Event Groups

Event Groups let you organize related activities into logical phases or stages, simplifying complex process maps and making analysis more intuitive. Instead of seeing dozens of individual activities, group them into meaningful business phases.

What are Event Groups?

Event Groups are logical collections of related event types that represent phases or stages in your business process. They help simplify complex processes by grouping low-level activities into higher-level business concepts.

How Event Groups Work

Event groups operate through two key mechanisms:

1. Aliasing (Event Type Grouping) Multiple different event types are displayed under a single group label. For example, "Credit Check Initiated", "Credit Score Retrieved", and "Credit Report Generated" all appear as "Credit Assessment".

2. Sequential Collapse (Optional) When the same group appears multiple times in a row, you can choose to collapse them into a single occurrence. This is especially useful for repetitive activities or system calls.

Example: Loan Application Process

Instead of showing 15+ individual activities:

Application Submitted → Document Upload → Document Validation → 
Credit Check Initiated → Credit Score Retrieved → Credit Report Generated → 
Employment Verification Started → Employment Confirmed → 
Risk Assessment Initiated → Risk Score Calculated → Risk Review → 
Manager Review Requested → Manager Approval → Final Decision → 
Loan Disbursed

Group them into 4 meaningful phases:

Application Phase → Review Phase → Decision Phase → Fulfillment Phase

Each phase contains multiple related activities but presents a cleaner, business-focused view.

Why Use Event Groups?

1. Simplify Complex Maps

Before Event Groups: Process map with 20+ nodes

• Hard to see overall flow
• Details obscure big picture
• Overwhelming for stakeholders

After Event Groups: Process map with 4-5 phases

• Clear high-level flow
• Business-meaningful stages
• Easy to understand and discuss

2. Business-Aligned Analysis

Event groups align with how business people think:

• Application Phase: Customer-facing activities
• Review Phase: Internal assessment work
• Decision Phase: Approval/rejection activities
• Fulfillment Phase: Completion activities

3. Flexible Detail Levels

Switch between views:

• Grouped View: High-level phases for executives
• Detailed View: Individual activities for operations
• Mixed View: Some groups expanded, others collapsed

4. Better Performance Metrics

Measure what matters to the business:

• Time spent in each phase
• Bottlenecks between phases
• Phase-level performance trends
• Business-relevant KPIs

Creating Event Groups

Automatic Grouping

Flow Myna's AI can automatically suggest event groups based on:

• Activity names and patterns
• Temporal clustering (activities that happen together)
• Common business process patterns
• Similar processes in other organizations

AI Suggestions Example:

Suggested Groups for Loan Process:
├── Application Phase (3 events)
│   ├── Application Submitted
│   ├── Document Upload
│   └── Initial Validation
├── Assessment Phase (5 events)
│   ├── Credit Check
│   ├── Employment Verification
│   ├── Risk Assessment
│   └── Background Check
└── Decision Phase (4 events)
    ├── Manager Review
    ├── Director Approval
    ├── Final Decision
    └── Notification Sent

Manual Grouping

Create custom groups that match your business:

Step 1: Identify Phases Think about your process in business terms:

• What are the major stages?
• How do you describe the process to others?
• What phases have different owners or systems?

Step 2: Group Related Events Drag and drop events into groups:

• Events that serve the same business purpose
• Activities performed by the same team/system
• Sequential activities with no decision points between

Step 3: Name Groups Meaningfully Use business language:

• ✅ "Customer Onboarding"
• ✅ "Risk Assessment"
• ✅ "Approval Process"
• ❌ "Phase 1"
• ❌ "Group A"
• ❌ "Initial Steps"

Group Configuration

Group Properties:

• Name: Business-meaningful label
• Events: Which activities are included
• Collapse Sequential: Whether to merge repeated occurrences

Example Configuration:

Group: "Risk Assessment"
Events:
  - Credit Check Complete
  - Employment Verification
  - Risk Score Calculation
  - Background Check
Collapse Sequential: false

Understanding the Collapse Checkbox

The "Collapse sequential occurrences" checkbox controls what happens when the same group appears multiple times in a row:

Collapse OFF (default):

Raw events:    Credit Check Complete → Employment Verification → Approval
Displayed as:  Risk Assessment → Risk Assessment → Approval

Each occurrence is shown separately, preserving the full sequence.

Collapse ON:

Raw events:    Credit Check Complete → Employment Verification → Approval  
Displayed as:  Risk Assessment → Approval

Multiple consecutive occurrences are merged into a single display event.

When to use collapse:

• ✅ System calls or API requests that repeat
• ✅ Iterative processes where count doesn't matter
• ✅ Reducing visual complexity in busy process maps
• ❌ When the number of repetitions is meaningful

Using Event Groups in Analysis

Process Map Views

Grouped Process Map

• Shows groups as single nodes
• Edges between groups show phase transitions
• Cleaner, more understandable visualization
• Good for presentations and high-level analysis

Detailed Process Map

• Shows all individual events
• Full complexity visible
• Good for operational analysis
• Useful for identifying specific bottlenecks

Expandable Groups

• Click to expand/collapse groups
• Focus on areas of interest
• Mix high-level and detailed views
• Interactive exploration

Variant Analysis with Groups

Group-Level Variants See different paths through business phases:

Standard Path: Application → Assessment → Decision → Fulfillment
Expedited Path: Application → Quick Decision → Fulfillment  
Rejection Path: Application → Assessment → Rejection

Detailed Variants Within Groups Expand groups to see internal variations:

Assessment Phase Variants:
- Standard: Credit Check → Employment → Risk Assessment
- Simplified: Credit Check → Risk Assessment (skip employment)
- Enhanced: Credit Check → Employment → Risk Assessment → Manual Review

Performance Analysis

Phase-Level Metrics

• Time spent in each phase
• Bottlenecks between phases
• Phase completion rates
• Resource utilization by phase

Cross-Phase Analysis

• Which phases have the most variation?
• Where do cases get stuck between phases?
• How do different case types flow through phases?

AI Co-Pilot with Groups

Ask business-focused questions:

You: "How long does the Assessment Phase typically take?"
AI: The Assessment Phase averages 2.3 days, with Credit Check (1.1 days) 
    and Risk Assessment (0.9 days) being the main components.

You: "Show me cases stuck in the Decision Phase"
AI: [Filters to 23 cases in Decision Phase > 5 days]
    Most delays are in Manager Review (avg 3.2 days wait time).

You: "Compare Assessment Phase for high-value vs standard loans"
AI: [Shows comparison chart]
    High-value loans: 3.1 days (extra manual review)
    Standard loans: 1.8 days (mostly automated)

Best Practices

Grouping Strategy

Start with Business Phases

• How does your business describe the process?
• What phases have different owners?
• Where are the natural breakpoints?

Keep Groups Balanced

• 3-7 groups typically work well
• Each group should have 2-8 events
• Avoid single-event groups (unless special)

Use Consistent Naming

• Noun phrases: "Risk Assessment", "Document Review"
• Action phrases: "Assessing Risk", "Reviewing Documents"
• Pick one style and stick to it

Group Boundaries

Good Group Boundaries

• Clear handoffs between teams/systems
• Natural decision points
• Different business purposes
• Distinct time periods

Poor Group Boundaries

• Arbitrary splits in continuous work
• Mixed responsibilities
• Overlapping purposes
• Unclear ownership

Evolution Over Time

Start Simple

• Begin with obvious, high-level groups
• Get feedback from business stakeholders
• Refine based on actual usage

Iterate Based on Analysis

• Split groups that are too broad
• Merge groups that are too granular
• Adjust based on where bottlenecks appear

Document Changes

• Keep track of grouping decisions
• Note why changes were made
• Maintain consistency across projects

How Event Data Is Handled

Event Attributes and Timestamps

When events are grouped, here's what happens to their data:

Event Attributes:

• Individual event attributes are preserved for filtering
• When you filter by an attribute, it applies to the original events within the group
• Grouped events maintain references to all their member events
• You can still filter on specific event types even when they're grouped

Timestamps:

• For collapsed groups: Uses the timestamp of the first event in the sequence
• For non-collapsed groups: Each event keeps its original timestamp
• Duration calculations use the actual timestamps of the underlying events

Event Order:

• The order of events within a group does matter for collapse behavior
• Events are processed in chronological order (by timestamp)
• Only consecutive events with the same group label are considered for collapsing

Example: Data Handling

Original Events:
1. 09:00 - Credit Check Started (amount: $50,000, risk: medium)
2. 09:15 - Credit Score Retrieved (score: 720, risk: medium)  
3. 09:30 - Credit Report Generated (report_id: CR-123, risk: medium)

Grouped as "Credit Assessment" (collapse OFF):
- Shows 3 separate "Credit Assessment" events
- Each keeps its original timestamp and attributes
- Filtering by "amount > $40,000" still works

Grouped as "Credit Assessment" (collapse ON):
- Shows 1 "Credit Assessment" event at 09:00
- Filtering still finds this case (uses all member events)
- Duration from this group to next event uses 09:30 as end time

Common Use Cases

1. Similar Events with Different Names

Problem: Multiple event types that represent the same business activity but have different technical names.

Example:

Individual Events:
- "payment_authorized_visa"
- "payment_authorized_mastercard"  
- "payment_authorized_amex"
- "payment_authorized_paypal"

Grouped as: "Payment Authorized"

Benefits:

• Reduces process map complexity from 4 nodes to 1
• Easier to understand business flow
• Maintains ability to filter by specific payment types

2. Reducing Process Variants

Problem: Too many process variants due to minor technical differences.

Example:

Before Grouping - 8 variants:
Variant 1: Submit → Visa Auth → Review → Approve
Variant 2: Submit → MC Auth → Review → Approve  
Variant 3: Submit → Amex Auth → Review → Approve
Variant 4: Submit → PayPal Auth → Review → Approve
... (4 more with rejections)

After Grouping - 2 variants:
Variant 1: Submit → Payment Auth → Review → Approve
Variant 2: Submit → Payment Auth → Review → Reject

Benefits:

• Focus on meaningful business differences
• Clearer variant analysis
• Easier to identify process improvements

3. Linked Events (Sequential Dependencies)

Problem: Some events always happen together in sequence, creating visual noise.

Example:

Individual Events:
1. "loan_application_received"
2. "application_validation_started"  
3. "application_validation_complete"
4. "application_forwarded_to_underwriting"

Grouped as: "Application Processing" (collapse ON)

Benefits:

• Simplifies process map visualization
• Groups logically related activities
• Maintains timing accuracy for performance analysis

4. System vs Business Events

Problem: Technical system events mixed with business events make the process hard to follow.

Example:

Individual Events:
- "database_record_created"
- "audit_log_written"
- "notification_queued"
- "email_sent"
- "status_updated"

Grouped as: "System Processing" (collapse ON)

Benefits:

• Separates technical implementation from business process
• Cleaner view for business stakeholders
• Technical details still available when needed

5. Iterative or Retry Processes

Problem: Processes with loops or retries create complex maps.

Example:

Individual Events:
1. "document_scan_attempt_1"
2. "document_scan_failed"
3. "document_scan_attempt_2" 
4. "document_scan_failed"
5. "document_scan_attempt_3"
6. "document_scan_success"

Grouped as: "Document Scanning" (collapse ON)

Benefits:

• Hides retry complexity from high-level view
• Shows business outcome rather than technical attempts
• Preserves ability to analyze retry patterns when needed

Examples

Example 1: E-commerce Order Process

Individual Events (12 events): Order Placed, Payment Authorized, Inventory Check, Item Reserved, Picking Started, Item Picked, Packing Started, Item Packed, Shipping Label Created, Package Dispatched, In Transit, Delivered

Event Groups (4 groups):

Order Processing (3 events)
├── Order Placed
├── Payment Authorized
└── Inventory Check

Fulfillment (4 events)  
├── Item Reserved
├── Picking Started
├── Item Picked
└── Item Packed

Shipping (3 events)
├── Shipping Label Created
├── Package Dispatched
└── In Transit

Delivery (2 events)
├── Out for Delivery
└── Delivered

Example 2: Customer Support Process

Individual Events (15 events): Ticket Created, Auto-Categorized, Agent Assigned, First Response, Customer Reply, Agent Investigation, Escalation Requested, Senior Agent Assigned, Solution Identified, Solution Implemented, Customer Notification, Customer Confirmation, Ticket Closed, Satisfaction Survey, Follow-up Complete

Event Groups (5 groups):

Intake (2 events)
├── Ticket Created
└── Auto-Categorized

Initial Response (3 events)
├── Agent Assigned  
├── First Response
└── Customer Reply

Investigation (4 events)
├── Agent Investigation
├── Escalation Requested
├── Senior Agent Assigned
└── Solution Identified

Resolution (3 events)
├── Solution Implemented
├── Customer Notification
└── Customer Confirmation

Closure (3 events)
├── Ticket Closed
├── Satisfaction Survey
└── Follow-up Complete

Example 3: Hiring Process

Individual Events (18 events): Application Received, Resume Screening, Phone Screen Scheduled, Phone Screen Completed, Technical Assessment Sent, Assessment Submitted, Assessment Reviewed, On-site Interview Scheduled, First Interview, Second Interview, Panel Interview, Reference Check Initiated, References Contacted, Background Check Started, Background Check Complete, Offer Extended, Offer Accepted, Onboarding Started

Event Groups (6 groups):

Application (2 events)
├── Application Received
└── Resume Screening

Initial Screening (3 events)
├── Phone Screen Scheduled
├── Phone Screen Completed
└── Technical Assessment

Assessment (3 events)
├── Assessment Submitted
├── Assessment Reviewed
└── Technical Review

Interviews (4 events)
├── On-site Interview Scheduled
├── First Interview
├── Second Interview
└── Panel Interview

Verification (4 events)
├── Reference Check Initiated
├── References Contacted
├── Background Check Started
└── Background Check Complete

Hiring (2 events)
├── Offer Extended
├── Offer Accepted
└── Onboarding Started

Advanced Features

Conditional Groups

Groups that appear only under certain conditions:

• Escalation Group: Only for complex cases
• Expedited Group: Only for urgent requests
• Review Group: Only for high-value transactions

Nested Groups

Groups within groups for very complex processes:

Assessment Phase
├── Initial Assessment
│   ├── Credit Check
│   └── Basic Verification
└── Detailed Assessment
    ├── Manual Review
    ├── Additional Verification
    └── Risk Modeling

Cross-Process Groups

Groups that span multiple related processes:

• Customer Onboarding: Shared across loan, credit card, and account opening
• Compliance Check: Common verification steps across products
• Final Approval: Similar decision processes across workflows

Next Steps

Ready to organize your process with event groups?

Start Grouping

1. Identify your business phases - How do you naturally describe your process?
2. Create initial groups - Start with 3-5 obvious phases
3. Test the grouping - Does it make sense to stakeholders?
4. Refine iteratively - Adjust based on analysis needs

Explore with Groups

• Process Map - View your grouped process map
• Process Variants - Analyze variants at group level
• AI Co-Pilot - Ask questions about phases and groups

Advanced Analysis

• Filters & Exploration - Filter by groups and phases
• AI Insights - Get insights about group performance