ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN FOR SELLING PROJECT-BASED SERVICES APPLICATION SOFTWARE

• US 20100138269A1
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Faisst, Volker, Cirpus, Vytas, Geisau, Otfried Von
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for implementing a software architecture design for a software application implementing the selling of project-based services are disclosed. The application is structured as multiple process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, and multiple service operations, each being implemented for a respective process component. The process components include a Project Processing process component that supports the management of projects, a Supplier Invoice Processing process component that manages supplier invoices, an Accounting process component that records relevant business transactions, a Customer Invoice Processing process component that manages customer invoices, and a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component that receives a confirmation from an employee of goods received or services rendered.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising application software encoded on a tangible machine-readable information carrier, the application software being structured as process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, the software comprising:

a plurality of process components, each of the process components being a package of software implementing a respective and distinct business process, the plurality of process components including;

an opportunity processing process component that is responsible for the development, processing and monitoring of opportunities with the aim to initiate sales and service deals;

a customer quote processing process component that is responsible for the processing of quotes to customers offering the delivery of goods according to specific terms;

a sales order processing process component that is responsible for the processing of customers'"'"' requests to seller for the delivery of goods, on a specific date, for a specific quantity, and for a specific price;

a customer relationship auxiliaries processing process component that is responsible for the processing of supplementary functions that support customer relationship management;

a project processing process component that is responsible for structuring, planning, and executing simple short-term measures and complex projects;

a customer project invoice preparation processing component that is responsible for creating invoice requisitions for a customer project based on the expenses incurred, the project progress, and the invoicing agreements;

a customer invoice processing process component that is responsible for the invoicing of customers for the delivery of goods or the provision of services;

a purchase request processing process component that is responsible for the creation, changing, and processing of purchase requests to locate appropriate external sources of supply;

a purchase order processing process component that is responsible for the creation and maintenance of purchase orders and purchase order confirmations;

a goods and service acknowledgement process component that represents a confirmation by an employee of goods received or services rendered;

a purchasing contract processing process component that is responsible for the creation and maintenance of purchasing contracts;

a supplier invoice processing process component that is responsible for the management and volume processing of supplier invoices;

a due item processing process component that is responsible for the collection, management, and monitoring of trade receivables or payables and corresponding sales tax or withholding tax;

a balance of foreign payment management process component that is responsible for the collection, processing, and reporting of receivables and payables according to foreign trade regulations that are required by the financial authority of a country;

an accounting process component that records relevant business transactions for valuation and profitability analysis;

a costing process component that is responsible for the estimation of costs for materials, projects, service products, sales order items, and production lots; and

a payment processing process component that is responsible for the processing and management of all payments, associated communication with financial institutions, and provides the primary input for liquidity management; and

a plurality of service operations, each service operation being implemented for a respective process component, the operations comprising inbound and outbound operations, the outbound operation for a first process component being operable to send a message to a second process component of the plurality of process components, the second process component having an inbound operation for receiving the message, the passing of messages between an inbound and an outbound operation defining a message-based pair-wise interaction between the respective process components of the respective operations, the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components including interactions between;

a purchase order at processing at customer process component and the sales order processing process component;

the sales order processing process component and the customer project invoice preparation process component;

the project processing process component and the costing process component;

the project processing process component and the purchase request processing process component;

the project processing process component and the goods and service acknowledgement process component;

the project processing process component and the supplier invoice processing process component;

the customer project invoice preparation process component and the customer invoice processing process component;

the customer invoice processing process component and the accounting process component;

the due item processing process component and the customer invoice processing process component;

the customer invoice processing process component and the balance of foreign payment management process component;

the customer invoice processing process component and the supplier invoice processing process component;

the payment processing process component and the due item processing process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the due item processing process component;

the due item processing process component and a due item processing at business partner process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the balance of foreign payment management process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the accounting process component;

the payment processing process component and a payment processing at business partner process component;

the payment processing process component and a payment order processing at house bank process component;

the payment processing process component and a bank statement creation at bank process component;

the purchase order processing process component and a sales order processing at supplier process component;

the purchase order processing process component and the accounting process component;

the purchase order processing process component and the sales order processing process component;

the purchase order processing process component and the supplier invoice processing process component;

the goods and service acknowledgement process component and the accounting process component;

the goods and service acknowledgement process component and the supplier invoice processing process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the purchasing contract processing process component; and

the supplier invoice processing process component and a customer invoice processing at supplier process component.

2. The product of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of process components further includes;

a time and labor management process component that supports the management of employees'"'"' planned working times, and the recording and valuation of work performed and absence times;

an expense and reimbursement management process component that is responsible for the management and monitoring of expenses incurred by employees, and the reimbursement of expenses to employees; and

an inventory processing process component that supports the management of inventory and recording of inventory changes, and provides services to maintain current stock, content and structure of logistic units and allocations; and

the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components further include interactions between;

the time and labor management process component and the accounting process component;

the project processing process component and the time and labor management process component;

the time and labor management process component and the goods and services acknowledgement process component;

the expense and reimbursement management process component and the project processing process component;

the expense and reimbursement management process component and the accounting process component;

the inventory processing process component and the project processing process component; and

the inventory processing process component and the accounting process component.

3. The product of claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of process components is assigned to exactly one deployment unit among multiple deployment units, and each deployment unit is deployable on a separate computer hardware platform independent of every other deployment unit; and

all interaction between a process component in one deployment unit and any other process component in any other deployment unit takes place through the respective service interfaces of the two process components.

4. The product of claim 3, wherein the deployment units comprise:

a customer relationship management deployment unit that includes the opportunity processing, the customer quote processing, the sales order processing, and the customer relationship auxiliaries processing process components;

a project management deployment unit that includes the project processing and the customer project invoice preparation process components;

a customer invoice deployment unit that includes the customer invoice processing process component;

a purchasing deployment unit that includes the purchase request processing, the purchase order processing, the goods and service acknowledgement, and the purchasing contract processing process components;

a supplier invoicing deployment unit that includes the supplier invoice processing process component;

a financials deployment unit that includes the due item processing, the accounting, the balance of foreign payment management, the costing, and the payment processing process components;

a human capital management deployment unit that includes the time and labor management process component;

an expense and reimbursement management deployment unit that includes the expense and reimbursement management process component; and

a production and site logistics execution deployment unit that includes the inventory processing process component.

5. The product of claim 1, wherein:

each of the process components includes one or more business objects; and

none of the business objects of any one of the process components interacts directly with any of the business objects included in any of the other process components.

6. The product of claim 5, wherein the business objects comprise a business process object.

7. The product of claim 5, wherein none of the business objects included in any one of the process components is included in any of the other process components.

8. The product of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of process agents, each process agent being either an inbound process agent or an outbound process agent, an inbound process agent being operable to receive a message from an inbound operation, an outbound process agent being operable to cause an outbound operation to send a message, each process agent being associated with exactly one process component.

9. The product of claim 8, wherein the inbound process agents comprise a first inbound process agent operable to start the execution of a business process step requested in a first inbound message by creating or updating one or more business object instances.

10. The product of claim 8, wherein the outbound process agents comprise a first asynchronous outbound process agent that is called after a business object that is associated with the first outbound process agent changes.

11. The product of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise synchronous and asynchronous operations.

12. A system, comprising:

a computer system comprising one or more hardware platforms for executing a computer software application;

a plurality of process components, each of the process components being a package of software implementing a respective and distinct business process, the plurality of process components including;

an opportunity processing process component that is responsible for the development, processing and monitoring of opportunities with the aim to initiate sales and service deals;

a customer quote processing process component that is responsible for the processing of quotes to customers offering the delivery of goods according to specific terms;

a sales order processing process component that is responsible for the processing of customers'"'"' requests to seller for the delivery of goods, on a specific date, for a specific quantity, and for a specific price;

a customer relationship auxiliaries processing process component that is responsible for the processing of supplementary functions that support customer relationship management;

a project processing process component that is responsible for structuring, planning, and executing simple short-term measures and complex projects;

a customer project invoice preparation processing component that is responsible for creating invoice requisitions for a customer project based on the expenses incurred, the project progress, and the invoicing agreements;

a customer invoice processing process component that is responsible for the invoicing of customers for the delivery of goods or the provision of services;

a purchase request processing process component that is responsible for the creation, changing, and processing of purchase requests to locate appropriate external sources of supply;

a purchase order processing process component that is responsible for the creation and maintenance of purchase orders and purchase order confirmations;

a goods and service acknowledgement process component that represents a confirmation by an employee of goods received or services rendered;

a purchasing contract processing process component that is responsible for the creation and maintenance of purchasing contracts;

a supplier invoice processing process component that is responsible for the management and volume processing of supplier invoices;

a due item processing process component that is responsible for the collection, management, and monitoring of trade receivables or payables and corresponding sales tax or withholding tax;

a balance of foreign payment management process component that is responsible for the collection, processing, and reporting of receivables and payables according to foreign trade regulations that are required by the financial authority of a country;

an accounting process component that records relevant business transactions for valuation and profitability analysis;

a costing process component that is responsible for the estimation of costs for materials, projects, service products, sales order items, and production lots; and

a payment processing process component that is responsible for the processing and management of all payments, associated communication with financial institutions, and provides the primary input for liquidity management; and

a plurality of service operations, each service operation being implemented for a respective process component, the operations comprising inbound and outbound operations, the outbound operation for a first process component being operable to send a message to a second process component of the plurality of process components, the second process component having an inbound operation for receiving the message, the passing of messages between an inbound and an outbound operation defining a message-based pair-wise interaction between the respective process components of the respective operations, the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components including interactions between;

a purchase order at processing at customer process component and the sales order processing process component;

the sales order processing process component and the customer project invoice preparation process component;

the project processing process component and the costing process component;

the project processing process component and the purchase request processing process component;

the project processing process component and the goods and service acknowledgement process component;

the project processing process component and the supplier invoice processing process component;

the customer project invoice preparation process component and the customer invoice processing process component;

the customer invoice processing process component and the accounting process component;

the due item processing process component and the customer invoice processing process component;

the customer invoice processing process component and the balance of foreign payment management process component;

the customer invoice processing process component and the supplier invoice processing process component;

the payment processing process component and the due item processing process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the due item processing process component;

the due item processing process component and a due item processing at business partner process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the balance of foreign payment management process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the accounting process component;

the payment processing process component and a payment processing at business partner process component;

the payment processing process component and a payment order processing at house bank process component;

the payment processing process component and a bank statement creation at bank process component;

the purchase order processing process component and a sales order processing at supplier process component;

the purchase order processing process component and the accounting process component;

the purchase order processing process component and the sales order processing process component;

the purchase order processing process component and the supplier invoice processing process component;

the goods and service acknowledgement process component and the accounting process component;

the goods and service acknowledgement process component and the supplier invoice processing process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the purchasing contract processing process component; and

the supplier invoice processing process component and a customer invoice processing at supplier process component.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the plurality of process components further includes;

a time and labor management process component that supports the management of employees'"'"' planned working times, and the recording and valuation of work performed and absence times;

an expense and reimbursement management process component that is responsible for the management and monitoring of expenses incurred by employees, and the reimbursement of expenses to employees; and

an inventory processing process component that supports the management of inventory and recording of inventory changes, and provides services to maintain current stock, content and structure of logistic units and allocations; and

the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components further include interactions between;

the time and labor management process component and the accounting process component;

the project processing process component and the time and labor management process component;

the time and labor management process component and the goods and services acknowledgement process component;

the expense and reimbursement management process component and the project processing process component;

the expense and reimbursement management process component and the accounting process component;

the inventory processing process component and the project processing process component; and

the inventory processing process component and the accounting process component.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein:

each of the process components includes one or more business objects; and

none of the business objects of any one of the process components interacts directly with any of the business objects included in any of the other process components.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein none of the business objects included in any one of the process components is included in any of the other process components.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein a plurality of process agents, each process agent being either an inbound process agent or an outbound process agent, an inbound process agent being operable to receive a message from an inbound operation, an outbound process agent being operable to cause an outbound operation to send a message, each process agent being associated with exactly one process component.

17. The system of claim 12, the system comprising multiple hardware platforms, wherein:

the opportunity processing, the customer quote processing, the sales order processing, and the customer relationship auxiliaries processing process components are deployed on a first hardware platform;

the project processing and the customer project invoice preparation process components are deployed on a second hardware platform;

the customer invoice processing process component is deployed on a third hardware platform;

the purchase request processing, the purchase order processing, the goods and services acknowledgement, and the purchasing contract processing process components are deployed on a fourth hardware platform;

the supplier invoice processing process component is deployed on a fifth hardware platform;

the due item processing, the accounting, the balance of foreign payment management, the costing, and the payment processing process components are deployed on a sixth hardware platform;

the time and labor management process component is deployed on a seventh hardware platform;

the expense and reimbursement management process component is deployed on an eighth hardware platform; and

the inventory processing process component is deployed on a ninth hardware platform.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the first through the ninth hardware platforms are distinct and separate from each other.

19. A method for developing a computer software application, comprising:

obtaining in a computer system digital data representing an architectural design for a set of processes implementing an end-to-end application process, the design specifying a process component for each process in the set of processes, the design specifying further specifying a set of process component interactions, wherein;

the specified process components include;

an opportunity processing process component that is responsible for the development, processing and monitoring of opportunities with the aim to initiate sales and service deals;

a customer quote processing process component that is responsible for the processing of quotes to customers offering the delivery of goods according to specific terms;

a sales order processing process component that is responsible for the processing of customers'"'"' requests to seller for the delivery of goods, on a specific date, for a specific quantity, and for a specific price;

a customer relationship auxiliaries processing process component that is responsible for the processing of supplementary functions that support customer relationship management;

a project processing process component that is responsible for structuring, planning, and executing simple short-term measures and complex projects;

a customer project invoice preparation processing component that is responsible for creating invoice requisitions for a customer project based on the expenses incurred, the project progress, and the invoicing agreements;

a customer invoice processing process component that is responsible for the invoicing of customers for the delivery of goods or the provision of services;

a purchase request processing process component that is responsible for the creation, changing, and processing of purchase requests to locate appropriate external sources of supply;

a purchase order processing process component that is responsible for the creation and maintenance of purchase orders and purchase order confirmations;

a goods and service acknowledgement process component that represents a confirmation by an employee of goods received or services rendered;

a purchasing contract processing process component that is responsible for the creation and maintenance of purchasing contracts;

a supplier invoice processing process component that is responsible for the management and volume processing of supplier invoices;

a due item processing process component that is responsible for the collection, management, and monitoring of trade receivables or payables and corresponding sales tax or withholding tax;

a balance of foreign payment management process component that is responsible for the collection, processing, and reporting of receivables and payables according to foreign trade regulations that are required by the financial authority of a country;

an accounting process component that records relevant business transactions for valuation and profitability analysis;

a costing process component that is responsible for the estimation of costs for materials, projects, service products, sales order items, and production lots; and

a payment processing process component that is responsible for the processing and management of all payments, associated communication with financial institutions, and provides the primary input for liquidity management; and

the process component interactions include interactions between;

the opportunity processing process component and the customer quote processing process component;

the customer quote processing process component and an RFQ processing at customer process component;

the customer quote processing process component and the sales order processing process component;

a purchase order at customer process component and the sales order processing process component;

the sales order processing process component and the customer project invoice preparation process component;

the project processing process component and the costing process component;

the project processing process component and the customer project invoice preparation process component;

the project processing process component and the purchase request processing process component;

the project processing process component and the goods and services acknowledgement process component;

the project processing process component and the supplier invoice processing process component;

the customer project invoice preparation process component and the accounting process component;

the customer project invoice preparation process component and the customer invoice processing process component;

the customer invoice processing process component and a supplier invoice processing at customer process component;

the customer invoice processing process component and the accounting process component;

the due item processing process component and the customer invoice processing process component;

the customer invoice processing process component and the balance of foreign payment management process component;

the due item processing process component and the accounting process component;

the due item processing process component and the payment processing process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the due item processing process component;

the due item processing process component and a due item processing at business partner process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the balance of foreign payment management process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the accounting process component;

the payment processing process component and the accounting process component;

the payment processing process component and a payment processing at business partner process component;

the payment processing process component and a payment over processing at house bank process component;

the payment processing process component and a bank statement creation at bank process component;

the purchase request processing process component and the purchase order processing process component;

the purchase order processing process component and a sales order processing at supplier process component;

the purchase order processing process component and the accounting process component;

the purchase order processing process component and the purchasing contract processing process component;

the purchase order processing process component and the supplier invoice processing process component;

the goods and services acknowledgement process component and the purchase order processing process component;

the goods and services acknowledgement process component and the purchasing contract processing process component;

the goods and services acknowledgement process component and the accounting process component;

the goods and services acknowledgement process component and the supplier invoice processing process component;

the supplier invoice processing process component and the purchasing contract processing process component; and

the supplier invoice processing process component and a customer invoice processing at supplier process component;

using the design including the specified process components and the specified process component interactions to develop a computer software application to perform the set of processes.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the specified process components further include;

a time and labor management process component that supports the management of employees'"'"' planned working times, and the recording and valuation of work performed and absence times;

an expense and reimbursement management process component that is responsible for the management and monitoring of expenses incurred by employees, and the reimbursement of expenses to employees; and

an inventory processing process component that supports the management of inventory and recording of inventory changes, and provides services to maintain current stock, content and structure of logistic units and allocations; and

the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components further include interactions between;

the time and labor management process component and the accounting process component;

the project processing process component and the time and labor management process component;

the time and labor management process component and the project processing process component;

the time and labor management process component and the goods and services acknowledgement process component;

the expense and reimbursement management process component and the project processing process component;

the expense and reimbursement management process component and the accounting process component;

the inventory processing process component and the project processing process component; and

the inventory processing process component and the accounting process component.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein each process in the set of processes is a business process transforming a defined business input into a defined business outcome.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein obtaining digital data representing the architectural design further comprises editing the design before using the design.