Patent ID: 7155398

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving model data from a set of enterprise users in an order based on a multi-level enterprise hierarchy in which each of the enterprise users is associated with at least one of a plurality of hierarchically arranged nodes, wherein the model data from each of the enterprise users defines a portion of an enterprise planning model for use within a subsequent enterprise planning session, wherein receiving model data includes receiving model data from one of the enterprise users associated with a first level of the hierarchically arranged nodes in a first planning stage and receiving model data from a second one of the enterprise users associated with a second level of the hierarchically arranged nodes in a second planning stage, wherein the model data received in the second planning stage refines the portion of the enterprise planning model defined in the first enterprise planning stage; executing software that validates the portion of the model received from each of the users by rejecting the portions of the enterprise planning model received from the enterprise users associated with lower levels of the enterprise hierarchy when the portions of the enterprise planning model fail to comply with the portions of the enterprise planning model provided by the enterprise users associated with the higher levels of the hierarchy; repeating the validation until the portions of the enterprise planning model have been validated; and after validation of the enterprise planning model, executing software that conducts the enterprise planning session in accordance with the enterprise planning model by capturing contribution data from a set of contributors associated with the enterprise hierarchy and reconciling the captured contribution data with target data at each level of the hierarchy.