ICPM Industry Days Europe 2026 in Karlsruhe brought together vendors, practitioners, and researchers to discuss the future of Process Mining and Process Intelligence.
Beyond the usual buzzwords, one thing was clear: the field is entering a new phase of maturity.
This is no longer just about discovering processes.
It’s about making process intelligence usable, scalable, and embedded in daily operations.
Democratizing Process Intelligence Across the Business
One of the strongest themes across the event was the need to democratize process intelligence.
A major theme at ICPM 2026 was the need to make process intelligence accessible beyond experts.
Historically, process mining has been:
- driven by data specialists
- dependent on IT
- limited to specific projects
That model is changing.
The emerging vision is different: Process Intelligence should be directly usable by operations managers and value stream leaders.
The goal is simple but transformative: people running the business should be able to understand their processes and act on them in real-time without intermediaries.
The “Frictionless Toll” Moment for Process Intelligence
A powerful analogy shared by Leonardo captures this shift.
On several highways, electronic toll systems allow drivers to pass through without stopping, eliminating queues and friction.
Process Intelligence should work the same way.
Instead of:
- waiting for reports
- relying on analysts
- navigating complex tools
users should be able to:
- open a tool
- instantly understand what is happening
- take action
In this sense, Process Intelligence is moving toward becoming a frictionless capability embedded in daily work.
The role of AI in Process Intelligence: From Hype to Practical Enablement
Unsurprisingly, AI was everywhere in the discussions.
But the tone was more grounded than in previous years.
The consensus is shifting from:
- “AI will solve everything”
to:
In practice, this means:
- supporting and simplifying analysis
- enabling more intuitive interactions with conversational interfaces
- supporting decision-making
not replacing process understanding.
The real value lies in combining AI with strong process expertise and data foundations.
Simplicity and Usability Are Becoming Critical
Another clear direction is the evolution toward simpler and more intuitive interfaces.
Historically, process mining tools required:
- technical skills
- complex configurations
- specialized knowledge
Apromore is a no code platform by design and allows
- more user-friendly experiences
- conversational interfaces
- faster access to insights
The reason is straightforward:
if process intelligence is to be widely adopted, it must be easy to use for non-experts.
From Insights to Action
A recurring message throughout the event:
Insights alone are not enough.
Organizations don’t need more dashboards — they need:
- clarity on what is happening
- guidance on what matters
- direction on what to do next
This means shifting from:
- analysis → reporting
to:
- analysis → decision → action
Process Intelligence is increasingly expected to drive operational outcomes, not just provide visibility.
Lessons from Practice: The Leonardo Experience
The experience shared by Leonardo Aircraft offered a practical perspective on adoption.
Their journey highlighted several key lessons:
- Start with concrete use cases
- Expect data and system limitations
- Invest in data engineering and process knowledge
- Involve both business and IT
- Focus on change management and awareness
Most importantly, they showed that success is not about the tool alone: it's about building the capability within the organization.
Why Every Company Needs Process Intelligence
A clear conclusion from ICPM 2026:
“Process Intelligence should become a standard capability for every organization.”
Just like companies rely on:
- ERP systems
- CRM platforms
- supply chain tools
they also need solutions to:
- understand how processes actually run
- monitor performance continuously
- improve efficiency at scale
Because every business process impacts cost, performance, and customer experience.
Looking Ahead
ICPM 2026 confirmed that Process Mining is evolving into something bigger:
- more accessible
- more operational
- more embedded in daily work
The shift is clear:
from a specialist tool → to an everyday operational capability
And that shift is what will define the next phase of the market.
Photo Credit: Featured image of Karlsruhe Palace (crpperd) is used under CC BY-SA 4.0, attribution to the author, Gerd Eichmann.