Apparatus and method for strategy map validation and visualization

• US 20070156787A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects (SAP SE)
• Inventors: MacGregor, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,730,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A computer-readable medium to direct a computer to function in a specified manner includes executable instructions to construct a strategy map characterizing a presumed causal link between a first business metric and a second business metric. A first pattern within data associated with the first business metric is identified; a second pattern within data associated with the second business metric is located. Any relationship between the first pattern and the second pattern is specified.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium to direct a computer to function in a specified manner, comprising executable instructions to:

construct a strategy map characterizing a presumed causal link between a first business metric and a second business metric;

identify a first pattern within data associated with the first business metric;

locate a second pattern within data associated with the second business metric; and

specify any relationship between the first pattern and the second pattern.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions to construct a strategy map include executable instructions to automatically specify a presumed causal link between the first business metric and the second business metric.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions to construct a strategy map include executable instructions to accept a user-defined presumed causal link between the first business metric and the second business metric.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions to identify and locate include executable instructions to specify a pattern selected from a linear pattern, a non-linear pattern, an outlier pattern, a cyclical pattern, and a random pattern.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions to specify include executable instructions to apply a statistical test to the first pattern and the second pattern.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the statistical test is selected from a Runs Test, a Mean Successive Squared Difference Test, an Autocorrelation Test, a Tukey Test, a Variance Test, and a Regression Analysis.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions to specify include executable instructions to specify a concurrent increase in the first pattern and the second pattern, a concurrent decrease in the first pattern and the second pattern, a divergent pattern between the first pattern and the second pattern, potentially correlated outlier values within the first pattern and the second pattern, and a lack of correlation between the first pattern and the second pattern.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising executable instructions to present icons characterizing patterns within the data associated with the first business metric and the data associated with the second business metric.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising executable instructions to present an icon characterizing a relationship between the first pattern and the second pattern.