Process digitization refers to the (partial) automation of business processes — and significantly boosts efficiency and compliance. Thanks to no-code platforms, even non-technical departments can now digitize their own workflows, a task that previously required IT expertise. Combine this with process mining — a powerful analysis method — and you unlock a dynamic improvement loop: process design (via no-code) and process analysis (via process mining) all within the department, bypassing the IT bottleneck entirely.
Key Terms Defined:
No-Code Digitization: The Democratization of Automation
In most organizations, process owners and management system experts share responsibility for process improvement. To clarify roles and information flows — especially at handovers — they often create process models or descriptions. These are used to discuss, communicate, and audit improvements. To avoid misunderstandings and inefficiencies, especially at interfaces, detailed (Office) forms are used and sent around by email. But eventually, this manual process optimization hits a wall — no meaningful improvements are achieved.
The real potential lies in partially automating processes with digital tools like ERP or CRM systems or workflow software. The challenge? Most departments can’t program or configure these tools. That’s where IT comes in — and often creates friction: long waits, added costs, and misunderstandings. No-code digitization changes that. It allows non-technical users to create functioning digital workflows themselves — no programming required. Using drag-and-drop, a complete workflow module can be assembled using prebuilt blocks. This merges professional-grade functionality with the simplicity of Excel — but scalable, efficient, and audit-ready.
Even better: it removes communication barriers and decentralizes digital competence — because the people who know the process best can now digitize it themselves.
These modules typically include:
At the core is the workflow engine — it defines status transitions, triggers actions, and manages notifications. For example, a leave request might move from “submitted” to “approved,” triggering an automatic email confirmation to the employee.
Forms serve as user inputs. Roles and permissions define who can see or edit which form at what step. Dashboards and reports ensure all stakeholders have centralized data access and process visibility — a true “single source of truth.”
Agile No-Code Digitization in Practice
No-code becomes especially powerful when these modules can be updated on the fly — without breaking existing records. If fields, workflows, permissions, or dashboards can be adjusted live, we call this agile no-code digitization. It means workflows can go live in hours, evolve in small steps, and grow with the organization — as it learns and adapts.
Process Mining: Automated Process Analysis
One core task in process management is mapping the actual (as-is) process. Historically, two approaches were used:
Today, there's a better option: process mining. This method reconstructs real processes based on digital traces employees leave behind in IT systems. It reveals all variations of a process — objectively and automatically. While setup can still be time- and cost-intensive (especially for complex processes), the payoff is high. It works best when most steps happen in a single system (e.g., ERP). As soon as multiple systems are involved, traceability can decline.
Process Mining has three key applications:
Enhancement metrics include variant frequency, step duration, queue times, and bottlenecks. These are typically visualized in dashboards and can support either manual or automated optimization — the latter being a hot research topic right now.
The Synergy of No-Code and Process Mining
Many leading vendors now offer powerful process mining solutions — but most focus on analysis only. They require heavy setup effort, and even when insights are found, the actual workflow cannot be easily changed. Often, implementing improvements in standard software is costly and slow. This approach makes sense for high-frequency, high-cost processes (e.g., credit approvals in large banks). But it’s less viable for everyday workflows.
Here’s where the No-Code + Process Mining synergy comes in. When a process mining insight is gained, no-code tools allow immediate, lightweight workflow adjustments — directly by the department. These changes influence user behavior. The updated process runs generate new data, which process mining then re-analyzes.
This creates a real feedback loop:
Current Limitations
The main constraint of no-code digitization today is functional depth. The more powerful a no-code toolkit, the harder it becomes for non-experts to use. Integration with other systems (via APIs) remains complex and often still requires IT help.
Result: Most no-code modules are best suited for medium complexity use cases.
Ideal Use Cases
Despite those limitations, there’s strong potential for:
Spotlight: Research Project ProMiDigit
The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funded the ProMiDigit project (Process Mining for No-Code Platforms, ID: 01IS20035), launched in July 2020 for two years. The consortium includes Modell Aachen GmbH, RWTH Aachen University, Protection One GmbH, and Berners Spedition. While this article outlines methods already close to market maturity, a second part will explore rule-based optimization recommendations — partially automated improvements based on “enhancement” logic.
Conclusion
No-code digitization and process mining are two of the biggest software trends today — and they’re increasingly converging. With the right platform, departments can design, test, and refine their workflows within hours. No-code removes technical barriers. Process mining delivers data-driven insights. Together, they form a continuous improvement loop — lean, scalable, and independent of IT bottlenecks. In the past, your IT team limited how fast you could digitize. In the future, they won’t.
So ask yourself: Are you digitizing — or being digitized?
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