Compliance-Aware Predictive Process Monitoring: A Neuro-Symbolic Approach

Existing approaches for predictive process monitoring are sub-symbolic, meaning that they learn correlations between descriptive features and a target feature fully based on data, e.g., predicting the surgical needs of a patient based on historical events and biometrics. However, such approaches fail to incorporate domain-specific process constraints (knowledge), e.g., surgery can only be planned if the patient was released more than a week ago, limiting the adherence to compliance and providing less accurate predictions. In this paper, we present a neuro-symbolic approach for predictive process monitoring, leveraging Logic Tensor Networks (LTNs) to inject process knowledge into predictive models. The proposed approach follows a structured pipeline consisting of four key stages: 1) feature extraction; 2) rule extraction; 3) knowledge base creation; and 4) knowledge injection. Our evaluation shows that, in addition to learning the process constraints, the neuro-symbolic model also achieves better performance, demonstrating higher compliance and improved accuracy compared to baseline approaches across all compliance-aware experiments.

Neuro-Symbolic Learning for Predictive Process Monitoring via Two-Stage Logic Tensor Networks with Rule Pruning

Predictive modeling on sequential event data is critical for fraud detection and healthcare monitoring. Existing data-driven approaches learn correlations from historical data but fail to incorporate domain-specific sequential constraints and logical rules governing event relationships, limiting accuracy and regulatory compliance. For example, healthcare procedures must follow specific sequences, and financial transactions must adhere to compliance rules. We present a neuro-symbolic approach integrating domain knowledge as differentiable logical constraints using Logic Networks (LTNs). We formalize control-flow, temporal, and payload knowledge using Linear Temporal Logic and first-order logic. Our key contribution is a two-stage optimization strategy addressing LTNs' tendency to satisfy logical formulas at the expense of predictive accuracy. The approach uses weighted axiom loss during pretraining to prioritize data learning, followed by rule pruning that retains only consistent, contributive axioms based on satisfaction dynamics. Evaluation on four real-world event logs shows that domain knowledge injection significantly improves predictive performance, with the two-stage optimization proving essential knowledge (without it, knowledge can severely degrade performance). The approach excels particularly in compliance-constrained scenarios with limited compliant training examples, achieving superior performance compared to purely data-driven baselines while ensuring adherence to domain constraints.

Neuro-Symbolic Process Anomaly Detection

Process anomaly detection is an important application of process mining for identifying deviations from the normal behavior of a process. Neural network-based methods have recently been applied to this task, learning directly from event logs without requiring a predefined process model. However, since anomaly detection is a purely statistical task, these models fail to incorporate human domain knowledge. As a result, rare but conformant traces are often misclassified as anomalies due to their low frequency, which limits the effectiveness of the detection process. Recent developments in the field of neuro-symbolic AI have introduced Logic Tensor Networks (LTN) as a means to integrate symbolic knowledge into neural networks using real-valued logic. In this work, we propose a neuro-symbolic approach that integrates domain knowledge into neural anomaly detection using LTN and Declare constraints. Using autoencoder models as a foundation, we encode Declare constraints as soft logical guiderails within the learning process to distinguish between anomalous and rare but conformant behavior. Evaluations on synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate that our approach improves F1 scores even when as few as 10 conformant traces exist, and that the choice of Declare constraint and by extension human domain knowledge significantly influences performance gains.

PMAx: An Agentic Framework for AI-Driven Process Mining

Process mining provides powerful insights into organizational workflows, but extracting these insights typically requires expertise in specialized query languages and data science tools. Large Language Models (LLMs) offer the potential to democratize process mining by enabling business users to interact with process data through natural language. However, using LLMs as direct analytical engines over raw event logs introduces fundamental challenges: LLMs struggle with deterministic reasoning and may hallucinate metrics, while sending large, sensitive logs to external AI services raises serious data-privacy concerns. To address these limitations, we present PMAx, an autonomous agentic framework that functions as a virtual process analyst. Rather than relying on LLMs to generate process models or compute analytical results, PMAx employs a privacy-preserving multi-agent architecture. An Engineer agent analyzes event-log metadata and autonomously generates local scripts to run established process mining algorithms, compute exact metrics, and produce artifacts such as process models, summary tables, and visualizations. An Analyst agent then interprets these insights and artifacts to compile comprehensive reports. By separating computation from interpretation and executing analysis locally, PMAx ensures mathematical accuracy and data privacy while enabling non-technical users to transform high-level business questions into reliable process insights.

Online Discovery of Simulation Models for Evolving Business Processes (Extended Version)

Business Process Simulation (BPS) refers to techniques designed to replicate the dynamic behavior of a business process. Many approaches have been proposed to automatically discover simulation models from historical event logs, reducing the cost and time to manually design them. However, in dynamic business environments, organizations continuously refine their processes to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. Existing techniques to process simulation discovery lack adaptability to real-time operational changes. In this paper, we propose a streaming process simulation discovery technique that integrates Incremental Process Discovery with Online Machine Learning methods. This technique prioritizes recent data while preserving historical information, ensuring adaptation to evolving process dynamics. Experiments conducted on four different event logs demonstrate the importance in simulation of giving more weight to recent data while retaining historical knowledge. Our technique not only produces more stable simulations but also exhibits robustness in handling concept drift, as highlighted in one of the use cases.

Synchronizing Process Model and Event Abstraction for Grounded Process Intelligence (Extended Version)

Model abstraction (MA) and event abstraction (EA) are means to reduce complexity of (discovered) models and event data. Imagine a process intelligence project that aims to analyze a model discovered from event data which is further abstracted, possibly multiple times, to reach optimality goals, e.g., reducing model size. So far, after discovering the model, there is no technique that enables the synchronized abstraction of the underlying event log. This results in loosing the grounding in the real-world behavior contained in the log and, in turn, restricts analysis insights. Hence, in this work, we provide the formal basis for synchronized model and event abstraction, i.e., we prove that abstracting a process model by MA and discovering a process model from an abstracted event log yields an equivalent process model. We prove the feasibility of our approach based on behavioral profile abstraction as non-order preserving MA technique, resulting in a novel EA technique.

Unlocking Non-Block-Structured Decisions: Inductive Mining with Choice Graphs

Process discovery aims to automatically derive process models from event logs, enabling organizations to analyze and improve their operational processes. Inductive mining algorithms, while prioritizing soundness and efficiency through hierarchical modeling languages, often impose a strict block-structured representation. This limits their ability to accurately capture the complexities of real-world processes. While recent advancements like the Partially Ordered Workflow Language (POWL) have addressed the block-structure limitation for concurrency, a significant gap remains in effectively modeling non-block-structured decision points. In this paper, we bridge this gap by proposing an extension of POWL to handle non-block-structured decisions through the introduction of choice graphs. Choice graphs offer a structured yet flexible approach to model complex decision logic within the hierarchical framework of POWL. We present an inductive mining discovery algorithm that uses our extension and preserves the quality guarantees of the inductive mining framework. Our experimental evaluation demonstrates that the discovered models, enriched with choice graphs, more precisely represent the complex decision-making behavior found in real-world processes, without compromising the high scalability inherent in inductive mining techniques.

INEXA: Interactive and Explainable Process Model Abstraction Through Object-Centric Process Mining

Process events are recorded by multiple information systems at different granularity levels. Based on the resulting event logs, process models are discovered at different granularity levels, as well. Events stored at a fine-grained granularity level, for example, may hinder the discovered process model to be displayed due the high number of resulting model elements. The discovered process model of a real-world manufacturing process, for example, consists of 1,489 model elements and over 2,000 arcs. Existing process model abstraction techniques could help reducing the size of the model, but would disconnect it from the underlying event log. Existing event abstraction techniques do neither support the analysis of mixed granularity levels, nor interactive exploration of a suitable granularity level. To enable the exploration of discovered process models at different granularity levels, we propose INEXA, an interactive, explainable process model abstraction method that keeps the link to the event log. As a starting point, INEXA aggregates large process models to a "displayable" size, e.g., for the manufacturing use case to a process model with 58 model elements. Then, the process analyst can explore granularity levels interactively, while applied abstractions are automatically traced in the event log for explainability.

Analyzing An After-Sales Service Process Using Object-Centric Process Mining: A Case Study

Process mining, a technique turning event data into business process insights, has traditionally operated on the assumption that each event corresponds to a singular case or object. However, many real-world processes are intertwined with multiple objects, making them object-centric. This paper focuses on the emerging domain of object-centric process mining, highlighting its potential yet underexplored benefits in actual operational scenarios. Through an in-depth case study of Borusan Cat's after-sales service process, this study emphasizes the capability of object-centric process mining to capture entangled business process details. Utilizing an event log of approximately 65,000 events, our analysis underscores the importance of embracing this paradigm for richer business insights and enhanced operational improvements.

Extracting Rules from Event Data for Study Planning

In this study, we examine how event data from campus management systems can be used to analyze the study paths of higher education students. The main goal is to offer valuable guidance for their study planning. We employ process and data mining techniques to explore the impact of sequences of taken courses on academic success. Through the use of decision tree models, we generate data-driven recommendations in the form of rules for study planning and compare them to the recommended study plan. The evaluation focuses on RWTH Aachen University computer science bachelor program students and demonstrates that the proposed course sequence features effectively explain academic performance measures. Furthermore, the findings suggest avenues for developing more adaptable study plans.