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1. Introduction
Process mining refers to the discovery, monitoring and improvement of real processes by extracting knowledge from event logs in information systems (ISs) (van der Aalst et al., 2012, p. 8). Process mining addresses questions from three different perspectives: the process (how?), the organization (who?) and the case (what?) (van der Aalst et al., 2007). Because process mining technology has the potential to create detailed maps of real processes to serve different purposes, van der Aalst (2009) used the analogy of process mining as a navigation system. A navigation system directs the driver. Similarly, process mining should point the field of business process management (BPM) in the best direction of transformation. Did process mining live up to this expectation?
Whereas prior literature reviews have addressed important aspects of process mining such as algorithms (Tiwari et al., 2008; Yang and Su, 2014) and tools (Turner et al., 2012), we note a gap in knowledge concerning (1) the use of process mining technology and (2) its link to a service perspective.
Regarding (1), the organizational usage of process mining technology has been poorly addressed. As mentioned by Tiwari et al. (2008), an important driver of the further development and stimulation of organizational process mining is that companies must learn and better understand how their processes perform in the real world. Aiming to tackle this issue, Turner et al. (2012) carried out a comparison of different commercial process mining tools. While they provided insights into the tools’ functionalities, e.g., process discovery vs service conformance, the authors did not address how the tools are used by organizations. This is relevant because process mining can cross the boundary of a single system or organization, a fact that also affects a tool’s required functionalities. van der Aalst et al. (2007) described the constraints of BPM systems, and it is of critical importance to re-examine the progress that has been made to overcome this limitation to determine the current state-of-the-art in process mining.
With respect to (2), the potential of process mining from a service perspective is yet to be explored. In this paper, we broadly refer to “service” as “the application of specialized knowledge skills through deeds, processes, and performances for the benefit of customers” (Vargo...