Solution matching system and program

Abstract

To provide a matching system capable of presenting a solution that fulfills the requirements for a project that a user is involved in.SOLUTION: A matching system receives an inputs of a supply chain management range which is conditions for providing a solution, and problems and goals of a project, which are requirements for the project. The matching system associates factors, which are results of factor analysis on the problems and the goals, with items of the supply chain management range and counts the items of the supply chain management range associated for each factor of the project. The matching system presents, to a user, matched solutions in descending order of the counted score, as solutions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a solution matching system and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] As a conventional technique, there is a matching system that supports transactions based on the provision conditions set by the solution provider and the usage conditions set by the solution user.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a solution matching system that supports negotiations for a solution transaction based on the solution provider's provision conditions and the purchase conditions of the purchaser. A storage unit of the solution matching system stores, for each combination of item values of condition items associated with the solution provision conditions and purchase conditions for which a transaction has been negotiated in the past, the success rate of a solution transaction concluded under the provision conditions and purchase conditions having each combination of item values. A suitability calculation unit of the solution matching system refers to the storage unit and calculates a score according to the success rate corresponding to the combination of item values of the condition items associated with the solution provider's provision conditions and the purchase conditions of the purchaser, and calculates suitability from the score, indicating the likelihood of concluding a solution transaction based on the provision conditions and purchase conditions. The solution matching system displays solutions on a display screen in descending order of suitability. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-152760 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The above-mentioned conventional technology calculates the degree of suitability based on the success rate corresponding to the combination of the item values of the condition items associated with the solution provider's provision conditions and the user's usage conditions. However, with the above-mentioned conventional technology, the elements that the provided solution can solve may not properly match the user's true needs, and the optimal solution may not be presented. Furthermore, if there is no past performance, the above-mentioned conventional technology may not be able to calculate an appropriate degree of suitability.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a matching system that can present solutions that meet the requirements of a project in which a user is involved. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention described in claim 1 is a solution matching system that includes one or more processors, which accept input of solution provision conditions from multiple solution providers, accept input of project requirements from solution users, display results of factor analysis based on the requirements that associate factors with the provision conditions, and display the solution based on the provision conditions associated with the factors. The invention described in claim 2 is a solution matching system described in claim 1, in which the provision conditions are conditions related to the supply chain management scope, and the requirements are issues or goals of the project in which the solution user is involved. The invention described in claim 3 is a solution matching system described in claim 2, in which the one or more processors further calculate a score using weighting of items in the supply chain management scope input by the solution provider. The invention described in claim 4 is a solution matching system described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the one or more processors further accept input of budget size and execution period from the solution provider and the solution user, respectively, and calculate a score including the budget size or execution period. The invention described in claim 5 is a program that enables a computer to perform the following functions: accepting input of solution provision conditions from multiple solution providers; accepting input of project requirements from solution users; calculating a score based on the results of associating factors resulting from a factor analysis based on the requirements with the provision conditions; and displaying the solution based on the calculated score. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a matching system that can present a solution that meets the requirements of a project to a user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a matching system to which the present embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a server of the matching system. [Figure 3] 10A is a diagram showing a user account input screen in a provider terminal device, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing a company account input screen in a provider terminal device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an input screen for a solution description and a slogan on the provider terminal device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an input screen for solution provision conditions in the provider terminal device. [Figure 6]10A is a diagram showing an input screen for inputting the budget scale of a solution in a provider terminal device, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an input screen for inputting the period of an implementation project in a provider terminal device. [Figure 7] FIG. 10A is a diagram showing personal information of a user on a user terminal device, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an input screen for project-related information on the user terminal device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an input screen for project requirements on a user terminal device. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the results of a factor analysis of the issues and goals of a user terminal device as a factor analysis diagram. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the results of associating factors with the scope of the supply chain. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen on a user terminal device that displays matched solutions. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a processing flow in a matching system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A matching system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0011] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a matching system to which this embodiment is applied. The matching system 1 in this embodiment is a system comprising a matching server 10 that matches solution providers with solution users, a provider terminal device 20 used by the solution provider, a user terminal device 30 used by the solution user, a language processing server 40, and a network 50 connecting them.

[0012] The matching server 10 is configured as a computer device such as a workstation, desktop PC, or notebook PC. The matching server 10 is a server that executes matching processing based on the solution input by the solution provider and information on the issues and / or goals of the project in which the solution user is involved. The functional configuration of the matching server 10 will be described later.

[0013] The provider terminal device 20 and the user terminal device 30 are composed of computer terminal devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. The provider terminal device 20 and the user terminal device 30 each have a control unit, which is a processor (CPU (Central Processing Unit)) that controls the entire device, a memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a work area for calculations, and a storage unit, which is a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or semiconductor memory used to store programs and various setting data. The provider terminal device 20 and the user terminal device 30 also have a communication unit that transmits and receives voice and text data via the network 50. The provider terminal device 20 and the user terminal device 30 each have an operation unit such as a touch panel, keyboard, or pointing device that accepts input operations from the solution provider, and the user terminal device 30 has an operation unit such as a touch panel, keyboard, or pointing device that accepts input operations from the solution user, a display unit such as an LCD display that displays images and text information, and a display control unit that controls the display unit.

[0014] The language processing server 40 is a server that stores large-scale language models. The large-scale language model is a language model constructed using large amounts of data and deep learning technology, and is capable of outputting the results of analyzing various input texts. For example, it can analyze input texts of issues and / or goals related to project requirements, and perform a factor analysis to clarify the factors that cause the requirements, thereby outputting the factors. The large-scale language model can use known technology. For example, CHATGPT (registered trademark) by OpenAI Inc. can be used.

[0015] The network 50 is, for example, a network such as the Internet, and a solution provider can access the matching service screen via the Internet from the provider terminal device 20. For example, a solution user can access the matching service screen via the Internet from the user terminal device 30. For example, the matching server 10 receives information on the solution provider's solution and information on the user's project input from the provider terminal device 20 and the user terminal device 30 via the Internet, calculates a solution that matches the project, and transmits information on the matched solution to the user terminal device 30.

[0016] 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of matching server 10. Matching server 10 has control unit 11, which is a processor (CPU (Central Processing Unit)) that controls the entire device; memory 12, such as RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a work area for calculations; and storage unit 13, which is a storage device, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or semiconductor memory, used to store programs and various setting data. It also has communication unit 14 that transmits and receives data via network 50. It also has operation unit 15, such as a keyboard, pointing device, or touch panel, that receives input operations from an operator on matching server 10; display unit 16, such as a liquid crystal display that displays images and text information to server users; and reception unit 17 that receives input data via the input operations. The storage unit 13 stores solution provider information 13a, solution information 13b, solution user information 13c, project information 13d, analysis data 13e, and the like. The data processing unit 18 includes a factor analysis execution unit 18a that performs factor analysis on the text of the issues and / or goals entered by the solution user, a classification execution unit 18b that associates the analyzed factors with the supply chain management scope, a score calculation unit 18c that calculates the compatibility between the solution user's project and the solution, and a solution identification unit 18d that identifies a solution based on the score.

[0017] The factor analysis execution unit 18a performs a factor analysis on the text of the task or goal entered by the solution user. The factor analysis execution unit 18a stored in the matching server 10 may execute the entire factor analysis, or the processing may be performed by another server on the cloud. For example, the matching server 10 may transmit the task or goal entered by the solution user to the language processing server 40, and the matching server 10 may receive the execution results from the language processing server 40 that executed the factor analysis. Factor analysis is an analytical method that derives factors by analyzing text related to the task or goal of a project. For example, if a factor analysis is performed on the issue of "increasing stockouts," the resulting factors would include a sudden increase in market demand, insufficient production capacity, inaccurate demand forecasts, delays in warehousing and inventory management, inefficient manufacturing processes, delays in raw material supply, quality issues during processes, insufficient sales data, inaccurate prediction models, transportation constraints, supplier delays, insufficient machine maintenance, insufficient worker skills, insufficient supplier production capacity, skipped inspections, production stoppages due to machine breakdowns, strikes by shipping companies, increased traffic congestion, and insufficient production capacity at suppliers. In addition to the above examples, an issue such as "frequent excess inventory" would also be acceptable, as long as the solution is a written description of the issue in the project in which the user is involved. Further, examples of goals may include "reducing risks within the supply chain network" or "halving CO2 emissions within the supply chain." The factor analysis execution unit 18a performs factor analysis, which is an analysis of causal relationships using a language model, on the text of the problem or goal entered by the solution user, to identify the factors of the problem or goal. The factor analysis itself may use a known tool provided by OpenAI's CHATGPT (registered trademark).

[0018] The classification execution unit 18b performs the task of classifying elements within the supply chain management scope into factors resulting from the factor analysis. For example, an increase in traffic congestion is associated with items within the supply chain management scope, such as transportation planning, transportation route planning, and supply chain planning. However, one element can be associated with multiple items within the supply chain management scope, and even one item within the supply chain management scope can be associated with multiple elements.

[0019] The score calculation unit 18c calculates a score that indicates the suitability of the solution for the project. For each solution, one score is calculated for each factor selected by the solution user. If there are multiple matching stages / processes, the scores are "added" together to calculate the score. Furthermore, while the calculation of the score may simply be done by counting the number of associated supply chain management scope elements, it is more preferable to count the elements by reflecting the weights of the supply chain management scope elements entered by the solution provider. If a score is calculated that better reflects supply chain management scope elements with large weight coefficients, it will be possible to match solutions that better fit the challenges and goals of the project.

[0020] The solution identifying unit 18d identifies a solution based on the score calculated by the score calculating unit 18c. The solution identifying unit 18d identifies matching candidates to be presented to the solution user in descending order of the calculated score, and further identifies a solution selected by the solution user as a candidate solution to be used.

[0021] 3A is a diagram showing a user account input screen in the provider terminal device 20, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a company account input screen in the provider terminal device 20. As shown in FIG. The user account input screen in Figure 3(A) is a screen for entering the name of the solution provider's person in charge, company name, department name, job title, industry, email address, etc. When the solution user wishes to contact the provider of a matched solution, they can do so at the email address entered here. By clicking the Confirm Account Creation button, the solution provider can then transition to the company account input screen in Figure 3(B). The company account input screen in Figure 3(B) is a screen for entering the name of the solution provider's company, number of employees, head office location, year of establishment, website URL, etc. When the solution user wishes to check the company information of the provider of a matched solution, they can check the website URL entered here. The display screens of Figures 3(A) and (B) may be those displaying input screens prepared on a website, or may be those displayed by an application program installed on the provider terminal device 20. On the screen shown in Figure 3(B), the solution provider can transition to the next screen shown in Figure 4 by clicking the confirmation button for account creation.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the input screen for the solution description and slogan on the provider terminal device 20. The solution provider can input the solution name, solution description, and slogan. The information input here will be displayed when the solution user checks the name and content of the matched solution. The solution provider can then transition to the screen shown in FIG. 5 by clicking the Create button.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an input screen for solution provision conditions in the provider terminal device 20. On the input screen, the solution provider inputs, for example, the supply chain management scope as a provision condition for the solution to be provided. For example, the supply chain management scope includes a supply chain management stage and a supply chain management process. The supply chain management stages include a design stage, a planning stage, and an execution stage. Projects in the earlier stages require a high level of design elements, while projects in the mature stage require more specific planning and execution. To reflect the solution characteristics that are emphasized at each stage as provision conditions, the solution provider can input a weight for each stage. For example, in FIG. 5, a weighting of 70% is input for "design" and 30% for "planning." The weightings of each item in the supply chain management stage are input so that the total weight is 100%. Since no weighting is input for "execution," it is treated as 0%. Furthermore, the supply chain management process is the specific process that the solution solves, and includes items such as network design, IBP / S&OP (integrated business planning / sales and operations planning), demand forecasting, demand planning, order management, supply planning, inventory planning, supplier management, warehouse management, and transportation management. In the example screen shown in Figure 5, the weightings are entered as 50% for "network design," 30% for "supply planning," and 20% for "inventory planning." The weightings of each item in the supply chain management process are entered so that the total weight equals 100%. Items for which no weighting is entered are treated as 0%.

[0024] The supply chain management scope described above is the provision condition of the solution provided by the solution provider, and is a condition that is taken into consideration when matching with the solution user's project, which will be described later. By entering the provision conditions in detail as above, it becomes possible to match the solution that is optimally suited to the challenges and goals of the solution user's project.

[0025] Fig. 6(A) is a diagram showing an input screen for the budget size of a solution in the provider terminal device 20. The solution provider can input the budget size for the solution on the screen shown in Fig. 6(A). The solution provider can input a range of budget amounts by inputting a minimum amount and a maximum amount, or can input an amount directly in the text input field. The solution budget includes the budget related to the license fees for the software used in the solution and the budget related to the implementation service. As shown in Figure 6(A), these can be entered separately. Fig. 6(B) is a diagram showing an input screen for the duration of an implementation project in the provider terminal device 20. The solution provider can input the duration of an implementation project related to the solution on the screen shown in Fig. 6(B). The minimum and maximum durations can be input as the duration of the implementation project. It is also possible to register information resources for the solution. Figure 6(B) shows a screen where videos related to the solution and materials explaining the solution information can be registered. When a solution user wants to check the content of the matched solution, they can view the introductory video or explanatory materials entered here.

[0026] 7A is a diagram showing personal information of a user on user terminal device 30, and FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an input screen for project-related information on user terminal device 30. As shown in FIG. The solution user's account input screen in Figure 7(A) is a screen where the solution user can enter the name of the person in charge, company name, department name, job title, industry, etc. By clicking the Create Account button, the solution user can then move on to the project input screen in Figure 7(B). On the project input screen in Figure 7(B), the solution user can enter the name of the project in which the solution user is involved, a project description, the budget size represented by the minimum and maximum budgets, and the planned start and end dates of the project. The input budget size and project period are factors that are taken into consideration when matching solutions. By clicking the Create button, the solution user can move on to the screen in Figure 8.

[0027] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an input screen for project requirements on the user terminal device 30. A solution user typically has a project that requires the application of a solution. The solution user can input project issues and goals as project requirements as text in the respective input fields. For example, the issue input field might read, "We are struggling with an increasing number of out-of-stock items for ordered products," and the goal field might read, "We want to eliminate out-of-stock items and ensure the delivery of the ordered quantity." The input issues and goals are confirmed by clicking the confirm button.

[0028] FIG. 9 is a diagram displaying the results of a factor analysis of the issues and goals in the user terminal device 30 as a factor analysis diagram. For example, the issues and goals of a project entered by a solution user are transmitted from the user terminal device 30 to the matching server 10, where they are stored in the storage unit 13 and also transmitted to the language processing server 40, where the factor analysis is performed. The factor data resulting from the factor analysis is transmitted to and stored in the matching server 10 and also transmitted to the user terminal device 30, where it is displayed as the factor analysis diagram shown in FIG. 9. For example, the results of the factor analysis of an increase in stockouts, which were issues and goals, include a sudden increase in market demand, insufficient production capacity, inaccurate demand forecasts, delays in warehousing and inventory management, reduced efficiency in the manufacturing process, delays in the supply of raw materials, quality issues in intermediate processes, insufficient sales data, reduced accuracy of the forecasting model, transportation constraints, supplier delays, insufficient machine maintenance, insufficient worker skills, insufficient supplier production capacity, skipped inspections, production stoppages due to machine breakdowns, strikes by transportation companies, increased traffic congestion, and insufficient production capacity at suppliers.

[0029] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the results of associating factors with supply chain scopes. In FIG. 10, each row contains a factor analyzed for a specific project. For each factor in each row, the supply chain management scope, which is the solution provider's provision condition, is displayed in the classified tag column. In other words, one or more supply chain management scopes are associated with each factor. For example, this association is performed by the language processing server 40. Information on all factors and all supply chain management scopes before the association process is performed is sent to the language processing server 40. The language processing server 40 classifies the items in the supply chain management scope by factor. The classification results are sent to the matching server 10, and the table shown in FIG. 10 is created and displayed as a web screen on the outer surface of the user terminal device 30.

[0030] When the solution user clicks the "Match" button on the display screen shown in Figure 10, the system calculates a score indicating the suitability of the solution for the project by counting the supply chain management scope associated with the project's factors. For each solution, one score is calculated for the factors selected by the solution user. If there are multiple matching stage processes, the scores are "added" together to calculate the score. Furthermore, while the calculation of the score may simply be done by counting the number of associated supply chain management scope elements, it is more preferable to count the elements by reflecting the weights of the supply chain management scope elements entered by the solution provider. If a score is calculated that better reflects supply chain management scope elements with large weight coefficients, it will be possible to match solutions that better fit the challenges and goals of the project.

[0031] For example, if a solution user selects "delays in warehousing and inventory management" from among the factors resulting from the factor analysis on the screen shown in Fig. 10, the score calculation unit 18c may count four items, "inventory plan," "supply plan," "inventory management," and "supply chain plan," as items in the supply chain management scope that are solution provision conditions and that are associated with "delays in warehousing and inventory management," and calculate the score as 4. If a calculation method that reflects weights is used, in the case of a solution in which "inventory plan" is set to 20% and "supply plan" to 30% of the associated items, the score may be calculated as 0.5 by adding 0.2 and 0.3.

[0032] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a screen on the user terminal device 30 that displays matched solutions. As described above, a score is calculated for each solution for a project in which a solution user is involved. By displaying solutions with higher scores preferentially on the user terminal device 30, the solution user can find the optimal solution for their project. In the example of FIG. 11, the solution that appears to be optimal is solution AAA provided by company A, followed by solution BBB provided by company B. The solution user can check the content of the solutions displayed as matching results and start a transaction by, for example, sending an email to the solution provider.

[0033] The display screens of Figures 3 to 11 may be input screens displaying a website based on data transmitted from the matching server 10, or may be displayed by an application program installed on the provider terminal device 20 or the user terminal device 30.

[0034] [Matching system processing] 12 is a diagram showing the processing flow in the matching system. The following processing is executed on the assumption that an application program for executing the matching service is installed in the matching server 10, the provider terminal device 20, and the user terminal device 30, or a website displaying the platform of the matching site is established on the Internet. The control unit 11 shown in FIG. 2 starts processing of the interactive application installed on the user terminal device 30 of the matching system in response to a start instruction from the user (START). Next, when the solution provider inputs account information including contact information, the storage unit 13 stores the account information (Step 1). Next, the storage unit 13 stores information such as the solution provision conditions input by the solution provider (Step 2). The storage unit 13 stores the account information of the solution user (Step 3). Next, the storage unit 13 stores information such as project requirements (Step 4). Furthermore, the factor analysis execution unit 18a performs factor analysis based on the project's issues and goals (Step 5). The classification execution unit 18b associates factors resulting from the factor analysis with the solution provision conditions (Step 6). Then, the score calculation unit 18c calculates a score related to the compatibility by counting the elements of the solution provision conditions related to the project factors (Step 7). Here, the score calculation unit 18c performs a process of increasing the score the more closely the solution provider's provision conditions, i.e., the budget and time period, match with the solution user's requirements, i.e., the budget and time period (Step 8). The solution identification unit 18d identifies solutions to be displayed as matching candidates on the screen of the user terminal device 30 in descending order of the calculated scores. The solution user identifies the solution they wish to use by checking the contents of the candidate solutions proposed as matching their project (Step 10). The contact information of the identified solution provider is displayed on the user terminal device 30 (Step 11). The solution user receives an email from the identified solution provider indicating their interest in using the solution (Step 12). To terminate the matching system, the user touches an exit button on the screen to terminate the processing of the installed matching application, or logs out of the matching platform on the website, thereby completing the series of matching operations (END).

[0035] The "one or more processors" in this case are constituted by the CPUs of the matching server 10, the provider terminal device 20, the user terminal device 30, or the CPUs used in various devices connected to them, and realize the various functions in this embodiment. 1 do not necessarily have to be in the same housing, and may be understood as a system. If the main body device and the housing are different, they are connected by wire or wirelessly.

[0036] In this embodiment, the language used in the dialogue is also converted as appropriate. Even if the language input by the solution provider and the user differs from the language handled by the language processing server 40, it is sufficient to use any of the matching server 10, the provider terminal device 20, the user terminal device 30, the language processing server 40, or other translation sites on the cloud.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which data is sent and received via the language processing server 40 and the network 50, but if the matching server 10 is equipped with a language processing model capable of factor analysis and classification processing, the language processing server 40 and the matching server 10 can also be integrated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1...Matching system, 10...Matching server, 11...Control unit, 12...Memory, 13...Storage unit, 14...Communication unit, 15...Operation unit, 16...Display unit, 17...Reception unit, 18...Data processing unit, 18a...Factor analysis execution unit, 18b...Classification execution unit, 18c...Score calculation unit, 18d...Solution identification unit, 20...Provider terminal device, 30...User terminal device, 40...Language processing server, 50...Network

Claims

1. one or more processors; the one or more processors: Accepts input of solution provision conditions from multiple solution providers, Accept input of project requirements from solution users, Displaying the results of associating the factors resulting from the factor analysis based on the requirements with the provision conditions; displaying the solutions based on the provision conditions associated with the factors; Solution matching system.

2. The provision conditions are conditions related to the scope of supply chain management, The requirements are the issues or goals of the project in which the solution user is involved; 2. The solution matching system according to claim 1.

3. the one or more processors: Furthermore, a score is calculated using weightings of the items in the supply chain management scope input by the solution provider. The solution matching system according to claim 2 .

4. the one or more processors: Furthermore, the solution provider and the solution user input budget sizes and implementation periods, respectively; Calculating a score including the budget size or the execution period; 3. The solution matching system according to claim 1.

5. On the computer, A function to accept input of solution provision conditions from multiple solution providers; A function to accept input of project requirements from solution users, a function of calculating a score based on the result of associating factors resulting from a factor analysis based on the requirements with the provision conditions; a function of displaying the solution based on the calculated score; A program to make this happen.

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