Definition
What is conformance checking?
Conformance checking compares the reconstructed reality of a process against the intended or required path, and quantifies where and how often they diverge. Divergences include skipped controls, repeated steps, out-of-order activities and cases that never reach a valid end state.
Updated 4 September 2026
Why it matters
- Skipped controls are a risk and audit issue as well as an efficiency one.
- Repeated steps are usually the cheapest source of savings, because the work is duplicated rather than merely slow.
- Frequent deviation is evidence that the intended design does not fit reality and should be redesigned, not enforced.
Business example
A manufacturer finds that a share of purchase orders are raised after the invoice has already arrived, revealing an approval threshold that operations routinely works around.
Common misconceptions
- 'Every deviation should be eliminated.' Some deviations are sensible adaptations; the finding is the cost, not the deviation itself.
- 'You need a documented process model first.' Cost and cycle time can serve as the reference when no model exists.
- 'It is an audit tool.' It is primarily an improvement tool that also produces audit-relevant evidence.
Related concepts
- Process mining
- Process intelligence
- Event log
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