Procurement management program, procurement management method, and information processing device

Abstract

To support inventory optimization.SOLUTION: A computer displays the inventory status of multiple items on a display screen 5 in a manner that distinguishes between multiple inventory types. When an element in a graph displayed on the display screen 5 is selected, the computer displays a list 52 of inventory status details associated with the selected element on the display screen 5 in a selectable manner. The computer then executes processing for determining the detail selected from the list 52 displayed on the display screen 5 as an object candidate for procurement management.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a procurement management program, a procurement management method, and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Systems are known that manage inventory and procurement of goods by collecting and displaying data relating to inventory and the like of goods. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-177104 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The management team refers to the system and manually issues instructions to the field team. However, with the above-mentioned system, it can be difficult for the management team to intuitively understand the inventory situation and instruct the field team on specific solutions to problems related to the inventory situation, such as the cause of a company's cash flow stagnating due to excess inventory.

[0005] Insufficient communication between management and field staff may make it difficult to efficiently resolve issues related to inventory status, making it difficult to optimize inventory, for example, by reducing inventory and adjusting purchase quantities, and improving procurement.

[0006] In one aspect, the present invention aims to assist in inventory optimization. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one aspect, the procurement management program may cause a computer to execute the following processes. The process may display the inventory status of multiple items on a display screen in a graph in a manner that allows multiple inventory types to be distinguished. Furthermore, when an element in the graph displayed on the display screen is selected, the process may display a list of inventory status details linked to the selected element on the display screen in a selectable manner. Furthermore, the process may determine the details selected from the list displayed on the display screen as candidates for procurement management. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] In one aspect, the present invention can assist in optimizing inventory. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of a management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a graph displayed on a display screen. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a list of details displayed on a display screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a procurement management contact screen displayed on the display screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the functions of a server according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a DB (database). [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of a stock type setting process by a server of a management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a procurement management process by a server of a management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a graph displayed on a display screen. [Figure 10]10 is a diagram showing an example of display after updating the refining conditions on the display screen shown in FIG. 9. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display of base classification in the inventory status summary on the display screen shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a list displayed on a display screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a detailed specification screen of a selected item displayed on the display screen. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display of an ongoing alert list on a display screen. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an alert management screen displayed on the display screen. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a procurement management contact screen when the progress rate is changed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude various modifications or application of techniques not explicitly described below. For example, the present embodiment can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the spirit thereof. In the drawings used in the following description, parts with the same reference numerals represent the same or similar parts unless otherwise specified.

[0011] [A] Description of a management system according to one embodiment 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a management system 1 according to an embodiment. An example of the configuration and operation of the management system 1 according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0012] The management system 1 is an example of a system for managing inventory and procurement of goods in an organization such as a company. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the management system 1 may include a server 2, a management terminal 3, and a field terminal 4.

[0013] The server 2 is an example of a computer or information processing device that manages inventory and procurement of goods. The server 2 is connected to, for example, the managerial terminal 3 and the field terminal 4 so as to be able to communicate with each other, and provides services to the managerial terminal 3 and the field terminal 4 to support cooperation regarding inventory and procurement management.

[0014] Here, the server 2 may be equipped with a DB (Database) 20 that stores, for example, the inventory status of a plurality of items, and may use the DB 20 to execute and support the management of the inventory status of items (inventory management) and the management of the procurement of items (procurement management). Inventory management may include registering the inventory status of items in the DB 20, analyzing the inventory status, etc. Procurement management may include communication regarding procurement (instructions, responses, completion reports) between the management terminal 3 and the field terminal 4 based on the results of the inventory status analysis, and the implementation of procurement processing, etc. The items may be, for example, products, parts, etc.

[0015] In the following explanation, we will assume a case where collaboration is performed via the server 2, focusing mainly on the analysis of inventory status by the managerial terminal 3 in inventory management, and communication between the managerial terminal 3 and the field terminal 4, including instructions from the managerial terminal 3 to the field terminal 4 in procurement management. Since inventory procurement management is achieved through this series of processes, hereinafter, inventory management and procurement management by the management system 1 may be collectively referred to simply as "procurement management." The management system 1 may also be referred to as a procurement management system.

[0016] The executive level terminal 3 is an example of a computer or information processing device used by executive level users in an organization such as a company. The field level terminal 4 is an example of a computer or information processing device used by field level users in an organization such as a company. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the management system 1 has one executive level terminal 3 and one field level terminal 4, but this is not limited to this. Depending on the number of users, one or both of the executive level terminal 3 and the field level terminal 4 may be two or more.

[0017] Each of the managerial terminal 3 and the field terminal 4 may be provided with an application (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "APP") for using the services provided by the server 2. The APP may be a dedicated application program for using the service, or, if the service is web-based, may be a general-purpose application program such as a web browser.

[0018] In procurement management, the server 2 may execute the following processes (a) to (c).

[0019] (a) The server 2 displays the inventory status of a plurality of items on a display screen in a graph format in which the types of inventory can be distinguished from one another.

[0020] (b) When an element in the graph displayed on the display screen is selected, the server 2 displays a list of details of the stock status linked to the selected element on the display screen in a selectable manner.

[0021] (c) The server 2 determines the item selected from the list displayed on the display screen as a candidate for procurement management.

[0022] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, an example of screen transition on the display screen 5 according to the above-mentioned processes (a) to (c) will be described.

[0023] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a graph displayed on the display screen 5. The display screen 5 may be an APP screen (for example, a window) displayed on a display device such as a monitor provided in the managerial terminal 3, for example.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the process (a) above results in a graph 51 being displayed on the display screen 5. The horizontal axis of the graph 51 represents the year and month, and the vertical axis represents the inventory value (unit: million US dollars). The graph 51 displays the inventory status of multiple items by year and month, with multiple inventory types distinguishable. The information used to generate the graph 51 may be obtained from the DB 20.

[0025] There may be at least two types of inventory (for example, normal inventory and excess inventory), and in the example of Figure 2, there are four types: safety stock, normal inventory, excess inventory, and slow-moving inventory. Safety stock is the minimum amount of inventory secured to prevent stockouts due to fluctuations in demand, and normal inventory is a certain amount (appropriate amount) of inventory stored in accordance with the conditions for each item. Excess inventory is excess (surplus) inventory, for example, an amount of inventory that exceeds demand. Slow-moving inventory is inventory that is unlikely to decrease (for example, due to sales, consumption, etc.).

[0026] Various modes may be employed to distinguishably display multiple inventory types, such as the color or pattern inside the graph for each type, the color, pattern, or line type of the graph frame for each type, or a combination of two or more of these. In the example of Figure 2, the pattern inside the graph (bar graph) for each type is displayed in a distinguishable manner using white outline, shading, diagonal lines, etc.

[0027] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a list display of details on the display screen 5. In Fig. 3, it is assumed that in the process (b) above, "excess" for "January 2024" in the graph 51 displayed on the display screen 5 is selected as element 51a in the graph 51. In this case, as shown in Fig. 3 as an example, a list 52 of inventory status details linked to the selected element 51a of "excess" for "January 2024" is displayed on the display screen 5 in a selectable manner (see arrow A).

[0028] List 52 is a table that lists, at a predetermined granularity, details of the inventory status linked to element 51a selected in graph 51. An example of granularity is the smallest unit for identifying an item that is a candidate for procurement management (candidate for instruction) from management terminal 3 to field terminal 4. In the example of FIG. 3, list 52 may display, in one detail (record), items that share the same values in items 52b of "inventory type," "year / month," "base name," "branch name," "area," "item name," "item category," and "unit price" as candidate for instruction.

[0029] The list 52 may also display, for each item, a check box 52a for determining which items are candidates for procurement management, an inventory status 52c including information such as the "inventory quantity" and "inventory value" of the item related to the item, and a contact status 52d showing the status of contact regarding the item. The display screen 5 may also display a contact button 52e for creating procurement management instructions, etc., for the selected item.

[0030] 3, by the process (c) above, the selected details are determined as candidates for procurement management by checking (selecting) the checkboxes 52a of one or more details in the list 52 using the management terminal 3, etc. Note that the candidates may also be determined when the contact button 52e is pressed.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the display of the procurement management contact screen 53 on the display screen 5. The procurement management contact screen 53 is a screen for creating contact content, such as instructions regarding procurement management, from the executive terminal 3 to the field terminal 4, for one of the details (items) determined as candidates for procurement management by the process (c) above. When there are multiple candidates for procurement management, the server 2 may generate the procurement management contact screen 53 for, for example, an item specified by the executive terminal 3 among the multiple candidate items. Alternatively, the server 2 may generate the procurement management contact screen 53 for each of the multiple candidate items for procurement management in a predetermined order (for example, the order of display in the list 52).

[0032] As illustrated in Figure 4, the procurement management contact screen 53 may include display items including category 53a, alert status 53b, contact status 53c, responsible person 53d, and contact date 53e, input items including notes 53f, a cancel button 53h, and a send button 53g.

[0033] Category 53a is an example of identification information for a detail selected in list 52 (see Figure 3). Alert status 53b indicates the inventory type of the selected detail. Contact status 53c indicates the status of the contact (to be made) for the selected detail. Person in charge 53d indicates the person in charge of making the contact regarding procurement management. Person in charge 53d may display, for example, the name of the user of the management terminal 3 or the logged-in user of the service. Contact date 53e indicates the date (or date and time, etc.) on which the contact regarding procurement management will be made. Contact date 53e may display, for example, the current date. Note that one or both of person in charge 53d and contact date 53e may be input or selectable via the management terminal 3.

[0034] The remarks 53f is an item where the content of the message regarding procurement management is input. For example, the content of the message may be input into the remarks 53f using the management terminal 3, or the content of the message may be selected from pre-registered and selectable candidate message content such as fixed phrases displayed.

[0035] The cancel button 53h is a button for canceling the creation (sending) of the message content on the procurement management communication screen 53. The send button 53g is a button for sending the message content to the field terminal 4. By pressing the send button 53g, the message content that has been displayed, entered, selected, etc. on the procurement management communication screen 53 is sent to the field terminal 4. The field terminal 4 (or the field user) to which the message content is sent may be linked to the details in the DB 20, for example. There are various methods for sending the message content from the management terminal 3 to the field terminal 4.

[0036] As an example, by pressing the send button 53g, the DB20 is updated with the contact content in the procurement management contact screen 53. Then, for details for which the contact status 52d of the updated DB20 indicates "instructions", the server 2 notifies the field terminal 4 linked to the base name and branch name of the details, for example, of the receipt of instructions (contact) from the management terminal 3. Note that when the server 2 receives a request to display instructions from the field terminal 4, it may display the contact content on the display screen 5 of the field terminal 4.

[0037] Thus, according to the method of one embodiment, the server 2 displays the inventory status of multiple items in a graph on the display screen 5 in a manner that allows multiple inventory types to be distinguished, as exemplified in Fig. 2. Furthermore, when an element in the graph 51 displayed on the display screen 5 is selected, as exemplified in Fig. 3, the server 2 displays a selectable list 52 of inventory status details linked to the selected element on the display screen 5, and determines the details selected from the list 52 as candidates for procurement management.

[0038] This allows a managerial user to select an element from the graph 51 on the managerial terminal 3, and then select a detail from the list 52 of inventory status details linked to that element, thereby determining candidates for procurement management. By performing such operations, the managerial user can intuitively understand the inventory status of the item, and can issue instructions regarding procurement management of the detail selected from the list 52 to a field user through a series of processes. This allows for sufficient collaboration between the managerial user and the field user, and makes it possible to efficiently resolve problems related to inventory status. In other words, inventory optimization can be achieved.

[0039] Furthermore, according to the technique of one embodiment, the executive terminal 3 can efficiently perform tasks from understanding the inventory status to issuing instructions regarding procurement management by operating the display screen 5, thereby reducing the load on the management system 1. Examples of the load include the network load of the management system 1, the processing load of the computer that implements the server 2, and the processing load of each of the executive terminal 3 and the field terminal 4.

[0040] [B] Hardware configuration example The functions of the server 2 according to one embodiment may be realized by a computer. Examples of the computer include information processing devices such as a server machine and a PC (Personal Computer). The computer may be, for example, a virtual server (VM) or a physical server.

[0041] The functions of the server 2 may be realized by one computer or two or more computers. Furthermore, at least some of the functions of the server 2 may be realized using HW (Hardware) resources and NW (Network) resources provided by a cloud environment.

[0042] 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware (HW) configuration of a computer 10 that realizes the functions of the server 2 according to one embodiment. When multiple computers are used as HW resources that realize the functions of the server 2, each computer may have the HW configuration shown in FIG.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, the computer 10 may, as a HW configuration, illustratively include a processor 10a, a graphics processing unit 10b, a memory 10c, a storage unit 10d, an IF (Interface) unit 10e, an IO (Input / Output) unit 10f, and a reading unit 10g.

[0044] The processor 10a is an example of a processing unit that performs various controls and calculations. The processor 10a may be connected to each block in the computer 10 via a bus 10j so that they can communicate with each other. The processor 10a may be a multiprocessor including multiple processors, a multi-core processor having multiple processor cores, or a configuration having multiple multi-core processors.

[0045] The processor 10a may be, for example, an integrated circuit (IC) such as a CPU, MPU, APU, DSP, ASIC, or FPGA. Note that the processor 10a may be a combination of two or more of these integrated circuits. CPU is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit, MPU is an abbreviation for Micro Processing Unit, APU is an abbreviation for Accelerated Processing Unit, DSP is an abbreviation for Digital Signal Processor, ASIC is an abbreviation for Application Specific IC, and FPGA is an abbreviation for Field-Programmable Gate Array.

[0046] The graphics processing device 10b controls screen display for an output device such as a monitor in the IO unit 10f. The graphics processing device 10b may also be configured as an accelerator that executes machine learning processing and inference processing using a machine learning model. The graphics processing device 10b may be any of a variety of arithmetic processing devices, such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an APU, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other integrated circuits (ICs).

[0047] The memory 10c is an example of HW that stores various types of data, programs, and other information. Examples of the memory 10c include one or both of a volatile memory such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a non-volatile memory such as a persistent memory (PM).

[0048] The storage unit 10d is an example of HW that stores various types of data, programs, and other information. Examples of the storage unit 10d include various storage devices such as a magnetic disk device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a semiconductor drive device such as a solid state drive (SSD), and a nonvolatile memory. Examples of nonvolatile memory include a flash memory, a storage class memory (SCM), and a read-only memory (ROM).

[0049] The storage unit 10d may store a program 10h (procurement management program) that realizes all or part of the various functions of the server 2. For example, the processor 10a can realize the functions of the server 2 (for example, the control unit 26 shown in FIG. 1) by expanding the program 10h stored in the storage unit 10d into the memory 10c and executing it.

[0050] When the functions of the server 2 are realized by a plurality of computers 10, the program 10h may be divided into a plurality of programs and stored in a distributed manner among the plurality of computers 10. The plurality of programs may have at least some of the functions in common (overlapping) with each other. The plurality of computers 10 may cooperate with each other to realize all or part of the various functions of the server 2 by executing the programs stored therein.

[0051] The IF unit 10e is an example of a communication IF that controls connections and communications between the server 2 and each of the managerial terminal 3 and the field terminal 4, or between a plurality of computers 10 that implement the server 2. For example, the IF unit 10e may include an adapter that complies with a LAN (Local Area Network) such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or optical communications such as FC (Fibre Channel). The adapter may support either or both of wireless and wired communication methods.

[0052] The program 10h may be downloaded from a network (for example, an external network) to the computer 10 via the communication interface and stored in the storage unit 10d.

[0053] The IO unit 10f may include one or both of an input device and an output device. Examples of input devices include a keyboard and a mouse. Examples of output devices include a monitor, a projector, and a printer. The IO unit 10f may also include a display device such as a touch panel that combines an input device and an output device. The output device may be connected to the graphics processing device 10b.

[0054] The reading unit 10g is an example of a reader that reads data and program information recorded on the recording medium 10i. The reading unit 10g may include a connection terminal or device to which the recording medium 10i can be connected or inserted. Examples of the reading unit 10g include an adapter that complies with USB (Universal Serial Bus) or the like, a drive device that accesses a recording disk, and a card reader that accesses a flash memory such as an SD card. Note that the recording medium 10i may store the program 10h, and the reading unit 10g may read the program 10h from the recording medium 10i and store it in the memory unit 10d.

[0055] Examples of the recording medium 10i include non-transitory computer-readable recording media such as magnetic / optical disks and flash memories. Examples of magnetic / optical disks include flexible disks, CDs (Compact Discs), DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), Blu-ray Discs, and HVDs (Holographic Versatile Discs). Examples of flash memories include semiconductor memories such as USB memories and SD cards.

[0056] The above-described HW configuration of the computer 10 is an example. Therefore, the HW in the computer 10 may be increased or decreased (for example, adding or deleting any block), divided, integrated in any combination, or the HW may be added or deleted as needed.

[0057] 1 may each have a hardware configuration similar to that of the computer 10 illustrated in FIG. 5. In this case, the processor 10a of each of the executive terminal 3 and the field terminal 4 can implement the functions of the executive terminal 3 or the field terminal 4 by loading a program 10h stored in the storage unit 10d into the memory 10c and executing it. The program 10h may include an APP for using the services provided by the server 2. The display screen 5 illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4 may be displayed on an output device of the IO unit 10f of each of the executive terminal 3 and the field terminal 4.

[0058] [C] Software configuration example Next, an example of the software configuration of the server 2 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0059] 1, the server 2 may include, in addition to the DB 20 described above, an inventory type setting unit 21, an input / output control unit 22, a screen control unit 23, a reference counting unit 24, and an update unit 25. These blocks 21 to 25 are an example of the control unit 26. The function of the control unit 26 may be realized, for example, by the processor 10a shown in FIG. 5 expanding and executing a program 10h in the memory 10c.

[0060] DB20 may be realized, for example, by a storage area of one or both of memory 10c and storage unit 10d shown in FIG. 5, or by a storage area of another computer or another system. In the following description, for convenience, the information stored in DB20 is expressed in a single table format, but this is not limiting. DB20 may be a DB having various DB structures. For example, the information stored in DB20, which will be described later, may be stored and managed in a distributed manner across multiple structured tables.

[0061] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in DB 20. As shown in Fig. 6, DB 20 may include the following items: "ID" (Identifier), "Year and Month", "Base Name", "Branch Name", "Area Affiliated", "Item Name", "Item Classification", "Item Category", "Inventory Type", "Inventory Amount", "Inventory Value", "Contact Status", "Person in Charge", "Contact Date", and "Remarks".

[0062] "ID" is an example of identification information for a record, and may be, for example, a character string including at least some information about each of the item name, base name, year and month, and inventory type. "Year and month" is, for example, the year and month of registration (aggregation) of information about the item. "Year and month" may include, for example, date information, and if registration (aggregation) of information about the item is performed on a daily or hourly basis, date and time information may be set. If the "year and month" item is on a daily basis, a record for each day may be registered in DB20.

[0063] "Base name" is the name of the base that manages the inventory of the item in a company or other organization. "Branch name" is the name of the branch that manages the inventory of the item in a company or other organization. "Area" is the classification of the area (region) to which the base or branch belongs. Note that if the field layer terminal 4 or field layer user who is the contact point is assigned on a base or branch basis, the contact point can be identified by the base name or branch name.

[0064] "Item name" is the name of the item. "Item classification" is the classification of the item. Examples of "item classification" include "purchased" which indicates a purchased item, "work in progress" which indicates a work in progress, and "finished" which indicates a manufactured item. "Item category" is a category which indicates what kind of item the item is, such as "display," "battery pack," or "transistor."

[0065] "Stock type" is the type of inventory of the item, such as "safe," "normal," "excess," "stagnant," etc. "Stock quantity" is the quantity of inventory for each stock type of the item, and "stock value" is the total value of inventory for each stock type of the item.

[0066] "Contact status", "Person in charge", "Contact date", and "Notes" are information on contact status 53c, person in charge 53d, contact date 53e, and notes 53f, respectively, registered on a screen such as the procurement management contact screen 53 shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 6, "No Value" (Null) fields that do not contain a value are marked with "-".

[0067] In addition to the items mentioned above, the records of DB20 may also register various items linked to the items, such as information for identifying the field terminal 4 or field user that will serve as the contact point, various information used as conditions for identifying items that are candidates for procurement management, codes for various names, various keys, etc.

[0068] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 1, the inventory type setting unit 21 sets information about inventory types in DB 20, which is managed, for example, in inventory management. For example, the inventory type setting unit 21 may update DB 20 shown in FIG. 5 by classifying records for which an inventory type has not been set into multiple records for each inventory type. As an example, the inventory type setting unit 21 may classify (distribute) the total inventory amount into inventory amounts for each inventory type based on the total inventory amount of items in the records to be classified by inventory type. Furthermore, the inventory type setting unit 21 may generate an ID by adding inventory type information to the ID of the original record, and set the ID as the ID of the multiple classified records.

[0069] The inventory classification by the inventory classification setting unit 21 may be performed, for example, based on a predetermined formula or a predetermined machine learning model trained to perform the classification task. The predetermined formula or predetermined machine learning model may perform classification using a logic common to all items, or may perform classification using different logic for each organization or for each item or combination of items in the DB 20. By classifying the inventory by the inventory classification setting unit 21, information effective as an alert to the management terminal 3 (for example, a flag indicating excess inventory) can be added to records in the DB 20 that have an inventory situation that can be improved.

[0070] The input / output control unit 22 controls input / output between the managerial terminal 3 and the field terminal 4 and the server 2. At least a part of the functions of the input / output control unit 22 may be realized by, for example, one or both of the IF unit 10e and the IO unit 10f shown in FIG.

[0071] For example, the input / output control unit 22 may generate and update control information for a managerial or field user to operate the managerial terminal 3 or the field terminal 4 to receive a service on the display screen 5 of the APP. The control information may include, for example, screen information for displaying the display screen 5. The screen information may be input from the screen control unit 23 to the input / output control unit 22.

[0072] For example, the input / output control unit 22 may have the functionality of a web server or an APP server, and may transmit control information including screen information to the managerial terminal 3 or the field terminal 4, and may also receive input information entered or selected by a managerial or field user via the managerial terminal 3 or the field terminal 4. The input information may include, for example, filtering conditions for narrowing down the display content such as the graph 51 or the list 52 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), contact content entered or selected on the procurement management contact screen 53 (see FIG. 4), and various operation information for the display screen 5.

[0073] The screen control unit 23 generates or updates screen information to be displayed on the display screen 5, such as a graph 51, a list 52, or a procurement management contact screen 53, based on input information, information from the reference aggregation unit 24, or the update unit 25, and outputs the screen information to the input / output control unit 22.

[0074] The reference counting unit 24 acquires (extracts) records based on the filtering conditions included in the input information (for example, records that satisfy the filtering conditions) from the DB 20, and outputs them to the screen control unit 23. The filtering conditions may include at least one of the following conditions: inventory type, period (year and month, etc.), item (item name, item classification, item category, etc.), and location where the item is managed (base name, branch name, etc.).

[0075] The reference and aggregation unit 24 may aggregate the data of the records acquired from the DB 20 according to the filtering conditions. As an example, when the filtering conditions include a year / month or period specification and the DB 20 stores records on a daily basis, the reference and aggregation unit 24 may sum up multiple records that satisfy the filtering conditions. For example, the reference and aggregation unit 24 may combine the numerical values of inventory quantity, inventory value, etc. of multiple records that satisfy the filtering conditions, where only the date (the "year / month" field) differs and all fields other than the date for identifying the item are the same, thereby grouping these records into monthly units. Examples of fields other than the date for identifying the item include the base name, branch name, region, item name, item classification, item category, and inventory type (see FIG. 6).

[0076] The update unit 25 updates the DB 20 based on the contact content or operation information included in the input information. For example, when the update unit 25 acquires operation information indicating that the send button 53g on the procurement management contact screen 53 has been pressed, the update unit 25 may set (update) the information of the contact status 53c, the person in charge 53d, the contact date 53e, and the remarks 53f on the procurement management contact screen 53 to a record in the DB 20 having an ID that matches the category 53a on the procurement management contact screen 53.

[0077] [D] Operation example Next, an example of the operation of the management system 1 according to one embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the inventory type setting process by the server 2 of the management system 1 according to one embodiment. Fig. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the procurement management process by the server 2 of the management system 1 according to one embodiment.

[0078] [D-1] Inventory type setting process First, an example of the operation of the inventory type setting process by the server 2 (inventory type setting unit 21) will be described with reference to Figure 7. The inventory type setting process shown in Figure 7 may be executed at a predetermined timing, for example, periodically, at a specified timing, or when a record with an unset inventory type is registered in the DB 20.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 7, the stock type setting unit 21 identifies a record in which the stock type is not set from the DB 20 (step S1).

[0080] The stock type setting unit 21 classifies the identified records into a plurality of records for each stock type based on a predetermined calculation formula or using a predetermined machine learning model (step S2).

[0081] The stock type setting unit 21 generates an ID by adding stock type information to the ID of the identified record, and sets the ID as the ID of the classified multiple records (step S3), and the process ends.

[0082] [D-2] Procurement management processing Next, an example of the operation of the procurement process by the server 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The procurement management process shown in Fig. 8 may be executed, for example, when input information including a narrowing-down condition is received from the management terminal 3.

[0083] As illustrated in FIG. 8, the reference counting unit 24 of the server 2 acquires from the DB 20 records that satisfy the narrowing-down conditions acquired from the managerial terminal 3 (step S11).

[0084] The screen control unit 23 generates a graph 51 that can distinguish between multiple stock types based on the records acquired by the reference counting unit 24, and outputs screen information including the graph 51 to the manager terminal 3 (step S12).

[0085] The reference counting unit 24 acquires from the DB 20 records linked to the elements in the graph 51 selected by the executive terminal 3. The screen control unit 23 generates a list 52 of the inventory status of the records linked to the elements, and outputs screen information including the list 52 to the executive terminal 3 (step S13).

[0086] The screen control unit 23 determines the details selected from the list 52 by the management terminal 3 as candidates for procurement management (step S14). For example, the screen control unit 23 may generate a procurement management contact screen 53 for at least one of the determined candidates, and output screen information including the procurement management contact screen 53 to the management terminal 3.

[0087] The update unit 25 registers (sets or updates) the procurement management contact content (notes 53f, etc.) entered into the procurement management contact screen 53 for the target candidate by the management terminal 3 in the record of the target candidate in DB20 (step S15).

[0088] The screen control unit 23 generates screen information including a notification of procurement management contact, and outputs the screen information to the field terminal 4 of the contact linked to the record (target candidate record) updated by the update unit 25 (step S16), and the processing ends.

[0089] [E] Example of screen transitions on the display screen Next, examples of screen transitions on the display screen 5 in procurement management of the management system 1 described above will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 16. The following explanation may be regarded as another embodiment of the above-described screen transition examples on the display screen 5 described with reference to Figures 2 to 4, or as a modified example that can replace at least a part of the above-described screen transition examples.

[0090] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of how a graph 51 is displayed on the display screen 5. As shown in Fig. 9, the display screen 5 of the manager terminal 3 may display a management screen 5A, an inventory management menu 5B, and a filter screen 5C.

[0091] The management screen 5A includes display areas for a graph 51 and an inventory status summary 54. The graph 51 may be similar to the graph 51 shown in Fig. 2. Elements in the graph 51, for example, graphs (bar graphs) by year and month and by inventory type, can be selected as filtering conditions on the manager terminal 3. Fig. 9 illustrates an example in which none of the elements in the graph 51 are selected, in other words, the filtering condition is "unconditional."

[0092] The inventory status overview 54 is a screen that displays an overview of the inventory status by year and month linked to the elements of the graph 51 according to the filtering conditions (including unconditional; same below), and includes an item classification button 54a, a base classification button 54b, a currently displayed year and month 54c, monthly inventory amount 54d, an item classification graph 54e, an inventory type graph 54f, and a list display button 54g.

[0093] The item classification button 54a and the base classification button 54b are buttons that switch the display content of the inventory status overview 54 between item classification and base classification, and are selected (enabled) by either one. Figure 9 shows an example in which the item classification button 54a is enabled.

[0094] The currently displayed date 54c is a condition for narrowing down the date, and can be set by specifying the date in the graph 51 or by directly inputting it.

[0095] The monthly stock amount 54d displays the stock amount (US dollars) for each stock type for the currently displayed month 54c and the change from the previous month (%) for the elements in the graph 51 according to the narrowing conditions.

[0096] The item classification graph 54e is a pie chart that displays the proportion of each item classification (see FIG. 6) in the currently displayed year / month 54c in a distinguishable and selectable manner for the elements in the graph 51 according to the narrowing-down conditions. Each item classification in the pie chart can be selected as a narrowing-down condition.

[0097] The inventory type graph 54f is a bar graph that displays the inventory status for each item category (see FIG. 6) in the currently displayed month and year 54c in a distinguishable and selectable manner for the elements in the graph 51 according to the filtering conditions. Each item category in the bar graph can be selected as a filtering condition.

[0098] The list display button 54g is a button for displaying a list 52 of stock status details linked to the element selected as the narrowing condition.

[0099] The inventory management menu 5B includes an inventory management button 55a and an in-progress alert list button 55b. The inventory management button 55a is a button for displaying the management screen 5A, and the in-progress alert list button 55b is a button for displaying the management screen 5H (see FIG. 14) that includes an in-progress alert list 61, which will be described later. FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which the inventory management button 55a is enabled.

[0100] The filter screen 5C is a screen for specifying various filtering conditions. The filter screen 5C includes, as filter items (filter conditions) that can be specified, an inventory type 56a, an area 56b, a base name 56c, a branch name 56d, an item classification 56e, and an item category 56f. The filter screen 5C also includes an add button 56g for adding at least one specified filtering item to the filtering conditions.

[0101] The screen control unit 23 may cooperate with the reference and calculation unit 24 to update the display contents of the graph 51 and the stock status summary 54 in accordance with the updated narrowing conditions each time the narrowing conditions are updated, for example, each time various narrowing conditions are selected (specified), deselected, or changed in the graph 51, the stock status summary 54, and the filter screen 5C. For example, the reference and calculation unit 24 acquires records associated with the updated narrowing conditions from the DB 20. The screen control unit 23 updates the screen information by regenerating the graph 51 and the stock status summary 54 based on the records acquired by the reference and calculation unit 24.

[0102] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of display after updating the narrowing down conditions on the display screen 5 shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 10 shows an example in which the "excess" element (graph) for "December 2023" in the graph 51 is selected as the narrowing down condition.

[0103] 10, the screen control unit 23 may generate a graph 51 in which the selected element is highlighted (see symbol B). Instead of or in addition to highlighting the selected element, elements other than the selected element in the graph 51 may be displayed so as to be less noticeable than the selected element (for example, by lowering the brightness).

[0104] As shown in FIG. 10, the screen control unit 23 may generate the stock status summary 54 by performing the following process. The screen control unit 23 updates the currently displayed year and month 54c to the selected year and month, "December 2023." The screen control unit 23 generates the stock amount (US dollars) for each stock type and the change from the previous month (%) for the updated currently displayed year and month 54c, and updates the monthly stock amount 54d. The screen control unit 23 generates the proportions of each item category in the updated currently displayed year and month 54c for the selected element of the graph 51 in a distinguishable manner, and updates the item category graph 54e. The screen control unit 23 generates the proportion of each item category in the updated currently displayed year / month 54c for the selected element of the graph 51 in a distinguishable manner, and updates the stock type graph 54f.

[0105] In the following explanation, it is assumed that the various screens (including graphs and lists) displayed according to the filtering conditions are generated (updated) by the screen control unit 23 according to the updated filtering conditions each time the filtering conditions are updated.

[0106] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the display of base classification in the inventory status overview 54 on the display screen 5 shown in Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 11, when the base classification button 54b is enabled, the inventory status overview 54 displays an area graph 54h instead of the item classification graph 54e and a base classification graph 54i instead of the inventory type graph 54f.

[0107] The belonging region graph 54h is a pie chart that displays the proportion of each belonging region (see FIG. 6) in the currently displayed year and month 54c for the elements in the graph 51 according to the narrowing-down conditions in a distinguishable manner. Each belonging region in the pie chart can be selected as a narrowing-down condition.

[0108] The base classification graph 54i is a bar graph that displays, in a distinguishable and selectable manner, the inventory status of each location where items are managed in the currently displayed month and year 54c, for example, by base name (see FIG. 6), for elements in the graph 51 according to the narrowing-down conditions. Each base name in the bar graph can be selected as a narrowing-down condition. In the base classification graph 54i, branch names may be used instead of base names.

[0109] Thus, the management screen 5A shown in Figures 9 to 11 allows the user of the executive terminal 3 to quickly and in detail grasp the inventory status from an organizational perspective (company-wide perspective) by item (see Figure 9) or by location (base or branch) (see Figure 11). Furthermore, by changing the filtering conditions, the user of the executive terminal 3 can easily grasp, for example, segments (items or locations, etc.) that are successfully managing inventory and segments that need to improve or correct procurement management, and can efficiently consider measures to improve or correct procurement management. This can lead to improvements in the organization's (company's) cash flow and business performance.

[0110] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of display of the list 52 on the display screen 5. As shown in Fig. 12, when the list display button 54g (see Figs. 9 to 11) is pressed, a filter screen 5C, a filter result 5D, a narrowed-down result 5E, a back button 5F, and the list 52 may be displayed on the display screen 5 of the managerial terminal 3.

[0111] The filter results 5D are a list of the narrowing down conditions that are being applied when the list display button 54g is pressed.

[0112] The filtered results 5E are displayed as a bar graph showing the stock amount for each stock type, with the stock type selectable, and a bar graph showing the number of items for each location, with the location name selectable, according to the filtering conditions currently being applied when the list display button 54g is pressed. The manager terminal 3 can also set the final filtering conditions, for example, by selecting one or both of the stock type and the location name from these bar graphs. The final filtering conditions may be further (additional) filtering conditions in addition to the filtering conditions selected (specified) in at least one of the filter screen 5C, the graph 51, and the inventory status summary 54.

[0113] The back button 5F is a button for returning to the screen that was displayed before the list display button 54g was pressed (see, for example, FIGS. 9 to 11).

[0114] The list 52 is a list 52 of inventory status details linked to the narrowed-down result 5E, and may be the same as the list 52 shown in Fig. 3. For example, when the contact button 52e is pressed with the check boxes 52a of one or more details selected in the list 52, the procurement management contact screen 53 shown in Fig. 4 may be displayed on the display screen 5.

[0115] Thus, according to the narrowed-down results 5E and list 52 shown in FIG. 12, the user of the management terminal 3 can grasp the inventory situation from an item perspective and quickly notice any abnormal trends in the inventory situation.

[0116] 12, an item details button 52f may be displayed in the list 52. When the item details button 52f is pressed with one or more detail records or check boxes 52a selected in the list 52, a detailed specifications screen 5G illustrated in FIG.

[0117] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a detailed specification screen 5G of a selected item displayed on the display screen 5. The detailed specification screen 5G shown in Fig. 13 may be displayed when the item details button 52f is pressed in the list 52 shown in Fig. 12.

[0118] The detailed specification screen 5G includes a details screen 57 of the selected item, a trend screen 58 of inventory value by year / month and inventory type, and a sales and management plan transaction screen 59. The details screen 57 is a list of information stored in the DB 20 regarding the selected item. The trend screen 58 is a screen that displays the trend of inventory value by year / month and inventory type for the selected item during the date range specified in the date range control area 58a. The sales and management plan transaction screen 59 is a screen that displays a list of transactions by date for the selected item during the date range specified in the date range control area 58a. The screen control unit 23 and the reference and aggregation unit 24 may generate the detailed specification screen 5G by referring to items (not shown) in the DB 20 (see FIG. 6) or other databases.

[0119] In this way, the detailed specification screen 5G allows, for example, a managerial user to check the details of the item selected in the list 52. The transition screen 58 and transaction screen 59 contain detailed information that is managed by field personnel. Therefore, a managerial user can efficiently grasp problems related to the inventory situation and plan measures to resolve the problems.

[0120] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of how the in-progress alert list 61 is displayed on the display screen 5. As shown in Fig. 14, when the in-progress alert list button 55b on the inventory management menu 5B is enabled, the display screen 5 displays a management screen 5H including the in-progress alert list 61 instead of the management screen 5A.

[0121] The ongoing alert list 61 displays a list of contact details of ongoing alerts related to the user of the management terminal 3. The ongoing alert list 61 may include items such as a title 61a, an inventory type 61b, a contact status 61c, a contact date 61d, a person in charge 61e, and a remark 61f. These items 61a to 61f may correspond to the items 53a to 53f shown in FIG. 4, respectively.

[0122] The in-progress alert list 61 may include the "instruction" communication content registered by the management terminal 3, the "processing" (response) communication content registered by the field terminal 4 in response to the instruction, and the "completion" communication content registered by the field terminal 4 after the procurement management instruction has been carried out (completed).

[0123] As described above, the update unit 25 updates the DB 20 in response to the registration of communication content on the procurement management communication screen 53 by the executive terminal 3 or the field terminal 4. Therefore, the in-progress alert list 61 displays the latest communication content in accordance with the registered content in the DB 20. This allows seamless collaboration (communication) to be achieved between executive users and field users. Furthermore, because executive users can view ongoing procurement management at a glance, they can easily grasp the progress of procurement management throughout the organization.

[0124] 15 is a diagram showing a display example of an alert management screen 5I on the display screen 5. When the server 2 notifies the field terminal 4 (or the managerial terminal 3) of the receipt of a message, the alert management screen 5I is displayed on the display screen 5 when the field terminal 4 (or the managerial terminal 3) checks the content of the message. The message from the server 2 may be output to an output device of the field terminal 4, another device owned by the user of the field terminal 4, or the like, by an APP executed by the field terminal 4, so that the user of the field terminal 4 can detect the message in real time.

[0125] 15, an alert management screen 5I and an alert management menu 5J are displayed on the display screen 5. The alert management screen 5I includes a progress status 62, an item details button 63, and an ongoing alert list 64.

[0126] The progress status 62 indicates the progress (phase) of procurement management according to the contact status. In the example of Fig. 15, the progress status 62 may indicate three stages of progress: "[1] Accepted / Not Started" corresponding to the contact status "Instruction", "[2] In Processing" corresponding to the contact status "In Processing", and "[3] Completed" corresponding to the contact status "Completed". Each progress level can be selected alternatively, and an alert (contact content) of the contact status according to the selected progress level is displayed in the in-progress alert list 64.

[0127] The item details button 63 is a button for displaying a detailed specifications screen 5G (see FIG. 13) for the item of the record selected in the ongoing alert list 64.

[0128] The ongoing alert list 64 displays a list of contact details for ongoing alerts related to (e.g., handled by) the user of the field terminal 4 (or the manager terminal 3). The ongoing alert list 64 may include items such as a title 64a, inventory type 64b, contact status 64c, contact date 64d, person in charge 64e, and remarks 64f. These items 64a to 64f may correspond to items 53a to 53f shown in FIG. 4, respectively.

[0129] The ongoing alert list 64 also includes a transition button 64g for transitioning to the next state. The transition button 64g is a button for transitioning a record (alert) selected in the ongoing alert list 64 to the next level of progress (phase).

[0130] The alert management menu 5J includes filters for specifying various filtering conditions for alerts displayed in the ongoing alert list 64. The alert management menu 5J includes, as specifiable filtering items (filter conditions), a base code 65a, an item code 65b, an item classification 65c, an inventory type 65d, a person in charge 65e, and a contact status 65f. When one or more filtering conditions are specified in the alert management menu 5J, records that satisfy the filtering conditions may be retrieved from the DB 20 and displayed in the ongoing alert list 64.

[0131] For example, if the field layer terminal 4 is a terminal commonly used at a base or branch office, the field layer user can easily extract messages addressed to him / herself using a filter.

[0132] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the display on the procurement management contact screen 53 when changing the progress level. When a contact whose contact status 64c is "instructions" is moved to the next state, as shown in FIG. 16, the next progress level, "in progress," is set in the contact status 53c on the procurement management contact screen 53. Also, on the procurement management contact screen 53, the information of the user of the field terminal 4 is set in the person in charge 53d, and the current date is set in the contact date 53e. The contents of the category 53a and the alert status 53b are the same as those for the "instructions" contact. The field terminal 4 enters the contents of the reply (response) to the instructions from the management terminal 3 in the remarks 53f and presses the send button 53g.

[0133] The update unit 25 updates the contact status, person in charge, contact date, and notes fields of the record in the DB 20 with the ID "A00071_L001_2024-01-01_Excess" that matches the category 53a (title 64a: see FIG. 15). As a result, the record in the ongoing alert list 64 shown in FIG. 15 moves from "[1] Accepted / Not Started" to "[2] In Processing" in the progress status 62, and when "[2] In Processing" is selected, it will be displayed in the ongoing alert list 64. At this time, the contents of the record in the ongoing alert list 64 indicate "In Processing" in the contact status 64c, "December 26, 2023" in the contact date 64d, "Takahashi Shiro" in the person in charge 64e, and "We will respond" in the notes 64f.

[0134] The same applies when the progress status 62 is changed from "[2] In progress" to "[3] Completed." In addition, when the update unit 25 updates the DB 20, the contents of the ongoing alert list 61 (contact status 61c, contact date 61d, person in charge 61e, and remarks 61f) on the management screen 5H (see FIG. 14) displayed on the display screen 5 of the managerial terminal 3 may also be updated.

[0135] In this way, the user of the field terminal 4 can intuitively check instructions from the management terminal 3 in real time and update the progress, thereby enabling procurement management tasks to be carried out quickly.

[0136] [F] Other The technology according to the embodiment described above can be implemented with the following modifications and variations.

[0137] For example, the software configuration of the server 2 shown in FIG. 1 may be combined in any desired combination, or may be divided into separate parts.

[0138] 1 may realize each processing function by a plurality of devices cooperating with each other via a network. As an example, the input / output control unit 22 may be a web server, the DB 20 may be a DB server, and the inventory type setting unit 21, the screen control unit 23, the reference and aggregation unit 24, and the update unit 25 may be an application server. In this case, the DB server, the application server, and the web server may cooperate with each other via a network to realize each processing function of the server 2.

[0139] [G] Notes The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiments.

[0140] (Appendix 1) The inventory status of a plurality of items is displayed on a display screen in a graph format in which the types of inventory can be distinguished from one another; When an element in the graph displayed on the display screen is selected, a list of inventory status details linked to the selected element is displayed on the display screen in a selectable manner; determining the item selected from the list displayed on the display screen as a candidate for procurement management; A procurement management program that executes processing on a computer.

[0141] (Appendix 2) When receiving a communication regarding the procurement management for the item determined as the target candidate, outputting a notification of the communication regarding the procurement management to a terminal of the contact person regarding the procurement management. A procurement management program as described in Appendix 1, which causes the computer to execute processing.

[0142] (Appendix 3) Accepting at least one condition among the type of inventory, the period, the item, and the location where the item is managed; changing the display of the graph in accordance with the received conditions; A procurement management program as described in Appendix 1, which causes the computer to execute processing.

[0143] (Appendix 4) displaying the inventory status linked to the elements in the graph displayed on the display screen in a graphical form different from the graph on the display screen so that the items can be distinguished or the locations where the items are managed can be distinguished; 4. The procurement management program according to claim 1, which causes the computer to execute the processing.

[0144] (Appendix 5) The types of inventory include at least two of safety stock, regular stock, excess stock, and slow-moving stock. A procurement management program according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3.

[0145] (Appendix 6) The inventory status of a plurality of items is displayed on a display screen in a graph format in which the types of inventory can be distinguished from one another; When an element in the graph displayed on the display screen is selected, a list of inventory status details linked to the selected element is displayed on the display screen in a selectable manner; determining the item selected from the list displayed on the display screen as a candidate for procurement management; A procurement management method in which processing is performed by a computer.

[0146] (Appendix 7) When receiving a communication regarding the procurement management for the item determined as the target candidate, outputting a notification of the communication regarding the procurement management to a terminal of the contact person regarding the procurement management. 7. The procurement management method of claim 6, wherein the processing is performed by the computer.

[0147] (Appendix 8) Accepting at least one condition among the type of inventory, the period, the item, and the location where the item is managed; changing the display of the graph in accordance with the received conditions; 7. The procurement management method of claim 6, wherein the processing is performed by the computer.

[0148] (Appendix 9) displaying the inventory status linked to the elements in the graph displayed on the display screen in a graphical form different from the graph on the display screen so that the items can be distinguished or the locations where the items are managed can be distinguished; The procurement management method according to any one of Supplementary Note 6 to Supplementary Note 8, wherein the processing is executed by the computer.

[0149] (Appendix 10) The types of inventory include at least two of safety stock, regular stock, excess stock, and slow-moving stock. A procurement management method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 6 to 8.

[0150] (Appendix 11) The inventory status of a plurality of items is displayed on a display screen in a graph format in which the types of inventory can be distinguished from one another; When an element in the graph displayed on the display screen is selected, a list of inventory status details linked to the selected element is displayed on the display screen in a selectable manner; determining the item selected from the list displayed on the display screen as a candidate for procurement management; An information processing device comprising a control unit.

[0151] (Appendix 12) The control unit When receiving a communication regarding the procurement management for the item determined as the target candidate, outputting a notification of the communication regarding the procurement management to a terminal of the contact person regarding the procurement management. 12. The information processing device according to claim 11.

[0152] (Appendix 13) The control unit Accepting at least one condition among the type of inventory, the period, the item, and the location where the item is managed; changing the display of the graph in accordance with the received conditions; 12. The information processing device according to claim 11.

[0153] (Appendix 14) The control unit displaying the inventory status linked to the elements in the graph displayed on the display screen in a graphical form different from the graph on the display screen so that the items can be distinguished or the locations where the items are managed can be distinguished; An information processing device according to any one of Supplementary notes 11 to 13.

[0154] (Appendix 15) The types of inventory include at least two of safety stock, regular stock, excess stock, and slow-moving stock. An information processing device according to any one of Supplementary notes 11 to 13. [Explanation of symbols]

[0155] 1 Management System 10. Computers 2 Server 20 DB 21 Stock type setting section 22 Input / output control unit 23 Screen control section 24 Reference Counting Unit 25 Update section 26 Control Unit 3. Management terminals 4 Field terminal 5 Display screen

Claims

1. The inventory status of a plurality of items is displayed on a display screen in a graph format in which the types of inventory can be distinguished from one another; When an element in the graph displayed on the display screen is selected, a list of inventory status details linked to the selected element is displayed on the display screen in a selectable manner; determining the item selected from the list displayed on the display screen as a candidate for procurement management; A procurement management program that executes processing on a computer.

2. When receiving a communication regarding the procurement management for the item determined as the target candidate, outputting a notification of the communication regarding the procurement management to a terminal of the contact person regarding the procurement management. The procurement management program according to claim 1 , which causes the computer to execute processing.

3. Accepting at least one condition from among the type of inventory, the period, the item, and the location where the item is managed; changing the display of the graph in accordance with the received conditions; The procurement management program according to claim 1 , which causes the computer to execute processing.

4. displaying the inventory status linked to the elements in the graph displayed on the display screen in a graphical form different from the graph on the display screen so that the items can be distinguished or the locations where the items are managed can be distinguished; The procurement management program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which causes the computer to execute processing.

5. The types of inventory include at least two of safety stock, normal stock, excess stock, and slow-moving stock. The procurement management program according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The inventory status of a plurality of items is displayed on a display screen in a graph format in which the types of inventory can be distinguished from one another; When an element in the graph displayed on the display screen is selected, a list of inventory status details linked to the selected element is displayed on the display screen in a selectable manner; determining the item selected from the list displayed on the display screen as a candidate for procurement management; A procurement management method in which processing is performed by a computer.

7. The inventory status of a plurality of items is displayed on a display screen in a graph format in which the types of inventory can be distinguished from one another; When an element in the graph displayed on the display screen is selected, a list of inventory status details linked to the selected element is displayed on the display screen in a selectable manner; determining the item selected from the list displayed on the display screen as a candidate for procurement management; An information processing device comprising a control unit.

Images