Decision management system providing qualitative account/customer assessment via point in time simulation

• US 6,684,192 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2002
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CGI Technologies and Solutions Incorporated (CGI Group)
• Original Assignee: American Management Systems, Incorporated (CGI, Inc.)
• Inventors: Burt, Len, Ho, Richard, Honarvar, Laurence
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Application Number:
  US10/127,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/7, 705/8, 705/10, 703/6
• US Class Current: 705/7.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A computer-implemented decision management system which provides qualitative client assessment via point in time simulation. More specifically, the decision management system (a) simulates the effect of a strategy by applying the strategy to client data, and (b) tracks what type of client traveled through a respective decision point in the strategy during the simulation. Simulation parameters can be selected without technical intervention via, for example, a GUI and a relational data model. Such parameters can include which customers and which client data sample will be used for the simulation, and which inbound events will trigger the strategy. Moreover, detailed and aggregate results can be consolidated to determine expected results from the simulated strategies, and traditional and OLAP reporting facilities can be applied to analyze/view the consolidated results.

Claims

1. A process comprising:

providing a computer-implemented decision management system which applies strategies to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, monitors results of the applied strategies, and modifies the applied strategies in accordance with the monitored results;

simulating the effect of a respective strategy by the decision management system before being applied in production by the decision management system by applying said respective strategy to client data, to thereby simulate client travel through said respective strategy, said respective strategy having decision points; and

monitoring results of the applied respective strategy by selecting attributes to be tracked and using the selected attributes to track what type of client traveled through a respective decision point in said respective strategy during said simulating.

2. A process as in claim 1, wherein said respective strategy is triggered by inbound events, the process further comprising:

selecting, without technical intervention, which inbound events will trigger said respective strategy.

3. A process comprising:

providing a computer-implemented decision management system which applies strategies to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, monitors results of the applied strategies, and modifies the applied strategies in accordance with the monitored results;

selecting, without technical intervention, at least one of clients, samples of client data, and inbound events triggering a respective strategy, as simulation parameters; and

simulating the effect of said respective strategy in accordance with the selected simulation parameters before said respective strategy is applied in production by the decision management system, to thereby simulate client travel through said respective strategy before being applied in production, said simulating applies said respective strategy to client data, said respective strategy having decision points, and the process further comprises tracking the type and number client that traveled through a respective decision point in said respective strategy during said simulating.

4. A process as in claim 3, wherein the client data is selectable to be one of historical client data and current client data.

5. A process as in claim 3, wherein

said simulating applies said respective strategy to client data, said respective strategy having decision points, and

the process further comprises tracking the type of client that traveled through a respective decision point in said respective strategy during said simulating.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a decision management system which applies strategies to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, monitors results of the applied strategies, and modifies the applied strategies in accordance with the monitored results, the decision management system including

a simulator simulating the effect of a respective strategy before being applied in production by the decision management system by applying said respective strategy to client data, to thereby simulate client travel through said respective strategy, said respective strategy having decision points, and

a monitoring device monitoring results of the applied respective strategy by selecting attributes to be tracked and using the selected attributes to track what type of client traveled through a respective decision point in said respective strategy during the simulation by the simulator.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a decision management system which applies strategies to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, monitors results of the applied strategies, and modifies the applied strategies in accordance with the monitored results, the decision management system including

means for simulating the effect of a respective strategy by applying said respective strategy to client data before being applied in production by the decision management system, to thereby simulate client travel through said respective strategy, said respective strategy having decision points, and

means for monitoring results of the applied respective strategy by selecting attributes to be tracked and using the selected attributes to track what type of client traveled through a respective decision point in said respective strategy during the simulation by the means for simulating.

8. A process comprising:

providing a computer-implemented decision management system which applies strategies to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, monitors results of the applied strategies, and modifies the applied strategies in accordance with the monitored results; and

,

before a respective strategy is applied in production by the decision management system,

simulating the effect of the respective strategy by the decision management system by applying said respective strategy to client data by the decision management system, to thereby simulate client travel through said respective strategy, said respective strategy having decision points; and

monitoring results of the applied respective strategy by selecting attributes to be tracked and using the selected attributes to track what type of client traveled through a respective decision point in said respective strategy during said simulating.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a computer-implemented decision management system which applies strategies to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, monitors results of the applied strategies, and modifies the applied strategies in accordance with the monitored results; and

,

means, before a respective strategy is applied in production by the decision management system,

for simulating the effect of the respective strategy by the decision management system by applying said respective strategy to client data by the decision management system, to thereby simulate client travel through said respective strategy, said respective strategy having decision points, and

for monitoring results of the applied respective strategy by selecting attributes to be tracked and using the selected attributes to track what type of client traveled through a respective decision point in said respective strategy during said simulating.

10. A process comprising:

providing a computer-implemented decision management system which applies strategies to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, monitors results of the applied strategies, and modifies the applied strategies in accordance with the monitored results; and

,

before a respective strategy is applied in production by the decision management system,

simulating the effect of the respective strategy by the decision management system by applying said respective strategy to client data by the decision management system, to thereby simulate client travel through said respective strategy and measure impact of strategy change before being deployed, said respective strategy having decision points; and

monitoring results of the applied respective strategy by selecting attributes to be tracked and using the selected attributes to track what type of client traveled through a respective decision point in said respective strategy during said simulating, to thereby develop, implement, test and refine strategies to determine a new desired outcome.

11. An apparatus comprising:

means for providing a computer-implemented decision management system which applies strategies to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, monitors results of the applied strategies, and modifies the applied strategies in accordance with the monitored results; and

,

means, before a respective strategy is applied in production by the decision management system,

for simulating the effect of the respective strategy by the decision management system by applying said respective strategy to client data by the decision management system, to thereby simulate client travel through said respective strategy and measure impact of strategy change before being deployed, said respective strategy having decision points; and

for monitoring results of the applied respective strategy by selecting attributes to be tracked and using the selected attributes to track what type of client traveled through a respective decision point in said respective strategy during said simulating, to thereby develop, implement, test and refine strategies to determine a new desired outcome.