Patent ID: 6895384

Claim:
A system for optimizing a request-promise workflow between a first entity and a second entity downstream form the first entity, the first entity supplying supplies to the second entity in response to demand for supplies from the second entity, the system being associated with the second entity and comprising one or more processing units and one or more memory units collectively operable to: establish a demand at the second entity for one or more supplies supplied by the first entity, the demand for the supplies based at least in part on a demand placed on the second entity by a third entity downstream from the second entity; optimize at the second entity the second entity's production associated with meeting the demand from the third entity to generate the request for the supplies; communicate the request for the supplies from the second entity to the first entity, a system associated with the first entity operable to optimize the first entity's production of the supplies using the request for the supplies as a first constraint to generate a promise for the supplies based on the request for the supplies; receive at the second entity the promise for the supplies from the first entity, the promise for the supplies having been generated according to an optimization for the first entity's production of the supplies using the request for the supplies as a first constraint, the promise for the supplies identifying a culprit as a cause for the promise for the supplies not satisfying the request for the supplies if the promise for the supplies does not satisfy the request for the supplies; if the promise for the supplies does not satisfy the request for the supplies, generate at the second entity a second constraint according to the culprit identified in the promise for the supplies; and if the promise for the supplies does not satisfy the request for the supplies, reoptimize at the second entity the second entity's production associated with meeting the demand from the third entity using the second constraint generated according to the culprit identified in the promise for the supplies to generate a new request for the supplies.