Process improvement: using Lean Six Sigma and process mining together

Process improvement often starts with workshops and opinions. Combining a proven method with evidence from your own systems makes the starting point much stronger.

Two complementary ideas

• Lean removes waste: waiting, rework, unnecessary steps and handoffs.
• Six Sigma reduces variation, so a process gives consistent results.
• Process mining reads the event data your systems already record and shows how work really flows.

A simple approach

1. Define. Choose a process with a clear business impact, such as order handling, invoicing or onboarding.
2. See. Map the documented process, then compare it with the actual flow from system data.
3. Measure. Quantify cycle time, rework and where cases wait.
4. Analyze. Find root causes for the biggest delays and variations.
5. Improve. Redesign steps, remove handoffs and automate repetitive tasks.
6. Control. Track indicators so gains last, and review them regularly.

What the data often reveals

• Cases that follow paths nobody documented.
• Steps repeated because of missing information at the start.
• Approvals that cause long waits for little risk reduction.
• Large differences in how teams or sites run the same process.

Practical tips

• Start with one process, prove value, then expand.
• Involve the people who do the work, because data shows what happened and they explain why.
• Automate only after simplifying, otherwise you automate waste.
• Agree measures with the process owner before changes begin.

Our Process Excellence & Optimization team helps organizations map, measure and improve processes.

Frequently asked questions