Decision management system with automated strategy optimization

• US 6,708,155 B1
• Filed: 07/07/1999
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CGI Technologies and Solutions Incorporated (CGI Group)
• Original Assignee: American Management Systems, Incorporated (CGI, Inc.)
• Inventors: Honarvar, Laurence, Fatigante, Steven, Showalter, Traci
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gilligan, Christopher L.
• Application Number:
  US09/348,161
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/10, 705/11, 706/15, 706/19, 703/6, 700/28, 700/36
• US Class Current: 705/7.36
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• 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 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An apparatus and method for automatically optimizing a strategy of a decision management system. More specifically, a computer-implemented decision management system applies a strategy to determine actions to be taken, monitors performance based on the taken actions, and refines the strategy in accordance with the monitored performance. An end user of the system selects a part of the strategy for optimization, and selects criteria for optimizing the selected part of the strategy. The decision management system then automatically optimizes the selected part of the strategy in accordance with the selected criteria. The end user can decide whether or not to implement the optimized strategy in production.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented decision management process comprising:

applying a decision management strategy for controlling behavior of clients of an organization, the strategy being formed of components operating together, the components being at least one of the group consisting of an attribute, a function, a function set, a segment, a test group and a report group;

determining results of the applied strategy;

selecting, by an end user of the process, a respective component forming the strategy for optimization;

selecting, by the end user, potential replacement components and performance metrics for the potential replacement components;

applying the selected potential replacement components to prior performance data of the clients;

determining results of the applied potential replacement components; and

automatically optimizing the selected component forming the strategy, without optimizing the other components forming the strategy, in accordance with the determined results of the applied strategy, the determined results of the applied potential replacement components, and the metrics, to achieve goals of the organization,

wherein the selected performance metrics includes a threshold for the potential replacement components, said automatically optimizing replacing the selected component with a respective potential replacement component if performance improvement results of the respective potential replacement component satisfy the threshold.

2. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

implementing the strategy with the optimized component in production.

3. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

automatically implementing the strategy with the optimized component in production.

4. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

providing the end user the ability to select whether the strategy with the optimized component is to be implemented in production; and

,

when the end user selects that the strategy with the optimized component is to be implemented in production, implementing the strategy with the optimized component in production.

5. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

saving the selected performance metrics for use in a subsequent optimization of a component of the strategy.

6. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

saving the selected performance metrics; and

performing a subsequent optimization of a component of the strategy by automatically optimizing the component in accordance with the saved performance metrics.

7. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

saving results of said automatically optimizing.

8. A process as in claim 1, wherein said automatically optimizing automatically optimizes respective paths through the strategy.

9. A computer-implemented decision management process comprising:

applying a decision management strategy for controlling behavior of clients of an organization, the strategy being formed of a plurality of strategy components, the strategy components being at least one of the group consisting of an attribute, a function, a function set, a segment, a test group and a report group;

selecting a respective strategy component by an end user of the process;

selecting, by the end user, potential replacement components and performance metrics for the potential replacement components;

applying the selected potential replacement components to prior performance data of the clients;

determining results of the applied potential replacement components; and

automatically optimizing the selected strategy component, without optimizing the other components forming the strategy, by replacing the selected strategy component with a respective potential replacement component if the determined results of the applied potential replacement components indicate that the respective potential replacement component achieved a threshold with respect to the selected performance metrics.

10. A process as in claim 9, further comprising:

automatically implementing the strategy with the optimized component in production.

11. A process as in claim 9, further comprising:

providing the end user the ability to select whether the strategy with the optimized component is to be implemented in production; and

,

when the end user selects that the strategy with the optimized component is to be implemented in production, implementing the strategy with the optimized in production.

12. A process as in claim 9, wherein said automatically optimizing automatically optimizes respective paths through the strategy.

13. A process comprising:

providing a decision management system which applies a strategy to determine actions to be taken for controlling behavior of clients of an organization, monitors performance based on the taken actions, and refines the strategy in accordance with the monitored performance, the strategy being formed of components operating together, the components being at least one of the group consisting of an attribute, a function, a function set, a segment, a test group and a report group;

selecting a component of the strategy by an end user of the decision management system;

selecting, by the end user, a potential replacement component and performance metrics for the potential replacement component;

applying the selected potential replacement component to prior performance data of the clients;

determining results of the applied potential replacement component;

automatically optimizing the selected component of the strategy, without optimizing the other components forming the strategy, by replacing the selected strategy component with the potential replacement component if the determined results of the applied potential replacement component indicate that the potential replacement component achieved a threshold with respect to the selected performance metrics.

14. A computer-implemented decision management apparatus comprising:

means for applying a decision management strategy for controlling behavior of clients of an organization, the strategy being formed of components operating together, the components being at least one of the group consisting of an attribute, a function, a function set, a segment, a test group and a report group;

means for selecting a respective component of the strategy by an end user of the decision management apparatus;

means for selecting, by the end user, a potential replacement component and performance metrics for the potential replacement component;

means for applying the selected potential replacement component to prior performance data of the clients;

means for determining results of the applied potential replacement component;

means for automatically optimizing the selected component forming the strategy, without optimizing the other components forming the strategy, by replacing the selected strategy component with the potential replacement component if the determined results of the applied potential replacement component indicate that the potential replacement component achieved a threshold with respect to the selected performance metrics.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a strategy creator creating and applying a decision management strategy for controlling behavior of clients of an organization, the strategy being formed of components operating together, the components being at least one of the group consisting of an attribute, a function, a function set, a segment, a test group and a report group; and

a strategy optimizer automatically optimizing a component of the strategy selected by an end user of the strategy optimizer by

selecting, by the end user, a potential replacement component and performance metrics for the potential replacement component,

applying the selected potential replacement component to prior performance data of the clients,

determining results of the applied potential replacement component,

automatically optimizing the selected component of the strategy, without optimizing the other components forming the strategy, by replacing the selected strategy component with the potential replacement component if the determined results of the applied potential replacement component indicate that the potential replacement component achieved a threshold with respect to the selected performance metrics.