In process mining, which method compares the discovered process model to the target model to identify deviations?

• A. Process enhancement
• B. Conformance checking
• C. Process discovery
• D. Regulatory compliance

Answer: (B)

Conformance checking focuses on how well the actual process behavior matches a predefined target model. It uses event logs to derive observed traces and compares them to the reference model, typically through alignments or replay-based techniques. This reveals where the discovered model deviates from the target, such as missing steps, extra steps, or different ordering, and provides metrics like fitness to quantify the alignment. The other options pertain to discovering or improving models or to regulatory aspects, not to comparing the discovered process to a target model to identify deviations.