System and method for solution ordering by federation of order management systems and use of solution records

• US 8,285,572 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2008
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, David W., Frey, Denise E., Murphy, Elizabeth S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel, Vanel
• Application Number:
  US12/172,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20100010850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,549 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/26, 705/30, 705/1, 705/29, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art with respect to solution order processing and provide a novel and non-obvious method, computer system and computer program product for processing solution orders using solution records. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for solution ordering across disparate order and contract management systems in a manufacturing environment can be provided. The method can include receiving a request for a solution from a customer, identifying a solution that satisfies the request for a solution, determining a solution order for the identified solution, generating a solution record for the solution order and assigning a solution record number to the solution record. The method can further include populating the solution record with product identification numbers received from multiple product lines in the manufacturing environment.

Claims

1. A method for solution ordering across disparate order and contract management systems in a manufacturing environment, the method comprising:

receiving in memory of a computing platform with at least processor, a request from a customer to purchase a solution assembled different individual parts or components manufactured by different manufacturers;

identifying in the memory a solution that satisfies the request for a solution;

determining by the at least one processor a solution order for the identified solution;

generating in the memory a solution record for the solution order; and

,

assigning in the memory a solution record number to the solution record.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

populating the solution record with product identification numbers received from multiple product lines in the manufacturing environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a solution record for the solution order further comprises:

importing hardware configuration data from an order configurator; and

,

importing software pre-load indicator data from another order configurator.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a solution record for the solution order further comprises:

importing customer data from a customer record.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a solution record for the solution order further comprises:

linking proposal and statement of wink files to the solution record.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

submitting each of multiple hardware orders of the solution order to an identified one of the multiple product lines configured to process the submitted hardware order; and

,

receiving a corresponding order number to each submitted hardware order.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

querying a hardware order management system of the identified one of the multiple product lines configured to process the submitted hardware order; and

,

retrieving a hardware serial number assigned to the hardware older number.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

submitting each of multiple software orders of the solution order to an identified one of the multiple product lines configured to process the submitted software order; and

, receiving a corresponding order number to each submitted software order.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the order and contract management systems of multiple product lines for hardware build and delivery status.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein querying the order and contract management systems of multiple product lines for hardware build and delivery status includes accessing the order management systems of the multiple product lines via a web query interface.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the order management systems of multiple product lines for software delivery status.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

submitting each of multiple service contracts of the solution order to an identified one of the multiple service lines configured to process the submitted services contract; and

,

receiving a corresponding contract number to each submitted services contract.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the contract management systems of multiple service lines for contract status.

14. A manufacturing management data processing system comprising:

a supply chain management system coupled to a repository of solution records for different solution orders; and

,

solution ordering logic comprising program code executing in memory of a computing platform and enabled during execution in the memory of the computing platform to receive a request from a customer to purchase a solution assembled different individual parts or components manufactured by different manufacturers, to identify a solution that satisfies the request for a solution, to determine a solution order for the identified solution, to generate a solution record for the solution order and to assign a solution record number to the solution record.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium storing computer usable program code for processing an incoming order for equipment, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving a from a customer to purchase a solution assembled different individual parts or components manufactured by different manufacturers;

computer usable program code for identifying a solution that satisfies the request for a solution;

computer usable program code for determining a solution order for the identified solution;

computer usable program code for generating a solution record for the solution order; and

,

computer usable program code for assigning a solution record number to the solution record.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer usable program code for populating the solution record with product identification numbers received from multiple product lines in the manufacturing environment.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable program code for generating a solution record for the solution order further comprises:

computer usable program code for importing hardware configuration data from an order configurator; and

,

computer usable program code for importing software pre-load indicator data from another order configurator.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable program code for generating a solution record for the solution order further comprises:

computer usable program code for linking proposal and statement of work files to the solution record.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer usable program code for submitting each of multiple hardware orders of the solution order to an identified one of the multiple product lines configured to process the submitted hardware order; and

,

computer usable program code for receiving a corresponding order number to each submitted hardware order.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

computer usable program code for querying a hardware order management system of the identified one of the multiple product lines configured to process the submitted hardware order;

computer usable program code for retrieving a hardware serial number assigned to the hardware order number; and

,

computer usable program cock for retrieving hardware build and delivery status on the assigned hardware order number.