Exploring Task Mining

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated August 6, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Exploring Task Mining

    Task Mining is a tool that helps identify inefficiencies in work tasks by integrating a desktop agent, user activities, and dashboards. It processes data to extract specific information that answers business questions, thereby enhancing operational efficiency.

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    Key Features

    • User Roles:
      • Task Mining Admin: Access to all configurations and settings, including power user capabilities.
      • Task Mining Power User: Access to system configurations and settings, including analyst functions.
      • Task Mining Analyst: Create and share projects, request data logging, and analyze team activities.
    • Workflow:
      • Admins configure Task Mining, including notifications and data retention.
      • Analysts create projects, categorize activities, and share insights with stakeholders.
      • Power users and admins ensure the Task Mining agent is installed on user workstations.

    Key Outcomes

    • ITSM and CSM Analysis: Gain insights into workstation users’ time management and process engagement.
    • IT Landscape Analysis: Identify gaps, challenges, and compliance threats within your company's IT structure.
    • Example Use Cases: Analyze task time distribution, app usage, and monitor suspicious activities.

    To delve deeper into configuring and using Task Mining, refer to related topics such as Configuring Task Mining and Using Task Mining.

    Use Task Mining to identify inefficiencies in work tasks.

    Task Mining overview

    Task Mining combines a desktop agent, workstation user activities, and dashboards to process data and deliver organized information. Specific information can be extracted to provide answers to business questions.

    Task Mining users

    Table 1. Task Mining roles
    User role Description
    Task Mining admin Access all Task Mining system configurations, settings, and projects. The admin role contains the power user role.
    Task Mining power user Access all Task Mining system configurations and settings. The power user role contains the analyst role.
    Task Mining analyst Create and share Task Mining projects, and access projects that another user has shared with them. Request data logging to be enabled for workstation users.

    Task Mining workflow

    The following workflow shows the primary activities for using Task Mining.

    Figure 1. Task Mining workflow
    Infographic showing how users create Task Mining projects, submit data requests, and categorize activities to create insightful dashboards. For details, refer to the following description.
    1. As an admin, you configure Task Mining, including modifying notifications, data retention, and event filters.
    2. As a Task Mining analyst or power user, you create Task Mining projects to analyze team activities, identify insights, and support business decisions.
    3. As a Task Mining analyst, you submit a data request separate from projects to create a data pool to store the data for future analysis.
    4. As a manager of a workstation user, you approve data requests.
    5. When the request is approved by the workstation user's supervisor, as a power user or admin you make sure the Task Mining agent is installed on the user's workstation.
    6. As a Task Mining analyst, define how you want to group tasks in your project and select how you want Task Mining to aggregate your data.
    7. As a Task Mining analyst, you run a mining job on a project to generate data so you can categorize activities.
    8. As a Task Mining power user, you categorize activities to organize and add context to your data by grouping similar workstation activities with user-friendly category names when shown on Task Mining analyses.
    9. As a Task Mining analyst, you run a mining job again on a project to generate an analysis of your project data according to your categorization rules.
    10. As a Task Mining analyst, you share the insights with relevant business stakeholders.

    Task Mining benefits

    Table 2. Task Mining benefits
    Benefit Value Example use cases
    ITSM and CSM analysis Gain insights into the effectiveness and specifics of how time is spent by workstation users with an analysis of how workstation users engage with processes. Uncover precise analytics from team operations analysis and monitoring:
    • In vs. out task time distribution
    • Active vs. idle time
    • Time distribution per app
    • Use of specific apps
    • Time spent per specific activity
    IT landscape analysis View your company's IT landscape to uncover gaps, challenges, and potential compliance threats. Explore application use beyond the ServiceNow AI Platform to understand how applications are used across an organization:
    • Multiple apps with the same purpose
    • App monitoring (time distribution)
    • License usage
    • Use of unapproved apps
    • Suspicious websites monitoring

    What to explore next

    To learn more about configuring and using Task Mining, see the following topics: