Abstract:
A driver tree represents a model that models relationships between the various drivers of a business. The driver tree and the corporate outcomes computed from the driver tree may be presented in graphical display. The driver tree model may enable managers at any level of the organization to immediately see the impact of any changes they make on all parts of the corporate performance. Embodiments enable delegation of parts of the driver tree to persons with the nearest level of authority and oversight in corresponding parts of the business. The various branches of the driver tree may then be reassembled to create a more accurate view of ongoing strategies of the corporation as seen (and negotiated) by various layers of management.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present invention is related to commonly owned and concurrently filed U.S. application Ser. No. &lt;TBD&gt; entitled “Method and Apparatus for Business Drivers and Outcomes to Enable Scenario Planning and Simulation” (attorney docket no. 000005-018500US), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to business planning and in particular to collaboration among people in a business. 
         [0003]    Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section. 
         [0004]    With customers demanding increased flexibility from a business, and with fewer resources available, companies need to react more quickly to market demands. Knowing what operational levers within the organization can be altered to produce a positive effect on performance can be key to meeting these demands. Decision-makers must easily understand how varying options impact business operations in order to use resources as wisely as possible. A key question for any manager is to understand which of the multiple levers in their business can be moved to produce the most significant impact. In the absence of this knowledge, managers can waste time and resources on many seemingly “good” activities which, even when successfully executed, do little towards achieving business goals. Also, managers need to understand how their performance impacts the entire organization so they can choose wisely which goals to focus their resources on. 
         [0005]    Another challenge that a business faces is resource management, especially since available resources are increasingly on the decline and/or expensive to acquire. Accordingly, resources within a business need to be distributed wisely. This is difficult to accomplish when executives and top-line managers are unable to determine the outcome of their ideas across the organization. Decision-makers need to quickly visualize how different scenarios would impact business operations before actually committing resources to implement them. 
         [0006]    Without access to this kind of view, executives and their teams can waste enormous amounts of time on activities that end up doing very little to achieve the stated goals of the business. Real-time manipulation of operational levers within the business model can provide insight into which strategies would have a significant impact on overall performance, allowing resources to be utilized as effectively as possible. 
         [0007]    Typical questions posed by decision-makers in a business may include inquiries like “How do I choose between these two business options?” or “How do I grow my business by 20%?” Executives generally turn to the following sources: 
       Management Consultants 
       [0008]    Organizations often hire management consultants for specialized expertise to help improve business performance. While their end-product may be valuable, hiring and briefing consultants can be time consuming and expensive. Consultants may spend several weeks understanding existing business problems and developing plans for improvement. It can be an expensive proposition, with minimum investment outlays sometimes totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. 
       Business Intelligence Software 
       [0009]    Software solutions present data which allow users to analyze business performance. Business Intelligence (BI) tools are also valuable for accessing information to make sound business decisions, but it can be cumbersome and time consuming to use. The learning curve for this type of software can be fairly steep and often limited for use by business analysts. This usually means information may only be pulled on a quarterly basis, reducing the ability to move quickly with current data. These tools are usually unable to help users test theories. 
       Spreadsheets 
       [0010]    Spreadsheets are a mainstay in organizations today. Business modeling is often performed by a highly-trained business analyst whose turn-around time is slow and whose complex spreadsheets can be difficult to negotiate. These spreadsheets are also ill-suited to the collaborative nature of modeling exercises, which involve multiple parties making changes to targets and planning scenarios. They also tend to be used departmentally and thus the total impact to the enterprise and consequences for other parts of the business is unknown. Finally, trying to manage the sheer volume of spreadsheets within an organization, as well as the unintentional introduction of errors, can quickly become untenable. 
         [0011]    Managers at different levels in organizations typically need to collaborate to achieve corporate goals. However, each manager may have a slightly different view of the business depending on where they are in the organization. They also may have different levels of granularity into the underlying business drivers for the overall business. For instance, the general manager (GM) may look at performance of overall product lines within a geographical region while a product line manager may be focused on the performance of a single product within another region. Despite these differences, the overall goals for both managers need to be coherent and the impact of decisions made by either of them needs to be transparent to the others. 
         [0012]    The foregoing approaches, while valuable in their own right, each present a level of complexity, cost, and time expenditure that makes them impractical for regular use by executives. These and other issues are addressed by embodiments of the present invention, individually and collectively. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0013]    In embodiments, a method for collaboration among members in a business includes displaying a visual representation of a business model. The visual representation may be a driver tree. A segment of the business model may be identified in the visual representation and transmitted to a recipient. A received segment of the business model may be received and incorporated into the business model. In embodiments, the received segment of the business model may be a modification of the transmitted segment of the business model made by the recipient. 
         [0014]    In embodiments, one or more outcomes of the business model may be displayed, including displaying updated outcomes when changes to the business model are made. 
         [0015]    In embodiments, the transmitted segment of the business model may be sent to two or more recipients. 
         [0016]    In embodiments, displaying differences between the transmitted segment of the business model and the received segment of the business model. 
         [0017]    In embodiments, two or more segments of the business model may be merged to generate a new segment. The user may provide input to control the merging of the two or more segments. 
         [0018]    The following detailed description and accompanying drawings provide a better understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  represents a system level diagram of a computer system in accordance with an embodiment. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  illustrates a graphical user interface (GUI) in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  shows a high level flow of collaboration among members of a business in accordance with principles of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIGS. 4A-4C  illustrate GUIs for sending and receiving portions of a business model in accordance with disclosed embodiments. 
           [0023]      FIGS. 4D-4E  illustrate GUIs for viewing model segments in accordance with disclosed embodiments. 
           [0024]      FIGS. 4E-4G  illustrate comparing model segments in accordance with disclosed embodiments. 
           [0025]      FIG. 4H  illustrates merging model segments in accordance with disclosed embodiments. 
           [0026]      FIGS. 4I-4J  illustrate incorporating a new model segment into a business model. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]    In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous examples and specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention as defined by the claims may include some or all of the features in these examples alone or in combination with other features described below, and may further include modifications and equivalents of the features and concepts described herein. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a computing system  100  in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may include a plurality of computers  121 - 123  connected to a local communication network  120  within a business unit of the business (e.g., corporate headquarters, production facility, regional sales office, and so on). The local communication network  120  may connect to a company-wide wide area network  130 , which may include connection to the Internet. 
         [0029]    Computers  131 - 135  in the other business units of the business may connect to the either the local communication network  120  or to the WAN  130 . Computers  121 - 123  and  131 - 135  may be configured as any suitable computing devices that may be used in the business. For example computers  121 - 123  and  131 - 135  may include tablet computers (e.g., Apple iPad® computer), laptop computers, desktop computers, and so on. The computers  121 - 123  and  131 - 135  may include server systems used by the business; for example, PLM (product lifecycle management), CRM (customer relationship management), PPS (product production system), and so on. The computers may include storage servers; for example, storage server  142 . 
         [0030]    A typical computer  121  may include a data processor subsystem  101  comprising one or more data processing units. The computer  121  may include a memory subsystem  102  which may comprise any combination of random access memory (usually volatile memory such as DRAM) and non-volatile memory such as FLASH memory, ROM, and so on. The computer  121  may include a storage subsystem  103  comprising one or more storage devices such as hard disk drives and the like. The storage subsystem  103  may include remote storage systems; e.g., for data minoring, remote backup and such. A network interface subsystem  104  can provide access to the network  120 . A system of buses  105  may interconnect the foregoing subsystems, providing control lines, data lines, and/or voltage supply lines to/from the various subsystems. 
         [0031]    The computer  121  may include a suitable display(s)  106  and input devices  107  such as a keyboard, a mouse input device, a voice input device, and so on. In embodiments, typical devices may include tablet computers such as the Apple iPad® tablet computer which employs a touch sensitive screen that serves both as a display and as an input device. Other devices include laptop computers that use a built-in input device such as a touch pad or an external input device such as a mouse, and desktop computers. 
         [0032]    Computer executable program code may be stored on the memory subsystem and/or storage subsystem  103 . When the computer executable program code is executed by the data processor subsystem  101 , the computer  121  may operate as a collaborative system in accordance with the present invention. A driver tree model of the business may be stored in the computing system  100 . For example, the driver tree may be stored on the storage subsystem  103  of the computer  121 , or on a storage server  142 , and so on. The computer  121  may display a graphical user interface (GUI; e.g.,  202   FIG. 2 ) on the display  106  to provide a user with access to a graphical representation of the driver tree. The GUI  202  may receive input from the user to access the driver tree. The “user” may be a human user, or an automated process running on another computer. 
         [0033]    In embodiments, collaboration using a graphical representation of a business model of a business organization may be performed on a computer in a company-wide computer system. In embodiments, the business model may be expressed using a “driver tree,” and collaboration efforts may be conducted by operating on graphical depictions of the driver tree. A driver tree associates business levers to outcomes. “Business levers” are aspects of a business that a decision maker (e.g., executive, manager, etc.) can change in order to improve some aspect of the business. “Outcomes” are the effects on various aspects of the business as a result of adjusting the business levers. For example, the production levels of a widget may be a business lever that a manager can adjust, namely increase the production of widgets or decrease the production of widgets. An outcome of adjusting the production levels of widgets may be the total revenue collected in a sales area where widgets, and other products of the business, are sold. 
         [0034]    In embodiments, a graphical user interface such as the GUI  202  illustrated in  FIG. 2  may be employed to display a graphical representation of the business model for a business. For example, a driver tree  212  may be used to visualize the business model in a graphical representation. The GUI  202  may include a display area  204  for displaying the driver tree  212 , and a commands area  206  for displaying buttons  206   a - 206   f  that can provide access to functions that facilitate the collaborative process. The driver tree  212  includes an outcomes view  214  to display business performance metrics computed from the driver tree. 
         [0035]    The driver tree  212  may comprise nodes that represent various elements of the business and links between the nodes to represent relationships among such elements. For example, node  212   a  may represent the total revenue generated by the business. Node  212   b  may represent the total revenue generated from sales of “product  1 .” A node  212   c  may relate to the overhead for sales operations, and so on. 
         [0036]    The outcomes view  214  represents various measures of business performance (e.g., total revenue, size of customer base, and so on) that are of interest to decision makers, which are determined from the driver tree  212 . For example, a REVENUE measure may be computed directly from node  212   a  by summing the revenue collected from the sales of products  1  to N. A MARGINS measure may be computed from the driver tree  212 , and so on. Modifications made to the driver tree  212  may propagate through various nodes in the driver tree, and may manifest as changes to the computed measures of business performance metrics displayed in the outcomes view  214 . 
         [0037]    Additional details about the driver tree  212 , the outcomes view  214 , and the GUI  202  in general are disclosed in commonly owned and concurrently filed U.S. application Ser. No. ______, filed ______, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Business Drivers and Outcomes to Enable Scenario Planning and Simulation” (attorney docket no. 000005-018500US), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
         [0038]    Referring to FIGS.  3  and  4 A- 4 H, the collaborative process in accordance with embodiments may include displaying (block  302 ) a graphical representation of a selected business model of the business organization on a suitable display. For example, a SELECT MODEL button  206   f  may be used to display a list of business models from which to choose a selected business model. The display, for example, may be the screen of a touch pad computing device, a laptop computer, the monitor of a desktop configuration, and so on. In embodiments, a driver tee  212  such as shown in  FIG. 4   a  may be used to visually represent the business model. A user may access the driver tree  212  via GUI  202  using a suitable input interface; for example, input devices such as a touchpad a mouse, a graphics tablet, a voice input, and so on. 
         [0039]      FIG. 3 , BLOCK  304   
         [0040]    In embodiments, the user may select a segment of the selected business model in order to assess it. For example, an executive in the business may want to assess some aspect of the business or consider how to improve performance in the business. In a block  304 , the user may identify a segment (or portion) of the selected business model by selecting one or more nodes of the driver tree  212 . As used herein, the phrase “model segment” may be used to refer to a segment of the business model, which may include the entire business model or a portion of the business model. Selected nodes may be viewed as representing a segment of the business model and hence some aspect of the business. For example, the group of nodes  222   a  shown in  FIG. 4A  may represent a segment of the business model that relates to the cost of the sales group. The user may select the group of nodes  222   a,  for example, by drawing a selection box  402  around the group of nodes of interest.  FIG. 4A  further illustrates that the user instead may select individual nodes  222  from the driver tree  212 ; for example, by “clicking” on each node using a mouse input device. Selected nodes may be indicated, for example, using bold lines as shown in the figure. 
         [0041]      FIG. 3 , BLOCK  306   
         [0042]    In embodiments, the user may transmit a segment of the selected business model to a recipient. For example, the executive may want to share a portion of the business model that represents a business unit with the manager of that business unit in a collaborative effort to identify potential improvements. Accordingly, in a block  306 , nodes that are identified and selected by the user, which correspond to a segment of the business model, may be sent to one or more recipients. In embodiments, a suitable internal representation of the segment(s) of the business model corresponding to the selected node or nodes may be sent to one or more recipients; for example, using email.  FIG. 4B  is illustrative. Suppose the user made a selection of the group of nodes  222   b  shown in the figure. The user may “click” on the SEND button  206   a  displayed in the command section  206  of the GUI  202  to transmit the model segment that corresponds to the selected group of nodes  222   b.  The figure illustrates an example of the GUI  202  prompting the user to identify one or more recipients. In an embodiment, for example, a SEND command window  404  may pop up with a drop-down menu  406  displayed in the command window. When the user selects a user/recipient from the drop-down menu  406 , a copy of the model segment may be transmitted to the selected recipient. The user may send the model segment to additional recipients by repeatedly selecting users from the drop-down menu  406 . A DONE button may be provided to allow the user to close and exit the SEND command window  404 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 3 , BLOCK  308   
         [0044]    In a block  308 , the user may subsequently receive a model segment from a sender. The received model segment may be a modified or otherwise updated version of a previously transmitted model segment. Consider the following example. Suppose in block  306  the user had transmitted model segment corresponding to the group of nodes  222   b  to “Paul D.” If Paul D. modifies some aspect of the model segment, she may at some point in time send the modified model segment back to the user. When a model segment is received, the GUI  202  may display a suitable alert  408  ( FIG. 4C ) to call the user&#39;s attention to that fact. 
         [0045]    The received model segment may be a segment that is new to the selected business model. For example, a manager of a production line may have a proposal to expand the production line to increase production capacity. That manager may develop a model of the proposed new production line and transit the model a as a model segment to an executive, who may then assess it consider incorporating it into the business model. 
         [0046]      FIG. 3 , BLOCK  310   a    
         [0047]    In embodiments, the user may assess model segments including reviewing details of the model segment, comparing two or more model segments, and so on. The user may assess a received model segment. The user may assess already stored model segments (e.g., storage server  142  may store a collection of model segments), selected segments of the selected business model, and so on. Accordingly, in a block  310   a,  the user may review the details of a received model segment. For example, in  FIG. 4C , if the user is alerted to the receipt of a model segment, they may click on the VIEW button  206   b  in order to view details of the received model segment. The GUI  202  may change to display an interface for viewing model segments, and in this case to view the received model segment as shown in  FIG. 4D . The user may want to review part of their business model. Accordingly, the user may identify a portion of the selected business model by selecting one or more nodes in the driver tree  212 , and review the selected model segment. For example, in  FIG. 4B , the user may click on the VIEW button  206   b  to view details of the selected nodes  222   b.  The GUI  202  may change to display the interface for viewing model segments, and in this case to view the model segment corresponding to the selected nodes  222   b  as shown in  FIG. 4E . 
         [0048]    Referring to  FIGS. 4D and 4E , in embodiments, the GUI  202  may include a display for viewing model segments. In an embodiment, a user selection window  410  may be presented in the display area  204  to display a list of users (e.g., executives, managers, etc.) in the business who may be responsible for one or more segments of the selected business model. For example, a user may have received a model segment from another user, or may have created their own model segment, or may have been assigned responsibility of a model segment, and so on. In an embodiment, the user selection window  410  may display a model selector  412  that is associated with each user. Model segments associated with a given user (e.g., Jose A.) and stored in a suitable storage system can be accessed via the model selector  412 . For example, as shown in  FIGS. 4D and 4E , the model selector  412  may include a scrollable window that can be scrolled up and down to display the model segments associated with a given user. 
         [0049]    In embodiments, entire business models associated with a user may be selected by the model selector  412 , in addition to selecting model segments of a business model. For example, Jose may have developed his own version of the business model. The user may compare the entire selected business model against Jose&#39;s version of the business model. 
         [0050]    Continuing with block  310   a,  the user may compare two or more model segments, including already stored model segments, selected segments of the selected business model, received model segments, and so on. For example, the user may compare the received model segment against already stored model segments. The user may compare the received model segment against other parts of the business model. The use may select and compare segments from among already stored model segments, and so on.  FIG. 4F  shows the GUI  202  displaying a side-by-side view of details of two model segments: a portion of the selected business model  414   a  and Jose&#39;s model segment  414   b.    
         [0051]      FIG. 3 , BLOCK  310   b    
         [0052]    In addition to performing a side-by-side review of two or more model segments, the user may generate a quantitative assessment of differences between model segments. Accordingly, in a block  310   b,  the user may compare two or more model segments to identify differences between the model segments. For example, a received model segment may be a proposal on how to improve the business. The user may perform a difference operation on the received model segment and the corresponding portion of the selected business model to identify quantitative differences between the two models in order to further assess the proposal. The user may compare already stored model segments with each other; for example alternative models for a segment of the business model may be compared and evaluated.  FIGS. 4F and 4G  are illustrative.  FIG. 4F  shows a side-by-side comparison of the details  414   a  and  414   b  of two model segments. The user may click on the DIFF button  206   c  to initiate a quantitative comparison between the two model segments. The GUI  202  shown in  FIG. 4G  shows a results window  416  for displaying results of the quantitative comparison. 
         [0053]    In embodiments, side-by-side comparisons of entire business models may be made, in addition to comparing model segments. Aspects of the GUI  202  discussed above in connection with  FIGS. 4F and 4G  apply to side-by-side comparisons of entire business models. For example, Jose&#39;s version of the business model may be compared to the selected business model in a manner similar to side-by-side comparisons of model segments. 
         [0054]      FIG. 3 , BLOCK  310   c    
         [0055]    In addition to performing a side-by-side review of two or more model segments as discuss in blocks  310   a  and  310   b,  the user may merge (block  310   c ) two or more model segments in order to generate a new model segment. For example, the user may want to generate a model segment that captures the best features in each of the original model segments.  FIG. 4H  is illustrative. The GUI  202  shows a display for viewing model segments. The figure shows that model segments from Jose and Paul have been selected. The figure shows details  414   a  and  414   b  of the selected model segments. Selection indicators  418  may be displayed among the details  414   a  of a model segment. The user may then click on different elements  420   a - 420   d  of each of the model segment details  414   a  and  414   b  to identify those parts that will constitute the new model segment. The user may simply click on each element of interest. The selection indicator ( 418   a ) of a selected element may be highlighted to indicate the selection. The user may then click on the MERGE button  206   d  to combine the selected elements from each model segment to define the new model segment. 
         [0056]    In embodiments, elements from two business models may be combined to generate a new business model of a business. In a manner similar to merging elements from two model segments to generate a new model segment, elements from two entire business models may be selected and merged to generate a new business model for the business. 
         [0057]      FIG. 3 , BLOCK  310   d    
         [0058]    In embodiments, the user may incorporate new model segments into the selected business model (block  310   d ). The user may access an existing model segment and incorporated it into the business model. The user may incorporate a received model segment into the business model. For example, referring back to block  306 , the recipient of a previously transmitted model segment may make some modifications to it and the modified model segment back to the user. The user may then incorporated the modified model segment into the business model. This represents an example of collaborative interaction in accordance with the present invention, that may facilitate improving and/or developing the business. Allowing other members to view and propose changes to the business model allows for the incorporation into the business model of insight and information from members in the business who may have knowledge that the user may not possess. 
         [0059]      FIG. 4I  shows an example of the GUI  202  for inserting a model segment. An INSERT button  206   e  may be provided. When the user clicks on the INSERT button  206   e,  the GUI  202  may display the driver tree  212  and overlay the driver tree with a display of the user selection window  410 . The user may navigate the user selection window  410  and a model selector  412  to identify a desired model segment. The figure shows, for example, the selection of “Model segment x” belonging to James V. The user may “drag-and-drop” the selected model segment onto a node  222   c  in the driver tree  212 . The portion of the business model represented by the node  222   c  may then be replaced by the model segment “Model segment x.” 
         [0060]      FIG. 3 , BLOCK  312   
         [0061]    Any changes made to the selected business model may be displayed on the GUI  202 . Accordingly, in a block  312  the display of the driver tree  212  may be updated to reflect changes in the driver tree; e.g., the addition and/or deletion of nodes, moving a group of nodes to another part of the driver tree, and so on. In embodiments, changes made to the driver tree  212  may initiate a re-computing of the business model. Accordingly, the business performance metrics displayed in the outcomes view  214  may be updated as a result of the computation. Depending on changes made to the driver tree  212 , metrics may be removed from the outcomes view  214  and new metrics may be included. 
         [0062]      FIG. 4J  shows an example of the GUI  202  having redisplayed the driver tree  212  and the outcomes view  214  in response to the model segment “Model segment x” being incorporated into the selected business model to update the business model. The incorporated model segment may be visually identified in the driver tree  212 , for example using different shading or coloring of the nodes that represent the incorporate model segment. The outcomes view  214  may be updated with new values for the business performance metrics computed from the updated business model. 
         [0063]    The above description illustrates various embodiments of the present invention along with examples of how aspects of the present invention may be implemented. The above examples and embodiments should not be deemed to be the only embodiments, and are presented to illustrate the flexibility and advantages of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Based on the above disclosure and the following claims, other arrangements, embodiments, implementations and equivalents will be evident to those skilled in the art and may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims.