Kombinierte Nutzung von Process Mining und Lean Management: Potenziale und Herausforderungen in Produktionsunternehmen

  • Lorenz Fehrer

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

In manufacturing companies, lean management has established itself as a proven management approach to remain competitive and continuously optimize processes. However, detailed and data-based insights are often lacking. This is where process mining comes into play to identify, analyze and improve actual processes of a company through various algorithms. Due to the advancing digitalization and the resulting increase in data volumes, process data is increasingly being recorded in the IT systems used by companies. This offers the opportunity to support the digital traces through process mining. This thesis examines which Lean methods can be combined with Process Mining, both based on the current state of research and how such combinations are currently being used in companies. Additionally, the added values and challenges of a combination will be analyzed. In several main sections, a theoretical framework is first established that explains the fundamentals of Lean Management and Process Mining. Lean management is based on its origins in the Toyota Production System and extends to the further development of the management principles of lean manufacturing. In process mining, the basic idea, terminology, and simple technical foundations are explained. Building on that, the possible combinations will be discussed theoretically. The research questions will be answered using literature and interviews. The expert interviews are conducted with production companies to gain qualitative insights into the applicability and effectiveness of the combined approaches. Subsequently, the findings from the literature will be contrasted and compared with those from the interviews. A combination yields significant advantages. Through process mining, waste can be identified more precisely, allowing lean management to be applied more effectively. However, there are some technical, organizational, and cultural challenges. Since process mining is still a relatively young technology, it is all the more surprising that a combination is already taking place in companies. However, there are differences between research and practice. While research describes ways to achieve full integration with certain Lean methods, in practice, the approaches are applied separately, where Process Mining is first utilized, and based on the insights gained, a Lean method is implemented. There is future potential for a company to evolve into an organization with a holistic systems thinking approach.
Date of Award2024
Original languageGerman (Austria)
SupervisorSonja Straßer (Supervisor)

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