System and method for project designing and developing a procurement and accounts payable system

• US 20050097016A1
• Filed: 03/25/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cirulli, Philip J., Flannery, Kerin J., Barnard, Ray F., Lanuti, Carl J., Cartin, Lawrence J., Stoke, Harry D., Dauley, Daniel M., Ciotoli, Louis M. Jr., Oswald, Rose M., DeSantis, David J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,149,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A system for deploying to a client accounting installation a general procurement and accounts payable application specifically configured for the client by an enterprise includes a database server for (1) maintaining on a storage device a database of templates describing procedures for assessing, preparing, developing, deploying and supporting the application, and for (2) serving these templates to team members operating web-enabled terminals for coordinating, recording and tracking team activities with respect to the application while generating a description for adapting a front end server and an accounting system server to the requirements of the client.

Claims

1. A system using an on-line data gathering tool for developing a general procurement and accounts payable application, comprising:

a server;

a storage device connected to said server;

a plurality of team terminals;

a communication link interconnecting said server and said terminals;

said server being operable for (1) maintaining a database of templates describing procedures for developing said application on said storage device and (2) serving said templates to enterprise and customer team members operating said terminals for coordinating, recording and tracking team activities with respect to said application.

2. The system of claim 1, each said template storing, either directly or by way of links to other documents, materials for guiding, coordinating and documenting the work of said team members.

3-35. -35. (canceled)

36. A system using an on-line data gathering tool for developing a general procurement and accounts payable application, comprising:

a server;

a storage device connected to said server including a database of templates initially configured as a generic general procurement and accounts payable application;

a plurality of team terminals including a service provider team terminal and a customer team terminal;

a communication link interconnecting said server and said terminals;

first server means for serving to said terminals from said database of templates task templates for project design and development of assessment, business controls, configuration, education, image, information technology, marketing, process, project management, requisition and catalog, accounts payable accounting and transition tasks;

second server means for receiving from said service provider team terminal and said customer team terminal development adaptations to said task templates;

third server means for adapting said task templates initially configured as a generic general procurement and accounts payable application into a customer specific general procurement and accounts payable application; and

fourth server means for implementing said general procurement and accounts payable application.

37. The system of claim 36, each said template storing, either directly or by way of links to other documents, materials for guiding, coordinating and documenting the work of said team members.

38. A method for using an on-line data gathering tool for developing a general procurement and accounts payable application, comprising:

initially configuring in a storage device connected to a server a database of templates as a generic general procurement and accounts payable application;

interconnecting said server with a plurality of team terminals including a service provider team terminal and a customer team terminal;

serving to said terminals from said database of templates task templates for project design and development of assessment, business controls, configuration, education, image, information technology, marketing, process, project management, requisition and catalog, accounts payable accounting and transition tasks;

receiving from said service provider team terminal and said customer team terminal development adaptations to said task templates;

adapting said task templates initially configured as a generic general procurement and accounts payable application into a customer specific general procurement and accounts payable application; and

implementing said general procurement and accounts payable application.

39. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform operations for using an on-line data gathering tool for developing a general procurement and accounts payable application, said operations comprising:

initially configuring in a storage device connected to a server a database of templates as a generic general procurement and accounts payable application;

interconnecting said server with a plurality of team terminals including a service provider team terminal and a customer team terminal;

serving to said terminals from said database of templates task templates for project design and development of assessment, business controls, configuration, education, image, information technology, marketing, process, project management, requisition and catalog, accounts payable accounting and transition tasks;

receiving from said service provider team terminal and said customer team terminal development adaptations to said task templates;

adapting said task templates initially configured as a generic general procurement and accounts payable application into a customer specific general procurement and accounts payable application; and

implementing said general procurement and accounts payable application.

40. A computer program product or computer program element for using an on-line data gathering tool for developing a general procurement and accounts payable application according to operations comprising:

initially configuring in a storage device connected to a server a database of templates as a generic general procurement and accounts payable application;

interconnecting said server with a plurality of team terminals including a service provider team terminal and a customer team terminal;

serving to said terminals from said database of templates task templates for project design and development of assessment, business controls, configuration, education, image, information technology, marketing, process, project management, requisition and catalog, accounts payable accounting and transition tasks;

receiving from said service provider team terminal and said customer team terminal development adaptations to said task templates;

adapting said task templates initially configured as a generic general procurement and accounts payable application into a customer specific general procurement and accounts payable application; and

implementing said general procurement and accounts payable application.

41. A system using an on-line data gathering tool for developing a general procurement and accounts payable application, comprising:

means for initially configuring in a storage device connected to a server a database of templates as a generic general procurement and accounts payable application;

means for interconnecting said server with a plurality of team terminals including a service provider team terminal and a customer team terminal;

means for serving to said terminals from said database of templates task templates for project design and development of assessment, business controls, configuration, education, image, information technology, marketing, process, project management, requisition and catalog, accounts payable accounting and transition tasks;

means for receiving from said service provider team terminal and said customer team terminal development adaptations to said task templates;

means for adapting said task templates initially configured as a generic general procurement and accounts payable application into a customer specific general procurement and accounts payable application; and

means for implementing said general procurement and accounts payable application.