Business modeling, software engineering and prototyping method and apparatus

• US 5,233,513 A
• Filed: 12/28/1989
• Issued: 08/03/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Solution Strategies LLC
• Original Assignee: William P. Doyle
• Inventors: Doyle, William P.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Khai
• Application Number:
  US07/458,881
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/400, 364/408, 364/200, 395/700, 395/500, 395/82, 395/925, 395/922, 395/50, 395/51, 395/54, 395/60
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A microprocessor manipulated program which extracts the data inherent in the cognitive process leading to the spoken or written word and converts that data into business models capable of defining the interrelationship and functions of a business. The program models the business and the data thus generated is used to produce application software program code capable of controlling and/or performing all functions of the business. The system springs from The Connected Development Process of Four Dimensional Cognitive Modeling using the four basic linguistic entities of PROCESS and its attendant adjuncts of DATA, CONTROL and SUPPORT.

Claims

1. A method for creating a business management system, including the steps of:

creating a business model by analysis of process, data, control and support for business functions within the scope of said business management system; and

generating application programs by expert system manipulation of data defining said business model.

2. A method for creating a business management system as defined in claim 1, wherein said process, data, control and support is derived by cognitive linguistic evaluation.

3. A method for creating a business management system as defined in claim 1, including the steps of:

simulating said application programs;

testing said simulation on said business model;

modifying said simulation to correct deficiencies detected during said testing; and

generating application program code from said simulation.

4. A method for creating a business management system as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of creating a business model includes the steps of:

creating an existing business model defining the business as it presently exists;

creating an ideal business model defining

the business as it should be ideally;

comparing said existing and ideal models;

analyzing said comparison to determine what must be done to reduce disparity between said models;

determining how to accomplish what must be done to reduce said disparity between said models; and

developing a software ideal business process model including the processes identified by said step of determining how to accomplish what must be done.

5. A method for creating a business management system as defined in claim 1, including the steps of:

creating for said business model, process models containing;

(1) process transformations, (2) process sequence and process descriptions, (3) supporting agents for performing process and supporting instruments used in said process, (4) people and organizational units, (5) software program modules including automated software system, (6) computer hardware, (7) manual tools and automated machines, (8) agents and instruments used to perform said processes, (9) location of supporting resource and facilities information, (10) size of supporting resources, (11) quantity of people/computers/tools performing said processes, (12) commitment of supporting resources including person/computer/tool hours spent on said process per unit of calendar time, (13) cost of supporting resource including total of (person/computer/tool, unit cost)×

(resource commitment), (14) process efficiency including support time to perform job per 1 unit of output, (15) process throughput for calendar time to produce 1 unit of output, (16) process capacity in units of output=(resource commitment)×

(throughput), (17) data consumed and produced by each process, (18) transfer rules controlling transfers between the processes of branching, start, stop and sequence, (19) goals, objectives, policies and procedures controlling a process, (20) quality standard indicators for controlling input data quality, including edit rules and tables, reports, forms and data quantification of name, description, form and report number, (21) collect information on sizing, volume, security, retention and source database names, and (22) model interviewees'"'"' organization with an organization chart showing formal control structure for said business model.

6. A method for creating a business management system as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of creating a business model includes the steps of:

establishing Project Management Controls by determining the project scope, personnel, responsibilities, schedules, budgets, and deliverables;

modeling the current business practices of the organization for the scope that falls within the project;

modeling the business as it should be to meet requirements;

describing what needs to be done in order to make the transition from a current system to a proposed system; and

modeling how to implement changes to said proposed system by cognitive linguistic evaluation.

10. A method for creating a business management system as defined in claim 1, including the steps of:

creating a question map to model business data relationships;

creating a question map to model business data relationships from created simple sentences identifying the questions the user needs to answer;

creating a question map to model business data relationships from grouped like sentences combining all similar information gathered from different sources;

creating a question map to model business data relationships from developed population tables identifying role names and set up tablets of instances;

creating a question map to model business data relationships from uniqueness constraints which eliminate duplicates from tables and ensure the proper level of specificity;

creating a question map to model business data relationships from multiple reference roles which determine a unique way to identify roles;

creating a question map to model business data relationships from integrity constraints to keep logical consistency between statements about a system and reflect how an enterprise works;

grouping the question map into a conceptual schema to create an optimal database design;

modeling menus, screens and reports for use by programs developed from a business model;

specifying fields for menu function selection for use by programs developed from said business model;

specifying detailed hardware and packaged software requirements selection for use by programs developed from said business model;

producing database design documentation for use by program developed from said business model; and

generating application software system from said models for use by programs developed from said business model.

7. A method for creating a business management system, including the steps of:

modeling a business through the application of cognitive linguistic evaluation to develop structured data inputs to a modeling program;

running said modeling program on a microprocessor based engine for manipulating the data to create variable business models; and

converting said variable business models via said microprocessor to produce application software for said business.

8. A method for creating a business management system by establishing project management controls, including the steps of:

determining the scope, objectives and benefits for a business model of management controls;

quantifying scope limits for a business model of management controls;

establishing quality indicators for objectives for said business model of management controls;

quantifying benefits for said business model of management controls;

developing a deliverables list for said business model of management controls, including a deliverables list for each phase for said business model of management controls;

establishing project reviews for said business model of management controls;

establishing a review and acceptance cycle for said business model of management controls;

establishing progress reporting for said business model of management controls;

establishing a change control procedure for said business model management controls;

developing a plan for said business model of management controls, including a detailed plan for the first phase of the project for said business model of management controls;

developing project tasks for said business model of management controls;

developing manpower loading for said business model of management controls;

developing deliverable milestones for said business model of management controls;

developing review and acceptance dates for said business model of management controls;

developing hardware availability dates for said business model of management controls;

developing resource budgets for said business model of management controls;

developing a personnel budget for said business model of management controls;

developing a facilities budget for said business model of management controls;

developing a hardware budget for said business model of management controls;

developing software packages and tools budget for said business model of management controls;

developing a money budget for said business model of management controls;

developing interview lists and schedules for said business model of management controls;

modeling current business practices for said business model of management controls;

conducting interviews to build process models for said business model of management controls;

creating process models of line management and reporting job roles by function for said business model of management controls;

creating process models of higher management levels with line management reports for said business model; and

creating process models of automated computer and mechanical systems for said business of management controls.

9. A method for creating a business management system as defined in claim 8, including the steps of:

collecting user issues and problems about a current business process model;

modeling automated systems database schemas for said business model;

loading existing system database schemas as business information external schemas for said business model;

entering user supplied definitions and descriptions for database fields and record relationships for said business model;

collecting information on sizing, volume, security, retention and source database names for said business model;

summarizing and integrating process models, summarizing reports and forms and summarizing support for said business model;

summarizing first line management and worker process models up into a complete functional processes, including management control and worker execution by using a 7 plus or minus 2 rule for each functional area interviewed;

balancing summarized levels of data for said business model;

integrating summarized process models from different functional areas by summarizing them into larger complete functional processes with their controlling higher management control processes included;

observing said 7 plus or minus 2 rule if actual business follows said rule for said business model;

summarizing input and output data on higher level process diagrams by creating part-whole relationships; and

collecting examples of reports, forms, databases, policies, procedures, goals and other packets of information produced, consumed or controlled during interviews for said business model.

11. A method for creating a business management system, including the steps of:

creating business models with a general knowledge modeling system incorporating a four Dimensional Cognitive Modeling Expert system;

automatically generating application software systems from said business models.

12. A method for creating a business management system, as defined in claim 11, including the steps of:

creating a Metavision process model of a work group by providing a Metavision system program with the individual workers job steps for each job, the information each worker needs to know to do the job and the information produced by doing the job;

providing said Metavision system program with the goals and objectives of each job; and

creating an organizational model by having users enter the names and titles of the individuals they report to.

13. A method for creating a business management system, as defined in claim 12, including the steps of:

running a Variety of Metavision analysis reports that identify job problems from the group including poor management control, lack of information needed to do a job and information bottlenecks that slow job performance;

comparing formal organization charts created in the preceding step with actual organizational controls on said process models;

changing the model based on problems identified, said changes including both improvements in the jobs performed by the workers and computer automation of job steps; and

generating a list of the information for the automated systems together with its sources and relationships to information automatically generated by Metavision.

14. A method for creating a business management system, as defined in claim 13, including the steps of:

attaching automated process tags to the data generated in preceding steps; and

prioritizing projects which must be done first to feed information to later systems;

15. A method for creating a business management system, as defined in claim 14, including the steps of:

selecting the kind of computer, computer language and database system that the automated system will be generated into.

16. A method for creating a business management system, as defined in claim 15, including the steps of:

selecting a project from a list of job steps to be automated; and

reducing selected steps into greater detail until each job step is at a single function level of detail.

17. A method for creating a business management system, as defined in claim 16, including the steps of:

linking all the single function processes that will be automated to menus that enable a system user to select them; and

generating a default menu selection system by selecting prototype menu selection processes from the Metavision product process option list.

18. A method for creating a business management system, as defined in claim 17, including the steps of:

generating a complete three schema data model for all programs, screens, menus, reports, databases and inter-programs transfers of data that is automatically generated from the set of questions that a business user requires the information system to answer;

identifying the subjects and objects in the central question sentences;

evaluating information shared between two or more question sentences;

using the answers to evaluated questions with Metavision to calculate database relations, indexes, keys, navigational paths and referential integrity constraints;

using the answers to calculate report and screen root files and relational updates; and

automatically generating a third normal form logical databases design and corresponding third normal for external database structure.

19. A method for creating a business management system, as defined in claim 18, including the steps of:

selecting interface standard and hardware and software configurations to support the selected interface.

20. A method for creating a business management system as defined in claim 19, including the steps of:

selecting processes to be automated from the list; and

automatically generating application program code.