Patent ID: 8682734

Claim:
A computer-based method for processing e-commerce information in a distributed virtual enterprise (DVE) by a business entity and within the business entity, the method comprising: based on an internal user's command, a processor interacting with a software application retrieves from memory a DVE project model that represents a project model for a product or services for sale by the business entity, wherein the DVE project model comprises one or more DVE processes linked to one or more DVE objects that specify one or more dependency relationships derived from e-commerce agreements, stored in the memory, such that the dependency relationships constrain modifications of the DVE project model with respect to specific parameters; the software application receiving via the processor a user input to modify a cost dependency relationship within the DVE project model; the software application manipulating, via the processor the cost dependency relationship within the DVE project model based on the received user input and the one or more DVE processes linked to one or more DVE objects, while constraining the user input to ensure that the user input is consistent with e-commerce agreements to which the business entity has committed itself to; the software application determining via the processor that the user input to modify the cost dependency relationship is incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and the software application modifying via the processor a first e-commerce agreement to change dependency information within the first e-commerce agreement form which the cost dependency relationship was previously derived.