Process discovery vs operational discovery.
Process discovery shows the flow of work. Operational discovery also explains why it works that way, who carries it, what it consumes, what it depends on and what a proposed change could affect.
Knowing what happens is the start, not the answer.
| Question | Process discovery | Operational discovery |
|---|---|---|
| What happens? | The steps, in order. | The steps, plus where the documented process differs from reality. |
| Why? | Rarely captured. | Why the work exists and why it is done this way. |
| Who does it? | Roles on the map. | The people and teams doing the work in practice, including where responsibility differs from the documented process. |
| What does it consume? | Usually out of scope. | Time, frequency, workload and cost. |
| What does it depend on? | Handoffs at best. | Systems, people, other teams and workarounds. |
| What will changing it affect? | Not addressed. | The implications of the change you are considering. |
| What should we do? | Left to the reader. | A decision supported by the evidence. |
Process discovery is just one part of operational discovery.
Process discovery sits inside the Reality stage of the WorkflowMind Method. Talk to the people doing the work and capture what actually happens, including the workarounds and exceptions that formal documentation may miss.
WorkflowMind can turn conversations, workshop notes and existing documentation into a structured first draft for you to review and validate.
Operational discovery then connects that reality to people, systems, time, workload and cost so you can understand what a change would affect.
See the WorkflowMind Method →Start with the work behind your change.
Choose a workflow your change would touch and start with the question you need to answer.