Task mining
Task mining analyses how people perform tasks on their computers — clicks, keystrokes, applications and screens — to reveal the steps of desktop work that system event logs do not show. It is typically used to find repetitive work that could be automated, and differences in how people do the same task.
What is task mining?
It requires recording software on workstations, and the recordings are then grouped into tasks and variants. Because it observes individual employees, it needs a clear purpose, transparency and a lawful basis under data protection rules, and in many companies consultation with employee representatives.
Task mining is often combined with process mining: one shows the flow between systems, the other the manual work around them.
Not to be confused with process mining, which uses system event logs, or with employee monitoring aimed at judging individual performance.
Why it matters for SMEs
For example: task mining in a small finance team shows invoice data being copied by hand from email into the accounting system. It shows how the work is done — not why certain invoices are put on hold, which one colleague decides from experience.
For SMEs, lighter options often work as well: recording one real case with consent, and asking about the decisions straight after.
Task mining in the MentX approach
MentX captures how your company really works: the knowledge of your key people and the processes they run. We offer both a hands-on service approach — mapping your processes and capturing the knowledge behind them, from meetings, workshops and a guided intake — and our own personality-aware knowledge base, with full source attribution, in your own Knowledge Space. We build on the tools you already use and add best-practice solutions where they fit.
When we capture a process while it happens, recording is done with the expert's consent and control, and the reasoning behind each choice is captured with it.