p1 p3
a e d

start end

p2 p4
c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 b
a b c d

a p1 e p3 d a c b d
start end
a e d
p2 c p4

a d
Start End
e

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 b
a b c d

a c b d a p1 e p3 d
start end
a e d
p2 c p4

a d
Start End
e

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 b
a b c d
?
?
a c b d a e d

a e d ?
c

This is how the alpha

algorithm, region-based
techniques, etc. work!

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 sequence

3x a b c d

4x a c b d
a d
2x a b c e f b c d loop

2x a c b e f b c d and sequence

1x a b c e f c b d
b c e f
1x a c b e f b c e f c b d

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 3x a b c d

6 b 6
4x a c b d
5 3
9 11
2x a b c e f b c d 13
7 7
13
a c d
2x a c b e f b c d 2 4

1x a b c e f c b d 7
f e

1x a c b e f b c e f c b d

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 6 b 6 6 b 6

5 3 5 3
9 11 9 11
13 13 13 13
7 7 7 7
a c d a c d

2 4 2 4

7 7
f e f e

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 6 b 6
5 3
9 11
13
a
7
c
7
d
13
6 b 6

2 4 5 3
9 11
7
f e 13
7 7
13

a c d

2 4

7
f e

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 3x a b c d
6 b 6
5
9 11
3 4x a c b d
13 13
7 7
a c d
2x a b c e f b c d
2 4

f
7
e
2x a c b e f b c d

1x a b c e f c b d

1x a c b e f b c e f c b d

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 sequence

6 b 6
5 3
9 11
13 13
7 7
a c d
2 4
13x a 3x b c 13x d
7
f e 4
x
c b

2x b c e f b c

3x a b c d 2x c b e f b c
4
x
a c b d 1x b c e f c b

2x a b c e f b c d 1x c b e f b c e f c b

2x a c b e f b c d
1x a b c e f c b d
1x a c b e f b c e f c b d

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a d
3x b c
4
c b
x
2x b c e f b c

2x c b e f b c

1x b c e f c b

1x c b e f b c e f c b

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 3x b c
4 6 b 6
c b
x 5 3
9 11
2x b c e f b c
7 7
c
2x c b e f b c

1x b c e f c b 2 4

1x c b e f b c e f c b 7
f e

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 “do” part

6 b 6 6 b 6

5 3 5 3
9 11 9 11

7 7 7 7
c c

2 4 2 4

7 7
f e f e

“redo” part

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 6 b 6
5 3
9 11
7
c
7
6 b 6

2 4 5 3
9 11
7
f e 7 7
c

2 4

7
f e

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 3x b c
6 b 6
5
9 11
3
4x c b
7 7
c
2 4
2x b c e f b c
7
f e 2x c b e f b c

1x b c e f c b

1x c b e f b c e f c b

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 6 b 6
5 3

7
9 11
7
a d
c
2 4

7
“do” “redo”
f e

3 11x b c 7x e f
b c
x
4
c b
x
2
b c e f b c
9x c b
x
2
c b e f b c
x
1x b c e f c b

1x c b e f b c e f c b
© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a loop d

“do” “redo”

11x b c 7x e f

9x c b

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 11
b 9
a d
9 11

c
9 11
and
7x e f
and cut

20x b 20x c

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a d
7 7 7
f e

sequence

sequence cut

b c
7x e 7x f

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 a d

b c e f

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 Petri net

a d

BPMN b

c
b c e f
a d
start end

f e

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 f e
3x a b c d

4x a c b d
b

2x a b c e f b c d a d

2x a c b e f b c d c

1x a b c e f c b d

1x a c b e f b c e f c b d

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
3x a b c d

4x a c b d

2x a b c e f b c d

2x a c b e f b c d

1x a b c e f c b d Examples of unobserved a c d
traces allowed by the DFG
1x a c b e f b c e f c b d
a b c b c b d
© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
3,308 cases
501 variants

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
 top
8 variants

60% of cases
1.6% of variants

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
Also covers 60%
of cases, but is much simpler
and does not show non-existent loops

Create Create
Delivery Invoice

Goods
Issue
Create Pro forma
Sales invoice
Order Item

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)
Conformance checking

Create Create
Delivery Invoice

Goods
Issue
Create Pro forma
Sales invoice
Order Item

© Wil van der Aalst (use only with permission & acknowledgements)