Process Mining vs. Task Mining
Task mining and process mining reveal different aspects of how work is done. This page explains what each approach focuses on, when to use one or both, and how they support process discovery in practice.
en
Process mining and task mining are often mentioned together because both are used to increase visibility into how work is done. However, they focus on different levels of detail and support different types of process discovery questions.
If you are exploring process discovery, understanding the difference between task mining and process mining helps you choose the right approach and interpret insights correctly. Process mining focuses on end-to-end processes across systems, while task mining focuses on how individual tasks are performed.
What process mining focuses on
Process mining focuses on understanding how processes actually run across systems. It uses event data from operational applications to reconstruct end-to-end process flows and show real execution behavior.
The main strength of process mining is visibility at the process level. It shows how cases move through a process, which paths are most common, where delays occur, and how execution differs across variants. This makes it possible to analyze performance, identify bottlenecks, and detect deviations using objective data rather than assumptions.
Process mining is commonly used when organizations want to understand why processes behave the way they do, validate whether changes are working, or identify improvement opportunities that are difficult to see through workshops alone. These insights form the basis for many process mining use cases, such as performance analysis, conformance checking, and continuous monitoring.
Beyond visibility, process mining supports informed decision-making by providing evidence that explains why process improvements matter and where they deliver the most impact.
As process mining practices mature, these insights are reused across multiple initiatives, from discovery and analysis to ongoing optimization.
What task mining focuses on
Task mining focuses on how individual tasks are performed at the user level. It captures interactions such as clicks, keystrokes, and application usage to understand how people complete specific activities within a process.
The main value of task mining is visibility into how work is actually carried out, especially when tasks are manual, repetitive, or poorly documented. It helps reveal variations in execution, workarounds, and inefficiencies that are not visible in system-level process data.
Task mining is typically used to analyze:
- manual or semi-manual work,
- activities performed outside core systems,
- task execution differences between users or teams.
Because task mining operates at a very granular level, it is most useful when the goal is to understand how tasks are executed, not how the full process flows end to end. For this reason, task mining is often used to complement process mining rather than replace it.
10-Step Guide to Achieving Process and Experience Excellence
All businesses have the same goal: to run at their best. But all too often, there’s a disconnect between operations and experience. What’s missing is an outside-in perspective on operational excellence and transformation efforts. This can help you drive a differentiating edge in the market and ongoing financial success.
Process mining vs task mining: key differences
Understanding differences helps you decide which approach fits your goal and how insights should be interpreted.
1. Level of analysis
Process mining operates at the process level. It analyzes how cases move through a sequence of activities from start to end, across systems, teams, and decision points. The focus is on the overall flow and how work progresses through the process.
Task mining operates at the task level. It looks at how a specific activity is carried out by a user, step by step. The focus is on execution details within a task, not on the broader process context.
This difference matters because process issues and task issues are often confused. Process mining helps you see where problems occur in the flow, while task mining helps explain how work is done at a specific step.
2. Data sources
Process mining uses system-generated event data. These events are recorded automatically by applications and linked to a case, such as an order, claim, or request. Because the data comes from systems, it reflects actual execution at scale.
Task mining uses user interaction data, captured from individual desktops or user environments. This includes actions such as clicks, keystrokes, and application switching.
The data source difference affects both scale and perspective. Process mining provides a consistent, system-wide view, while task mining provides a detailed, user-centric view that depends on where and how work is performed.
3. Scope and scale
Process mining is designed to work across large volumes of cases. It reveals patterns, variants, and performance trends that only become visible when many executions are analyzed together.
Task mining is more localized in scope. It focuses on selected users, roles, or tasks and provides depth rather than breadth.
In practice, this means process mining is used to understand systemic behavior, while task mining is used to understand execution behavior. One shows patterns across the organization, the other shows details within specific tasks.
4. Typical questions answered
Process mining helps answer questions about process behavior, such as:
- How does the process actually run from start to finish?
- Which paths are most common and which are exceptions?
- Where do delays, rework, or deviations occur?
Task mining helps answer questions about task execution, such as:
- How do users perform this task in practice?
- Why does the same task take longer for some users?
- Where are manual steps, workarounds, or inefficiencies introduced?
These questions are complementary. Process mining highlights where to look, while task mining helps explain what happens inside specific steps.
5. Strengths and limitations
Process mining excels at showing structure, flow, and performance across processes. Its limitation is that it does not reveal how individual tasks are executed or why users rely on workarounds.
Task mining provides deep insight into task execution and user behavior. Its limitation is that it does not provide end-to-end visibility or explain how tasks affect overall process performance on their own.
Understanding these strengths and limitations helps avoid misapplication. Process mining should not be expected to explain task-level behavior, and task mining should not be expected to explain process-level flow.
BPM Resources
Unlock hidden value in your business processes
Explore the results of our 'value challenge' initiative that demonstrates the hidden value organizations can uncover in their business processes by using BPM solutions.
A Practical Guide for Designing Optimal Business Processes
A modeling guidelines to help you create processes in a uniform way and present them comprehensibly for your whole team.
Process Mapping Basics
Find out how to get started with process mapping, and how to introduce business process management (BPM) concepts to your organization.
A Comprehensive Guide to Process Mining
Learn what process mining is, the value it offers, and why now is the right time to launch your own process mining initiative.
How task mining and process mining work together
Task mining and process mining are most effective when they are used together, each addressing a different layer of visibility. Rather than competing approaches, they support different discovery questions within the same improvement effort.
A common pattern is to start with process mining to understand end-to-end behavior. Process mining helps identify where delays occur, which variants cause issues, and which steps contribute most to performance problems. This creates focus by showing where attention is needed.
Once critical steps or bottlenecks are identified, task mining can be applied selectively. Task mining helps explain how work is performed inside a specific activity, especially when execution involves manual effort, multiple applications, or undocumented workarounds. This adds detail that process-level data alone cannot provide.
Together, these approaches connect process-level insights with task-level execution. Process mining highlights structural issues in flow and variation, while task mining provides context about user behavior and execution patterns. This combination supports more informed decisions about redesign, standardization, automation, or tooling changes.
Using both approaches also reduces blind spots. Process mining ensures changes are evaluated in the context of the full process, while task mining helps avoid redesigning steps without understanding how work is actually done on the ground.
When to use process mining, task mining, or both
Choosing between process mining and task mining depends on the question you are trying to answer and the level of visibility you need.
In many cases, the decision is less about choosing one over the other and more about deciding where to start.
Process mining is the better starting point when you need an end-to-end view. It is most useful when the goal is to understand overall process behavior, identify bottlenecks or deviations, or compare how processes run across systems, regions, or time periods. If the problem is unclear or suspected to span multiple steps, process mining provides the necessary context.
Task mining is more appropriate when the process structure is already understood, but execution issues remain. It is typically used when tasks are manual, vary significantly between users, or rely on workarounds outside core systems. Task mining helps explain why certain steps are slow, error-prone, or inconsistent.
Using both together makes sense when process mining identifies specific problem areas but cannot explain the underlying execution behavior. In this scenario, process mining narrows the focus, and task mining adds depth where it matters most.
In practice, organizations often move between these approaches as their BPM maturity increases. They start with process mining to gain transparency, apply task mining selectively to understand execution details, and then return to process mining to validate whether changes improve overall performance.
Process Mining: How to Make Better Decisions Faster
Get the most important standards, ready for you to modify and adapt according to your own standards and organizational needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between task mining and process mining?
The main difference is the level of analysis. Process mining focuses on end-to-end processes across systems, while task mining focuses on how individual tasks are executed by users at a very detailed level.
Is task mining a replacement for process mining?
When should I start with process mining instead of task mining?
When does task mining add the most value?
Can task mining and process mining be used together?