Process mining is a powerful technology—but to use it effectively, one must understand what happens behind the scenes. How are process models derived from data? What do conformance diagnostics really mean? And how can process mining and machine learning work together?

In this masterclass-style session, Wil van der Aalst, widely known as the “godfather of process mining,” will reveal the often-hidden mechanics behind the results you see in tools like Celonis. You’ll learn how process models (e.g., directly-follows graphs and BPMN) relate to the underlying event data, what alignments are and why they matter for conformance checking, and how object-centric data introduces challenges like convergence and divergence. The session will also cover how to construct “situation tables” to connect process mining with predictive and diagnostic machine learning.

Expect precise, but simple, explanations that connect input data to output insights—bringing clarity to what is often treated as a black box.