Quantifying processes with task mining: How companies can reveal time, costs and optimisation potential

Many companies document their processes without being able to measure them accurately. Processing times, costs and variants often remain assumptions – with significant consequences for optimisation and automation decisions. Task mining provides a remedy here by making real workflows quantifiable, comparable and economically assessable. This article shows how task mining makes processes measurable and how companies use Paxray to make informed decisions about optimisation, automation and ROI. 

Why process optimisation fails without figures

In many organisations, processes are considered understood as soon as they are documented. In reality, however, traditional process models provide little reliable information about time expenditure, costs or actual execution. Decisions about optimisation or automation are therefore often based on experience or gut feeling. 

This is problematic for management, finance and IT: without reliable key figures, processes cannot be compared, priorities cannot be justified and the economic benefits of measures cannot be evaluated. Studies show that a lack of process quantification is a key cause of ineffective transformation and automation programmes (McKinsey, 2023; Gartner, 2024). 

Why traditional methods do not make processes quantifiable

Workshops, interviews and flowcharts structure processes, but do not provide objective measurements. Processing times, variant frequencies and actual workloads remain hidden. Manual activities and media breaks are rarely recorded in full. 

Furthermore, these methods are subjective. Employees often describe processes in an idealised or abbreviated manner. This means that there is no basis for realistic cost calculations and an economic assessment of optimisation or automation potential (Deloitte, 2023).

How task mining makes processes measurable and comparable

Task mining analyses real user interactions across all relevant systems. It records step sequences, processing times, frequencies, variants, manual activities and system changes. This creates an objective picture of the actual process execution. 

Unlike traditional process mining, which is based on system event logs, task mining bridges the gap between system processes and human work. This perspective is particularly crucial in knowledge-intensive processes (van der Aalst, 2022).

From time measurement to reliable process cost accounting 

With complete process data, processing and throughput times can be measured precisely. Task mining shows where time is lost, where bottlenecks occur and where resources are tied up.

By combining time data, volumes and variant frequencies, companies can calculate realistic process costs for the first time – at the process level and on a case-by-case basis. Manual efforts become transparent and economically assessable.

Prioritise optimisation and automation potential

Quantified processes enable clear prioritisation of measures. Task mining shows which steps cause the greatest amount of time and cost and where variants create unnecessary complexity.

This allows quick wins, structural optimisations and automation projects to be evaluated according to their business impact. RPA and AI initiatives are deployed specifically where they deliver a measurable ROI.

From one-off analysis to continuous improvement

Task mining forms the basis for a continuous improvement cycle. Processes are continuously measured, measures are objectively evaluated and successes are documented.

This transforms process management into a data-driven control model.

The concrete added value of Paxray 

Paxray enables process quantification without invasive system interventions. The front-end-based, data protection-compliant approach ensures rapid implementation and high acceptance. 

Decision-makers gain clarity about where time and costs arise and which measures deliver the highest economic benefits.

Conclusion

Task mining makes processes measurable, comparable and economically assessable. Companies know where time and costs arise, which optimisations have the greatest leverage and where automation makes sense. Paxray provides a practical and strategically useful basis for this.

References

Gartner (2024): Market Guide for Process and Task Mining Tools. Gartner Research. Available at: https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/6403875.

Deloitte (2023): The Rise of Task Mining: Bridging Human Activity and Automation Insights. Deloitte Insights. Available at: https://www.deloitte.com/ch/en/services/consulting/perspectives/task-mining-to-generate-enterprise-value.html.

McKinsey & Company (2023): Unlocking Value in Large IT Transformations. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights.

van der Aalst, W.M.P. (2022): Process Mining and Beyond: Exploring Task-Level Behavior. Information Systems, 108.