Patent ID: 7213232

Claim:
A method for configuring business software using a business modeling tool, comprising: communicating a business configuration interface to a user of the business modeling tool, the business configuration interface comprising: one or more business topologies associated with different types of manufacturing environments, each of the business topologies comprise a set of business models and business processes; and one or more industry verticals, each of the industry verticals comprise a set of business models and business processes; receiving a selection of a business configuration from the user, the business configuration including at least one user selected business topology and at least one user selected industry vertical; communicating a business topology interface to the user, the business topology interface comprising one or more functional elements associated with various stages of a workflow between a supplier and a customer; receiving a selection of a functional element from the user; communicating a functional element interface to the user, the functional element interface comprising one or more business functions associated with the selected functional element; receiving a selection of a business function from the user, the business function having one or more associated business processes; communicating one or more business process interfaces to the user, the business process interfaces each being associated with a business process that is associated with the selected business function; receiving software configuration information from the user via the one or more business process interfaces; generating an entity model configured according to the received software configuration information; saving the entity model; generating a specification file associated with the entity model; and saving the specification file.