In a recent panel discussion in Eindhoven, I shared my approach to harnessing Celonis for supply chain excellence, which I’ve distilled into a three-stage strategy: Analysis, Proactivity, Action — or APA for short, an acronym that serendipitously translates to ‘WATER’ in Romanian, an easy acronym to remember for thriving — just as water is essential for growth, so is APA for thriving in the digital ecosystem of process mining

Analysis: The Starting Point

Starting any Celonis project requires understanding the gap or problem you’re aiming to solve. While process experts may pinpoint obvious pain points, Celonis often uncovers deeper inefficiencies — the proverbial ‘spaghetti monsters’ of process complexity. Overwhelm, or ‘infoxication’, is a common initial reaction, but Celonis Starter Kits offer clarity by highlighting key areas of value and suggesting actionable steps, avoiding analysis paralysis.

Note: while Starter Kits provide a foundation, it’s crucial to remember that the Starter Kit might not capture the uniqueness of your custom processes.

Deep-Dive: Beyond the Surface

With an initial list of opportunities from Starter Kit, the next step is to deep-dive into your specific processes. This is where your experts and Celonis collaborate to identify deviations from the ideal process, benchmark across teams and locations, and expand the list of potential projects.

Standardization and Ownership: The Quick Wins

Crucial to this stage is discerning which pain points can be completely eliminated through standardization or change management. For example, transitioning customers from mailing orders to digital entry can significantly reduce manual front office work. The goal is to establish a list of actionable items, assign ownership, and quantify the potential value Celonis can unlock — often surprising stakeholders with the benefits of streamlining processes.

Alignment: The Right Fit

The final step involves curating a list of complex opportunities that are actionable. It’s essential to align each pain point with Celonis’ capabilities, filtering out any projects that may not fit the platform’s strengths.

Note: remember, trying to force a solution can lead to unnecessary complexity — Celonis is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

With a clear alignment, at this point you’ll have a comprehensive list of opportunities where Celonis can truly drive value.

And that sets the stage for my next article, where I’ll explore how we move from reactive measures to a proactive state, enhancing the momentum of your Supply Chain operations with Celonis.