Putting the SWORD to the Test: Finding Workarounds with Process Mining

Wouter Waal (), Inge Weerd, Iris Beerepoot, Xixi Lu, Teus Kappen, Saskia Haitjema and Hajo A. Reijers
Additional contact information
Wouter Waal: Utrecht University
Inge Weerd: Utrecht University
Iris Beerepoot: Utrecht University
Xixi Lu: Utrecht University
Teus Kappen: DIT, University Medical Center Utrecht
Saskia Haitjema: University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University
Hajo A. Reijers: Utrecht University

Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, 2025, vol. 67, issue 2, No 3, 190 pages

Abstract: Abstract Workarounds, or deviations from standardized operating procedures, can indicate discrepancies between theory and practice in work processes. Traditionally, observations and interviews have been used to identify workarounds, but these methods can be time-consuming and may not capture all workarounds. The paper presents the Semi-automated WORkaround Detection (SWORD) framework, which leverages event log traces to help process analysts identify workarounds. The framework is evaluated in a multiple-case study of two hospital departments. The results of the study indicate that with SWORD we were able to identify 11 unique workaround types, with limited knowledge about the actual processes. The framework thus supports the discovery of workarounds while minimizing the dependence on domain knowledge, which limits the time investment required by domain experts. The findings highlight the importance of leveraging technology to improve the detection of workarounds and to support process improvement efforts in organizations.

Keywords: Workaround; Event data; Process mining; Pattern detection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12599-023-00846-3 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:binfse:v:67:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s12599-023-00846-3

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/12599

DOI: 10.1007/s12599-023-00846-3

Access Statistics for this article

Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK is currently edited by Martin Bichler

More articles in Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK from Springer, Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().