User interface and method to facilitate analysis and/or planning of business operation

• US 7,640,179 B1
• Filed: 08/05/2000
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Okraa LLC
• Inventors: Sachedina, Sher (Karim) M.
• Primary Examiner(s): MEINECKE DIAZ, SUSANNA M
• Application Number:
  US09/634,723
• Time in Patent Office: 3,433 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7
• 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 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

A user interface and method are disclosed for facilitating analysis and/or planning of business operations. The user interface includes may include a plurality of user interface elements, at least some of which characterize associated components that may be employed to compute data. Stored account data is processed to generate base data for one or more selected accounts. The base data may be further processed by components associated with the user interface elements, such as by a method, key results area data, action plan data, and/or calendar data, to provide an impact value that results in the base data being adjusted accordingly.

Claims

1. An interface system to facilitate at least one of analysis or planning of business operations, comprising:

at least one processor coupled to memory that executes the following computer-executable components;

a first user interface component for selecting operating parameters for at least one of a budgeting and forecasting process, the selected operating parameters including at least one account of a plurality of defined accounts and a time period associated with the at least one process;

a second user interface element characterizing a method component used to derive base data for the at least one account;

a third user interface element characterizing an impact value derived from the base data, the impact value adjusts the base data to provide adjusted data for the at least one account; and

a display portion having display areas to display an indication of at least one of the base data and the adjusted data for the at least one account;

the second and third user interface elements are selectable to effect a change in the respective method component and impact value associated with the at least one account.

2. The system of claim 1, the third user interface element, upon being selected, displays a list of active impact components associated with the at least one account, each of the impact components being selectable to modify attributes associated with each respective impact component.

3. The system of claim 2, the impact value for the at least one account is an aggregate of impact values from each of the active impact components.

4. The system of claim 1, the at least one account includes a plurality of selected accounts of the plurality of defined accounts, each account of the plurality of selected accounts having an associated second user interface element characterizing a method component used to derive associated base data and an associated third user interface element characterizing an impact value to adjust the corresponding derived base data and provide adjusted data for each respective account, the display portion having display areas to display an indication of at least one of the base data and the adjusted data for each of the plurality of selected accounts;

each of the second and third user interface elements are selectable to effect a change in the respective method component and impact value associated with an associated one of the plurality of selected accounts.

5. The system of claim 4 further including a fourth user interface component to, upon activation, concurrently display the adjusted data and corresponding data for each of the plurality of selected accounts for a different period of time from that shown in the display areas based on account data stored in connection with each of the plurality of selected accounts.

6. The system of claim 1 further including a fourth user interface component to, upon activation, concurrently display the adjusted data and corresponding data for the at least one account for a different period of time from that shown in the display area based on account data stored for the at least one account.

7. The system of claim 6, the fourth user interface component further displays a daily comparison of the adjusted data and the corresponding data for the at least one account.

8. The system of claim 1, the third user interface element further characterizes key result area data associated with the at least one account, the key result area data including a key result area impact value indicative of a desired result for the at least one account, the key result impact value corresponding to at least part of the impact value.

9. The system of claim 1, further including a fourth user interface element that characterizes a selectable manual impact value associated with the at least one account, the fourth user interface element being associated with a method component to generate key result area data having another key result impact value corresponding to the manual impact value, the manual impact value corresponding to at least part of the impact value.

10. The system of claim 1, the third user interface element is operatively associated with a key result area component that characterizes a desired result for the at least one account, the key result area component providing data indicative of a key result impact value for the at least one account, the third user interface element being further associated with an action plan component that characterizes a objective for another account of the plurality of accounts, the action plan component including data indicative of an action plan impact value for the at least one account that identifies a cost factor associated with achieving the objective.

11. A computer-implemented method to facilitate at least one of budgeting, planning, analysis or forecasting, the comprising:

employing at least one processor to execute computer executable instructions stored in memory to perform the following acts;

receiving data indicative of business unit activities;

storing the data to respective accounts of a plurality of accounts on a computer-readable medium;

generating base data for each selected account of the plurality of accounts, each selected account including an associated method that is applied to the stored account data to determine the base data;

defining impact data having an impact value derived from the base data for at least one account of the plurality of accounts; and

determining a value of adjusted data as a function of the impact data and the base data.

12. The method of claim 11, the impact data includes key result area data having a definable key result area impact value indicative of a desired result for the at least one account, the defined impact value for the at least one account including the key result area impact value.

13. The method of claim 12, further including selectively modifying the key result area data which, in turn, modifies the defined impact value.

14. The method of claim 12, the key result data further includes an associated method component that is applied to at least one of the stored account data and the base data to derive the key result area impact value.

15. The method of claim 12, the impact data further includes action plan data having an action plan impact value for the at least one account indicative of a cost associated with achieving an objective for at least one of the plurality of accounts related to the adjusted budget data, the defined impact value for the at least one account including the action plan impact value.

16. The method of claim 15, further including selectively modifying at least one of the key result area data and the action plan data, which, in turn, modifies the defined impact value according to the step of selectively modifying.

17. The method of claim 15, the adjusted data defines a first budget, the method further including modifying at least one of the key result area data and the action plan data and generating a second adjusted budget based on the modified user interface element.

18. The method of claim 11, the impact data includes action plan data having an action plan impact value for the at least one account indicative of a cost associated with achieving an objective for at least a second account of the plurality of accounts, the defined impact value for the at least one account including the action plan impact value.

19. The method of claim 18, the action plan data further includes an associated method that is applied to at least one of the stored account data and the base data to derive the action plan impact value.

20. The method of claim 11 further including defining calendar data having a calendar time period and a staring day and aligning a plurality of time periods in the stored account data relative to the starting day.

21. The method of claim 20, aligning further includes locating a day in each of a plurality of time periods associated with stored account data that matches the starting day of the calendar data;

and

aligning each of the plurality of time periods of the stored account data so that each of the plurality of time periods has a starting day that matches the starting day of the calendar data, whereby each day associated with each of the plurality of time periods is aligned with a corresponding day of the calendar time period.

22. The method of claim 20 further including designating the at least one account for a selected event and determining an attribute impact value for the designated account, the attribute impact value being determined as a function of the stored account data for the designated account for a corresponding event in at least one other year in the stored account data, the defined impact value for the at least one account including the attribute impact value.

23. A computer-implemented method to facilitate budgeting, planning, analysis and/or forecasting, comprising:

employing at least one processor to execute computer executable instructions stored in memory to perform the following acts;

receiving data that pertains to business unit activities;

storing the data to a computer-readable database as a hierarchical chart of accounts, each account representing a unit of a larger business;

generating base data for select accounts from the stored data for a select period of time utilizing at least one method associated with one or more accounts;

defining an impact value derived from the base data for at least one account based on circumstances external to business operations; and

computing and providing a value of adjusted data as function of impact data and the base data.

24. The method of claim 23, the received data is from a point of sale.

25. The method of claim 23, the received data is from one of a store and a department.

26. The method of claim 23, the impact value is defined based on a desired result.

27. The method of claim 23, the impact value is defined based on an event.

28. The method of claim 23, the computing adjusted data comprises applying an impact to a plurality of accounts based on account relationships as defined by the chart of accounts.