Flexible cost and revenue allocation for service orders

• US 20060085302A1
• Filed: 09/21/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Walz, Stefan, Bock, Daniel, Laufer, Alexander, Weiss, Klaus D.W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,945,489 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A method and system handles cost and revenue allocation for service orders. For a service order, there is allowed to be created planned rules for allocation of costs to one or more service providers and for allocation of expected revenues to be received from one or more service receivers, which are forwarded in electronic form, if created, to a cost accounting system. After receipt of a confirmation that the service order has been executed wherein the confirmation includes information about costs actually incurred in executing the service order, there is allowed the creation of revised or newly created rules for allocation of the incurred costs to the one or more service providers and for the allocation of the revenues to be received from the one or more service receivers, which are forwarded in electronic form, if created or revised, to the cost accounting system.

Claims

1. A method of handling cost and revenue allocation for service orders, the method comprising:

allowing the creation of, for a service order, planned rules for allocation of costs to one or more service providers and for allocation of expected revenues to be received from one or more service receivers, and forwarding in electronic form the planned allocation rules, if created, to a cost accounting system;

after receipt of a confirmation that the service order has been executed wherein the confirmation includes information about costs actually incurred in executing the service order, allowing the creation of revised or newly created rules for allocation of the incurred costs to the one or more service providers and for the allocation of the revenues to be received from the one or more service receivers, and forwarding in electronic form the revised or newly created allocation rules, if created, to the cost accounting system; and

after a determination has been received in a billing computing system of the revenue amount to be invoiced and its allocation among the one or more service receivers, forwarding in electronic form the invoiced revenue amount and its allocation to the cost accounting system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the planned rules of allocation include in an electronic service order document that is used in the forwarding in electronic form the planned rules for allocation to a cost accounting system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cost accounting system in response to receiving the planned rules of allocation calculates preliminary costs, the costs including overhead costs, and revenue, and stores in an electronic database the calculated preliminary costs and the calculated revenue per cost element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the confirmation that the service order has been executed is provided in an electronic confirmation document that includes the information about the costs actually incurred in executing the service order.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the information about the costs incurred in executing the service order is received by user input to a service execution computing system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises the service execution computing system allowing a user to create proposed revised rules for allocation of the incurred costs to the one or more service providers, and wherein the proposed revised rules, if created, are included in the electronic confirmation document.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises forwarding the electronic confirmation document to a system that creates an electronic billing request document based on information included in the electronic confirmation document.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the revised rules for allocation of the incurred costs to the one or more service providers and for the allocation of the revenues to be received from the one or more service receivers, if created, are included in the electronic billing request document.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises receiving, in the billing computing system, the electronic billing request document.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises the billing computing system creating an electronic billing document based on the information in the electronic billing request document.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the electronic billing document provides the invoiced revenue amount its allocation that is forwarded to the cost accounting system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the costs for allocation include multiple cost line items.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more service providers comprise multiple service providers among which costs are allocated.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein in the expected revenues for allocation include multiple revenue line items of different revenue types.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more service receivers comprise multiple service receivers among which the invoiced revenue amount is allocated.

16. A computing system for processing service orders, the computing system comprising:

a service order application component that allows the creation of, for a service order, planned rules for allocation of costs to one or more service providers and for allocation of expected revenues to be received from one or more service receivers, and that forwards in electronic form the planned allocation rules, if created, to a cost accounting system;

a service execution application component that, as part of a process of creating a confirmation that the service order has been executed wherein the confirmation includes information about costs actually incurred in executing the service order, allows the creation of revised or newly created rules for allocation of the incurred costs to the one or more service providers and for the allocation of the revenues to be received from the one or more service receivers, and forwarding in electronic form the revised or newly created allocation rules, if created, to the cost accounting system; and

a billing computing system that, after a determination has been received of the revenue amount to be invoiced and its allocation among the one or more service receivers, forwards in electronic form the invoiced revenue amount and its allocation to the cost accounting system.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the planned rules of allocation include an electronic service order document that is used in the forwarding in electronic form the planned rules for allocation to a cost accounting system.

18. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the confirmation that the service order has been executed is provided in an electronic confirmation document that includes the information about the costs actually incurred in executing the service order.

19. A computing system for processing service orders, the computing system comprising:

a service order application component that allows the creation of, for a service order, planned rules for allocation of costs to one or more service providers and for allocation of expected revenues to be received from one or more service receivers, and that forwards in electronic form the planned allocation rules, if created, to a cost accounting system;

wherein the service order application component, after receipt of a confirmation that the service order has been executed wherein the confirmation includes information about costs actually incurred in executing the service order, allows the creation of revised or newly created rules for allocation of the incurred costs to the one or more service providers and for the allocation of the revenues to be received from the one or more service receivers, and forwarding in electronic form the revised or newly created allocation rules, if created, to the cost accounting system; and

a billing computing component that, after a determination has been received in a billing computing system of the revenue amount to be invoiced and its allocation among the one or more service receivers, forwards in electronic form the invoiced revenue amount and its allocation to the cost accounting system.

20. The computing system of claim 19, wherein the planned rules of allocation include an electronic service order document that is used in the forwarding in electronic form the planned rules for allocation to a cost accounting system.