Mining electromechanical excavators (shovels) are characterized by a critical discrepancy between a high technical level of design and low efficiency of rock excavation workflow control. It is shown that in the process of excavation of rocks by the working equipment of a straight-line shovel of a mining excavator, a transmission linkage is formed that connects the main mechanisms with the bucket and converts the movements of the driven links of the lifting and pressure mechanisms into the movement of the bucket (link "handle - bucket"). It has been established that the initial link of the transmission mechanism, the position and kinematic parameters of which determine the positions and kinematic parameters of both the links of the lifting and pressure mechanisms, and the transmission mechanism, is the link "handle - bucket". A kinematic model of the transmission mechanism has been developed. The interdependencies between the operating parameters (speeds and forces) of the main mechanisms and the parameters realized at the cutting edge of the bucket in the process of working out the excavator face have been determined. A computational experiment was performed to determine the operating parameters of the main mechanisms that ensure the movement of the bucket (the top of the cutting edge) along a given trajectory. An algorithmic description of the excavation process has been carried out. The functions of controlling the drives of the main actuating mechanisms (pressure and lifting mechanisms) are determined, which determine the relationship between the parameters characterizing the position of the bucket in the bottom hole and the required level of control action. The results of the work will make it possible to create an adaptive system for managing the working process of a mining excavator.