Cognitive Computing: What’s in for Business Process Management? An Exploration of Use Case Ideas

Cognitive Computing promises to fundamentally transform corporate information processing and problem solving. Building on latest advances in cognitive, data, and computer science, Cognitive Computing aims to deliver autonomous reasoning and continuous learning under consideration of contextual insights and the natural interaction of humans and machines. Cognitive Computing is expected to offer significant application opportunities for business process management (BPM). While first studies have investigated the potential impact of Cognitive Computing on BPM, the intersection between both disciplines remains largely unexplored. In particular, little work has been done on identifying Cognitive BPM use cases. To address this gap, we develop an analysis framework that aims to assist researchers and practitioners in the development of Cognitive BPM use case ideas. This framework combines the most significant problem classes addressed by Cognitive Computing with central activities of the BPM lifecycle. We also used the framework as foundation of explorative workshops and report on the most interesting cognitive BPM use cases ideas we discovered.