Categorization concepts in Task Mining
Summarize
Summarized using AI
This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.
Summary of Categorization concepts in Task Mining
Task Mining categorization organizes workstation activity data by grouping similar applications and activities under user-friendly category names. This improves dashboard readability, helps distinguish activity types, and removes clutter by displaying only categorized apps. It also supports anonymization of personal information in window titles for specific categories.
Show less
Categorization workflow
- A Task Mining analyst mines sample project data to capture real application and window values, simplifying categorization.
- A Task Mining power user creates categorization rules with fixed priority order to define how applications and windows are displayed on dashboards.
- The analyst previews the analysis visualization and reviews requests.
- The power user refines categorization rules, adding or modifying applications and categories to increase detail.
- Data is mined again and activities are categorized until uncategorized activities are about 10% or less, balancing detail with diminishing returns.
Predefined categorization rules
Four fixed rules apply in a specific order and cannot be changed:
- Private: Marks non-productive activities when an agent is in private mode.
- Lock: Marks break time when the workstation is locked.
- Off: Marks when the workstation is turned off.
- MAX: Applies last to uncategorized apps; anonymizes their data by default.
Category and application naming
Assign meaningful category and application names to add context and group similar activities:
- Categories represent types of work related to applications. Avoid using “Other” for custom categories since it is reserved for uncategorized apps by the MAX rule. Instead, use categories like “Misc” or create new descriptive categories.
- Applications represent the specific apps in categorization rules. Avoid assigning one application name to multiple categories, as this corrupts treemap charts. For example, if accessing the same app natively and via browser, use the same category for both.
Categorization rules organize and add context to your data by grouping similar workstation activities with user-friendly category names.
Purpose of categorization
Task Mining categorization determines how information displays in analyses and provides several benefits.
- Grouping apps into categories makes dashboards more easily readable and enables you to distinguish between different types of activities.
- Displaying only categorized apps avoids cluttering the analysis with unwanted information.
- Anonymization of personal information such as a client name in window names for specific categories with replacement text you specify.
- Grouping similar activities using categories and application groups making dashboards clearer.
Categorization workflow
The process to categorize activities is as follows:
- A Task Mining analyst mines a sample of data of the applications and windows used in your project. Starting with mined data makes categorization easier as you have the exact values used to categorize activities
already available in the data.
For more information, see Generate a project data analysis.
- The Task Mining power user creates categorization rules with fixed order values that determine how data from apps and windows is shown on dashboards.
For more information, see Categorize workstation activities to simplify analysis.
- The Task Mining analyst previews the analysis to see how the collected data is visualized and handles requests.
For more information, see Refine the presentation of your data.
- The Task Mining power user adjusts categorization rules. Applications and application categories are added and modified to provide more detail.
- A Task Mining analyst mines the project data again.
- Activities are categorized until uncategorized activities represent no more than approximately 10% of the total data. This level of detail provides a comprehensive view. Further refinement beyond this amount provides diminishing returns.
Predefined categorization rules
Rules are ordered to define which rule applies first. The following four categorization rules can't be changed. These rules are ordered 1,2,3, and MAX. The first three rules apply first by default, and the MAX rule applies last.
- Private: Defines the activity as non-productive, and is used when the agent is in private mode and used when activities are defined as private.
- Lock: Defines the activity as a break, and is used when the workstation is locked.
- Off: Defines the activity as off, and is used when the workstation is turned off.
- MAX: Applies to uncategorized apps that don’t match any rule and are anonymized by default.
Category and application names
Organizing your activities with categories and application names adds context to your data by grouping similar workstation activities with user-friendly names. Add sensible category and application names to the list available on
the categorization rule form before creating the rule for the activity.
- Category
- Describes the type of work that applications are related to. Don't use the Other category as other is used by the Max rule and represents uncategorized apps that don’t match any rule. For example, if you have an app that doesn't fit any category, either use Misc or add a category to the list available on the categorization rule form to describe the type of work that application is related to.
- Application
- Describes the application names available for creating categorization rules. Don't use an application name with more than one category as it corrupts the treemap chart. For example, you could use the user-friendly application name "Teams" with categories Communication or Core Desktop Apps. However, if you create rules for activities in both the native application and accessing the application in a browser, don't use different categories for the two rules.