A framework to correlate resource behavior with the success of process instances - A case study in a P2P process

 

Student: Faizan Hassan

Title: A framework to correlate resource behavior with the success of process instances - A case study in a P2P process

Supervisor: Alessandro Berti

1st Examiner: Prof. Dr. Wil van der Aalst

2nd Examiner: Prof. Dr. Ulrik Schroeder

Summary:

This thesis focuses on improving the efficiency of manual documents processing by identifying the optimal behavior for resources to optimize the performance of the process. Manual processes, which involve tasks requiring human intervention, often suffer from delays, errors, and inefficiencies due to their time-consuming nature. Optimizing these processes is critical for the effective functioning of organizations. Resource working behavior plays a vital role in manual processes, as even small improvements can have a significant impact on the overall performance of the process. The factors influencing resource working behavior in manual processes are examined, including workload, working prioritization pattern, and batching. Finding the optimal workload is essential to ensuring resources are appropriately engaged and challenged. The working pattern refers to how resources organize and prioritize tasks, and adaptability is key for process performance optimization. Batching can improve efficiency but may also lead to monotony or reduced concentration. Various techniques are utilized to identify these factors, such as the performance spectrum and the dot chart method. However, these techniques primarily analyze single-resource behavior and may lack a comprehensive overview of all process aspects. They may also present challenges in interpretation, especially for non-experts. Additionally, existing techniques often provide visual representations without concrete numerical values or metrics. To address these limitations, this thesis proposes evaluating resource behavior against key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify the optimal working behavior for the resources. The analysis aims to provide a synthetic representation of results that is simpler to comprehend and interpret than existing graphical outputs. By identifying the optimal working behavior, the overall efficiency of manual document processes can be enhanced, assisting organizations in achieving their goals and improving process performance.