Proclets: Seeing in 3D
Process mining shows that the assumptions made by classical process modeling languages such as BPMN, UML ADs, Statecharts, BPEL, YAWL, WF nets, and EPCs are somewhat artificial. They only provide one monolithic view on the real process of interest. The process is flattened to allow for a diagram that describes the life-cycle of one case in isolation. The application of process mining to real-life processes shows that squeezing a process into such a single monolithic flat model is problematic. Like in physics, where experiments help to (in)validate models, process discovery also helps to reveal the limitations of oversimplified models. The empirical nature of process mining helps managers, consultants, and process analysts to better understand the “fabric of real business processes” and, thus, also see the limitations of conventional process modeling languages.