Value Chain Planning Device, Value Chain Planning System, and Value Chain Planning Method

Abstract

To provide a value chain planning apparatus, system, and method, which automatically configure an efficient plan for tasks included in a value chain.SOLUTION: In a value chain planning system 1, a value chain planning apparatus 100 is for a value chain from material procurement to sales of a product in which at least two or more business entities participate. The value chain planning apparatus includes: an agent recruitment section 121 that recruits an execution module that is an agent that realizes a task included in the value chain; an agent registration section 123 that registers the execution module as the agent when receiving an application including the execution module; a plan preparation section 124 that executes the execution module for two or more tasks included in the value chain, performs a simulation of executing the task, and measures a KPI; and a reward payment processing section 127 that pays a reward corresponding to an execution result to the executed execution module.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a value chain planning device, a value chain planning system, and a value chain planning method.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes "a multi - layer billing system in cloud service broker operations, including at least one service vendor configured to provide software services and operably connected to a cloud service broker, wherein the cloud service broker is configured to integrate the software services of the at least one service vendor, establish a communication provisioning channel configured to provision the integrated software services, a connector, and at least one transaction mediator configured to monitor service transactions of the integrated software services via the connector; at least one service vendor, and at least one downstream subscriber operably connected to the cloud service broker and subscribing to the integrated software services. The cloud service broker is configured to receive, for each of the at least one service vendor, a service vendor price - setting rule and a service vendor billing rule, and is further configured to receive, for each of the at least one downstream subscriber, a downstream subscriber price - setting rule and a downstream subscriber billing rule. The cloud service broker is further configured to apply the service vendor price - setting rule and the service vendor billing rule at least partially based on the usage status of the integrated software services by each of the at least one downstream subscriber. The cloud service broker is further configured to calculate and adjust settlements, and the settlements and adjustments are at least partially based on the service vendor price - setting rule, the service vendor billing rule, the subscriber price - setting rule, and the subscriber billing rule. The cloud service broker is further configured to calculate profit and loss, and the profit and loss is determined by the difference between the fees paid to the at least one service vendor and the fees received from the at least one downstream subscriber."

Prior Art Documents

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology described in the above Patent Document 1, it mediates cloud services and distributes the service fees to multi - layered enterprises. Also, there is no disclosure regarding planning a series of value - chain operations by combining multiple services.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to automatically configure an efficient plan for the operations included in a value chain in a designed value chain.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present application adopts, for example, the means described in the claims. The present invention includes a plurality of means for solving the above problems. For example, a value - chain planning device targeting a value chain from material procurement to sales of a product in which at least two or more business entities participate, comprising: an agent recruitment unit that recruits an execution module which is an agent for realizing the operations included in the value chain; an agent registration unit that, when receiving an application including the execution module, registers the execution module as an agent; a planning department that performs a simulation of executing the operations by executing the execution module registered as an agent for two or more operations included in the value chain and measures KPIs for the results of the simulation; and a reward payment processing unit that pays a reward according to the execution result to the execution module executed in the simulation.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, in the designed value chain, an efficient plan can be automatically configured for the operations included in the value chain.

[0008] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] In the following embodiments, when necessary for convenience, they will be divided and described in multiple sections or embodiments. However, unless otherwise specifically stated, they are not unrelated to each other, and one is related to a partial or entire modification example, detailed description, supplementary explanation, etc. of the other.

[0011] Also, in the following embodiments, when referring to the number of elements, etc. (including the number, numerical value, quantity, range, etc.), unless otherwise specifically stated or clearly limited to a specific number in principle, it is not limited to that specific number, and it may be more than or less than the specific number.

[0012] Furthermore, in the following embodiments, it goes without saying that the constituent elements (including element steps, etc.) are not necessarily essential, unless otherwise specifically stated or clearly considered essential in principle.

[0013] Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc. of constituent elements, etc., unless otherwise specifically stated or clearly considered not to be the case in principle, it shall include those substantially similar or analogous to the shape, etc. This also applies to the above numerical values and ranges.

[0014] Also, in all the drawings for explaining the embodiments, the same members are generally labeled with the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof are omitted. However, even for the same member, if sharing the same name as the member before the change due to environmental changes, etc. may cause confusion, different reference numerals or names may be assigned. Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] In recent years, not only enterprises but also business entities in general are increasingly required to achieve both resilience and business efficiency. In this regard, one possible solution is an open value chain starting from the customer. Socially, the demands regarding ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) are also growing stronger, and thus it is also being demanded to realize this in the value chain. When considering the value chain from the perspective of computer systems, it is envisioned to dynamically connect a business entity that participates and provides value in the value chain (also referred to as a participating business entity) and a business entity that uses the value chain (also referred to as an affiliated business entity) by providing a system and device that serve as the basis for constructing a value chain in which at least two or more business entities participate from material procurement of a product to sales.

[0016] In the value chain planning system 1 according to the present invention, by providing a system, device, and method that serve as the basis for formulating production and inventory plans in the value chain, it is realized to dynamically connect a registrant (also referred to as an agent-providing business entity) who provides an execution module that participates and performs operations there and a business entity that uses the value chain (also referred to as an affiliated business entity). That is, in the designed value chain, a basis is provided for automatically configuring an efficient plan for the operations included in the value chain. Also, a basis that can meet the requirements regarding ESG is provided.

[0017] In the following embodiments, the "input unit", "output unit", and "communication unit" may be one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following. · One or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. The I / O interface device is an interface device for at least one of an I / O device and a remote display computer. The I / O interface device for the display computer may be a communication interface device. At least one I / O device may be either an input device such as a user interface device, e.g., a keyboard and a pointing device, or an output device such as a display device. · One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., a NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0018] Also, in the following description, "memory" is one or more memory devices which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a main memory device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0019] Also, in the following description, "external storage device" may be one or more persistent storage devices which are an example of one or more storage devices. The persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., an auxiliary storage device), and specifically, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an NVME (Non-Volatile Memory Express) drive, or an SCM (Storage Class Memory).

[0020] Also, in the following description, "storage unit" or "external storage device" may be either the memory or both the memory and the persistent storage device.

[0021] Also, in the following description, the "processing unit" or "processor" may be one or more processor devices. At least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be other types of processor devices such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). At least one processor device may be single-core or multi-core. At least one processor device may be a processor core. At least one processor device may be a circuit that is an aggregate of gate arrays (e.g., FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)) described in a hardware description language that performs part or all of the processing, which is a processor device in a broad sense.

[0022] Also, in the following description, the "value chain planning system" may be a system composed of one or more physical computers, or a system (e.g., a cloud computing system) realized on a group of physical computing resources (e.g., a cloud infrastructure). For the "value chain planning system" to "display" display information, it may mean that the computer displays the display information on a display device of the computer, or it may mean that the computer transmits the display information to a display computer (in the latter case, the display computer displays the display information).

[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a value chain planning system. The value chain planning system 1 includes a value chain planning device 100, an agent providing terminal 200, an affiliated business entity terminal 300, and a network 10 that connects these to be communicable with each other. The value chain planning system 1 includes a group of devices according to the usage environment such as a display computer communicably connected via the network 10.

[0024] The network 10 is a communication network that uses, in whole or in part, a general public network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), VPN (Virtual Private Network), the Internet, etc., or a mobile phone communication network, or a composite network of these. Note that the network 10 may be a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or 5G (Generation).

[0025] The value chain planning device 100 is a processing device including a storage unit 110, a processing unit 120, an input unit 130, an output unit 140, and a communication unit 150. The storage unit 110 includes VC (Value Chain) design information 111, agent information 112, master information 113, transaction information 114, planning information 115, adopted agent information 116, and agent evaluation information 117.

[0026] The processing unit 120 includes an agent recruitment unit 121, an agent inspection unit 122, an agent registration unit 123, a plan formulation unit 124, a plan adoption unit 125, an agent management unit 126, and a reward payment processing unit 127.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the VC design information. The VC design information 111 includes at least a combination of participating business entities that satisfy the demand included in the transaction. Specifically, the VC design information 111 includes a business entity 111a including a participating business entity participating in the value chain or an affiliated business entity that procures using the value chain, a related item 111b, a deadline 111c for the delivery date to the downstream business entity, a delivery destination 111d that is the delivery destination at the time of the deadline 111c, and a delivery quantity 111e that is the delivery quantity.

[0028] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of agent information. In the agent information 112, an execution module, which is an agent that realizes the operations included in the value chain, is registered. Specifically, the agent information 112 includes an agent identifier 112a for identifying the agent, an operation 112b that the agent executes, a registrant 112c who registered the agent with the value chain planning system, a description 112d which is the caption information of the agent, an execution module 112e which is a computer program in an executable form that represents the actual entity of the agent, and a status 112f indicating the registration state.

[0029] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of master information. In the master information 113, for each business entity participating or joining the value chain, at least the value that can be provided, the cost of the value, and the lead time for providing the value are stored in association with each other.

[0030] In the master information 113, for each business entity identifier 113a, a business entity type 113b, an item handled 113c, a price 113d, and a standard processing time 113e are stored in association with each other.

[0031] The business entity identifier 113a stores information for identifying enterprises, etc. (business entities) that wish to participate / join various value chains to be constructed. The business entity type 113b stores the type of value provided by the business entity identified by the business entity identifier 113a. Examples of the types of business entities include trading companies, warehouses, manufacturing industries (factories), transportation industries, suppliers, etc.

[0032] The handled item 113c stores the specific items of value provided by the business entity identified by the business entity identifier 113a. The price 113d stores the price of the specific items of value provided by the business entity identified by the business entity identifier 113a. The standard processing time 113e stores the specific standard lead time (the standard period from order placement to delivery) of the value provided by the business entity identified by the business entity identifier 113a. Note that the information stored in the standard processing time 113e is information necessary for constructing the value chain but also information that should be kept confidential except for the business entity itself, so it is stored after being encrypted by a predetermined method. In addition to this, the master information 113 may include information corresponding to a plurality of business information.

[0033] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of transaction information. The transaction information 114 includes transaction data targeted for planning the value chain. Specifically, the transaction information 114 stores demand information including an affiliated business entity 114a, an item 114b that identifies the value procured by the affiliated business entity, a date 114c indicating the delivery date, and a sales plan quantity 114d that is the required quantity.

[0034] In addition, the transaction information 114 stores supply information including a participating business entity 114e, an item 114f that identifies the value provided by the participating business entity, a date 114g indicating the delivery date, an available quantity 114h, and a customer 114j indicating the destination. Note that the customer 114j is information that should be kept confidential except for the customer and the participating business entity itself, so it is stored after being encrypted by a predetermined method.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the plan information. In the plan information 115, the plan information of the value chain as the information obtained as a result of the agent executing the business is stored. Specifically, the plan information 115 includes a business entity 115a including a participating business entity participating in the value chain or an affiliated business entity that conducts procurement using the value chain, a related item 115b, a date 115c, a storage quantity 115d that constitutes the in-out state of the business entity at the time of the date 115c, a delivery quantity 115e, and a receipt quantity 115f.

[0036] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the employed agent information. In the employed agent information 116, a VC design identifier 116a that identifies the value chain executed including the simulation, a business 116b executed in the designed value chain, an employed agent identifier 116c that identifies the agent employed in the execution, and an execution date and time 116d that identifies the date and time when the execution was made are stored in association with each other.

[0037] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the agent evaluation information. In the agent evaluation information 117, an agent identifier 117a that identifies the agent, a business 117b executed in the designed value chain, a registrant 117c who is the person who registered the agent with the value chain planning system, an employment frequency 117d that is the total number of times the agent was executed during the evaluation aggregation target period, an evaluation 117e that is an evaluation from affiliated business operators during the evaluation aggregation target period and an evaluation based on various indicators, and a remuneration 117f that is the total remuneration amount during the evaluation aggregation target period are stored in association with each other.

[0038] Evaluation 117e includes various evaluation points. For example, (A) the ESG evaluation of affiliated business owners adopted in the business (furthermore, for example, DJSI: Dow Jones Sustainability Index), (B) the financial evaluation of affiliated business owners adopted in the business (furthermore, for example, ROE: Return On Equity), (C) the customer satisfaction of affiliated business owners adopted in the business (Customer Satisfaction), (D) the rating of affiliated business owners adopted in the business (furthermore, for example, the issue rating by S&P), (E) the feedback evaluation from affiliated business owners adopted in the business, (F) the improvement degree of predetermined KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) of affiliated business owners adopted in the business, etc. However, it is not limited to this, and it may include other evaluation points. In particular, regarding the ESG evaluation, it may be not only the ESG evaluation as an investment-related indicator but also the evaluation of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) or the respective evaluations of environment, society, and governance.

[0039] Alternatively, the evaluation points included in Evaluation 117e may be values calculated by a predetermined evaluation formula using any one or a combination of the above (A) to (F) evaluation points. Such an evaluation formula is preferably an evaluation formula corresponding to the business executed by the agent. The calculation algorithm of the evaluation points may, for example, evaluate each of the (A) to (F) evaluation points on a full score of 100 points and multiply each by a weighting coefficient corresponding to the business to obtain the evaluation points. This is because if the business is different, the evaluation points to be prioritized may also be different.

[0040] For example, for an agent of a value chain composed of business entities with high evaluations regarding environment, society, and corporate governance, importance can be placed on the ESG evaluation in (A).

[0041] Returning to the description of Figure 1. The agent recruitment department 121 recruits an execution module that is an agent for realizing the business included in the value chain.

[0042] When the agent registration unit 123 is executed, the agent inspection unit 122 inspects the applied execution module in a secure environment and determines that the behavior is correct and safe.

[0043] When the agent registration unit 123 receives an application including an execution module, it registers the execution module as an agent. In addition, the agent registration unit 123 causes the agent inspection unit 122 to inspect the applied execution module and registers it as an agent when the behavior is correct and safe. Further, the agent registration unit 123 accepts an application as long as the execution module is at least a program file in various executable formats.

[0044] The planning department 124 performs a simulation of executing the execution modules registered as agents for two or more operations included in the value chain to execute the operations, and measures the KPI for the results of the simulation. In addition, for each simulation, the planning department 124 displays the agents adopted in the simulation. Further, for each simulation, the planning department 124 displays the results in the simulation so that the affiliated business entity can select any result.

[0045] In addition, the planning department 124 may preferentially allocate agents with high evaluations among the agents corresponding to the operations of the value chain. Alternatively, the planning department 124 may give priority to agents with high evaluations regarding a predetermined rating, or may give priority to agents with high evaluations from the affiliated business entities.

[0046] When the plan adoption unit 125 receives the selection of the simulation result displayed by the planning department 124, it associates the allocation of the agents in the simulation with the VC.

[0047] The agent management unit 126 logs the execution results for the execution modules executed in the simulation and calculates the rewards according to the execution results in a predetermined evaluation period.

[0048] The reward payment processing unit 127 pays the rewards according to the execution results to the registrants of the agents for the execution modules executed in the simulation. Also, the reward payment processing unit 127 increases the rewards as the number of executions of the execution module increases. Further, the reward payment processing unit 127 pays the rewards according to the evaluation of the environment (Environment), society (Social), and corporate governance (Governance) of the participating business entities in the value chain in which the business executed by the execution module is included. Also, the reward payment processing unit 127 pays the rewards according to the predetermined KPIs of the participating business entities in the value chain in which the business executed by the execution module is included.

[0049] The input unit 130 receives input information that is, for example, displayed and operated on the screen and input by operating a keyboard or a mouse.

[0050] The output unit 140 creates, for example, screen information including information for outputting the result of performing a predetermined process and outputs it to the display computer.

[0051] The communication unit 150 communicates with other devices via the network 10. For example, the communication unit 150 is communicably connected to the agent providing terminal 200 mainly used by the agent provider (registrant) or the participating business entity terminal 300 mainly used by the participating business entity.

[0052] The agent providing terminal 200 and the participating business entity terminal 300 are basically the same terminals, and the participating business entity terminal 300 can act as the agent providing terminal 200 when not only the participating business entity but also the agent provider (registrant) acts as the participating business entity.

[0053] The agent-providing terminal 200 includes a processing unit 220, an agent creation unit 221 that is a part of the processing unit 220, an agent providing unit 222, and a reward receiving unit 223, and further includes an input unit 230, an output unit 240, and a communication unit 250.

[0054] The agent creation unit 221 realizes a function for creating a program file that is an execution module for executing operations as an agent. For example, it is an integrated development environment for software or the like.

[0055] The agent providing unit 222 applies as an agent for realizing the operations included in the value chain by transmitting the information including the execution module created in the agent creation unit 221 and the like to the value chain planning device 100.

[0056] The reward receiving unit 223 receives from the value chain planning device 100 the rewards paid due to the execution of the agent at a predetermined timing, or periodically or intermittently.

[0057] The input unit 230 receives, for example, input information that is displayed and operated on the screen and is input by operating a keyboard or a mouse.

[0058] The output unit 240 creates, for example, screen information including information for outputting the result of performing a predetermined process, and outputs it to a display computer.

[0059] The communication unit 250 communicates with other devices via the network 10. For example, the communication unit 250 is communicably connected to the value chain planning device 100 or the affiliated business entity terminal 300 mainly used by the affiliated business entity.

[0060] The affiliated business entity terminal 300 includes a processing unit 320, a planning request unit 321 that is a part of the processing unit 320, an input unit 330, an output unit 340, and a communication unit 350.

[0061] The planning request section 321 is composed of an Internet browser or the like, transmits a request for a value chain plan and input information to the value chain planning device 100, and receives output information such as a screen display from the value chain planning device 100.

[0062] The input section 330 receives input information that is, for example, displayed and operated on a screen and is input by operating a keyboard or a mouse.

[0063] The output section 340 creates, for example, screen information including information for outputting the result of performing a predetermined process, and outputs it to a display computer.

[0064] The communication section 350 communicates with other devices via the network 10. For example, the communication section 350 is communicably connected to the value chain planning device 100 or the agent providing terminal 200 mainly used by the provider (registrant) of the agent.

[0065] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the value chain planning device. The value chain planning device 100 can be realized by a general computer 900 including a processor (for example, a CPU or a GPU) 901, a memory 902 such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), an external storage device 903 such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or an SSD, a reading device 905 for reading information from a portable storage medium 904 such as a CD or a DVD, an input device 906 such as a keyboard, a mouse, a barcode reader, or a touch panel, an output device 907 such as a display, and a communication device 908 for communicating with other computers via a communication network such as a LAN or the Internet, or a network system including a plurality of such computers 900. Needless to say, the reading device 905 may be capable of not only reading but also writing to the portable storage medium 904.

[0066] For example, the agent recruitment unit 121, agent inspection unit 122, agent registration unit 123, planning department 124, plan adoption unit 125, agent management unit 126, and reward payment processing unit 127 included in the processing unit 120 can be realized by loading a predetermined program stored in the external storage device 903 into the memory 902 and executing it with the processor 901. The input unit 130 can be realized by the processor 901 using the input device 906. The output unit 140 can be realized by the processor 901 using the output device 907 or the communication device 908. The communication unit 150 can be realized by the processor 901 using the communication device 908. The storage unit 110 can be realized by the processor 901 using the memory 902 or the external storage device 903.

[0067] This predetermined program may be downloaded from the portable storage medium 904 via the reading device 905 or from the network via the communication device 908 to the external storage device 903, and then loaded onto the memory 902 and executed by the processor 901. Alternatively, it may be directly loaded onto the memory 902 from the portable storage medium 904 via the reading device 905 or from the network via the communication device 908 and executed by the processor 901. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and the value chain planning device 100 may be a wearable computer worn by an operator, such as a headset, goggles, glasses, or incam.

[0068] Note that the agent providing terminal 200 and the affiliated business entity terminal 300 are basically information processing devices similar to the value chain planning device 100.

[0069] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of agent recruitment processing. The agent recruitment processing is started when the value chain planning device 100 receives a start instruction from a user via the interface device.

[0070] First, the agent recruitment department 121 publishes a list of recruited agents on a web page or the like (step S001). Specifically, the agent recruitment department 121 generates a web page having the display information shown in FIG. 11, and discloses the business of the recruited agent, the number of registered cases, the estimated remuneration, etc. by HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure) or the like.

[0071] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for agent recruitment. On the VC plan service screen 500, which is an example of a screen for agent recruitment, for each agent to be recruited, there is a recruitment list 510 including the number of registered cases (the number of recruits), the estimated remuneration, and an explanation of the business to be executed by the agent, and a registration button 520 for accepting an input for transitioning to a screen for the registration procedure of any agent. The registrant who provides the agent views the VC plan service screen 500 using the agent providing unit 222 of the agent providing terminal 200 and grasps the agent to be created. Then, the registrant uses the agent providing unit 222 to input to the registration button 520 on the VC plan service screen 500, thereby transitioning the screen to the production plan agent registration screen 600 shown in FIG. 12, and applies for the execution module of the agent created via the agent creation unit 221 using the agent providing unit 222.

[0072] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for agent registration. The production plan agent registration screen 600, which is an example of a screen for agent registration, includes an explanation input field 610 for the behavior of the agent, an execution module input field 620, and an upload button 630. The explanation input field 610 accepts, in free text, the input of a sentence that explains the functions and operation characteristics of the execution module of the agent in natural language. The execution module input field 620 accepts the input of the file path and file name of the execution module. When the upload button 630 accepts the input, it accepts the information input to the explanation input field 610 and the execution module input field 620, and applies including the file with the file name input to the execution module input field 620.

[0073] Then, the agent recruitment department 121 receives an agent registration request (application) including an execution module (step S002). Specifically, the agent recruitment department 121 receives an application for the execution module of the agent from the agent providing department 222 via the production plan agent registration screen 600. Then, the agent recruitment department 121 stores the received execution module, the free text of the agent description, and the registrant in the agent information 112 in association with the business.

[0074] Then, the agent registration department 123 assigns a "new" status to the agent information (step S003). Specifically, the agent registration department 123 sets "new" in the status 112f of the agent information 112 for the agent stored in step S002.

[0075] Then, the agent inspection department 122 extracts the "new" execution module and performs an inspection by executing it using test data (step S004). Specifically, the agent inspection department 122 refers to the agent information 112, extracts the execution module whose status 112f is "new", and executes it using dummy data in a predetermined secure test environment such as an emulator or a virtual machine (an environment where the execution of the execution module in the test environment does not affect other environments). Then, the agent inspection department 122 inspects whether there is a violation of a predetermined security standard in the behavior during execution or not, or whether the correctness and reliability of the execution result conform to a predetermined inspection standard. These inspection standards are set according to the usage environment and policies, and the agent inspection department 122 shall perform the inspection according to the inspection standards.

[0076] Then, if the behavior of the target execution module is correct and safe as a result of the inspection, the agent inspection unit 122 determines it as qualified, and if the behavior is incorrect or there is an obvious security problem, the inspection result is determined as inappropriate. When it is impossible to determine whether it is qualified or inappropriate, such as when the execution is interrupted due to an error or the like, the agent inspection unit 122 transfers the execution module to the reviewer, accepts the judgment of the reviewer, and uses it as the inspection result.

[0077] Then, the agent registration unit 123 updates the status to "OK", "NG", or "under review" according to the result of the inspection of the execution module (step S005). Specifically, if the judgment of the inspection result by the agent inspection unit 122 is "qualified", the agent registration unit 123 sets "OK" in the status 112f, if the judgment of the inspection result is "inappropriate", it sets "NG" in the status 112f, and if the judgment of the inspection result is under review, it sets "under review" in the status 112f.

[0078] The above is the process of agent recruitment. According to the agent recruitment process, it is possible to recruit execution modules that will become agents, accept applications, and conduct reviews through inspections. Also, in that review, it is sufficient if the execution module of the agent is in an execution format that operates on a computer, and no separate disclosure of the source code is required. Naturally, this is not the case when the execution code is created by a programming language (VBScript, JavaScript, Phython, etc.) that requires the source code at execution time. Thus, for registrants who need to keep the source code of the execution module confidential, by creating the execution module using a compiled language, they can apply to be an agent while keeping it confidential.

[0079] Through such agent recruitment processing and screen transitions, not only can business entities that wish to apply for agents apply easily, but it can be said that the diversity and resilience of the value brought by the value chain can be ensured.

[0080] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of the planning simulation process. The planning simulation process is started when an affiliated business entity accesses the value chain planning apparatus 100 using the affiliated business entity terminal 300.

[0081] First, the planning department 124 accepts the selection of the VC design to be planned (step S101). Specifically, the planning department 124 refers to the VC design information 111, displays a list of VC designs including the affiliated business entity on the affiliated business entity terminal 300 so that it can be selected, and accepts the selection from the affiliated business entity terminal 300.

[0082] Then, the planning department 124 extracts the registered agents (or the agents designated by the affiliated business operator among them) for each business of the VC plan (step S102). Then, the planning department 124 extracts the transaction information 114 and the master information 113 related to the relevant business entities for the period according to the VC plan (step S103).

[0083] Then, the planning department 124 accepts a planning simulation execution instruction (step S104). Specifically, the planning department 124 accepts an execution instruction for the planning simulation from the affiliated business entity terminal 300.

[0084] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a planning simulation instruction screen. On the planning simulation instruction screen 700, which is an example of a planning simulation instruction screen, a schematic diagram shows the constituent business entities of the VC design to be the target of the planning simulation and an overview of the internal operations, and includes a start button 710 for accepting a start instruction for the planning simulation. On the schematic diagram, when an input to an icon indicating each operation is accepted, agents that are candidates for executing the operation are listed.

[0085] Then, the Planning Department 124 executes a plan simulation using the extracted agents, transactions, and masters (step S105). Specifically, the Planning Department 124 changes the combination of agents for each business based on the sales plan, delivery quantity, and delivery date and time of the business entities to be configured according to the VC design information 111, and executes the plan simulation of the entire VC multiple times. The Planning Department 124 stores the execution results in the plan information 115 each time a plan simulation is executed.

[0086] Then, the Planning Department 124 calculates a predetermined KPI for each plan simulation and outputs it together with the adopted agents (step S106). Specifically, the Planning Department 124 evaluates the results of the plan simulation executed in step S105 using a predetermined KPI evaluation method. Regarding the calculation of this KPI, existing algorithms can be used. Then, the Planning Department 124 displays the KPI and the agents adopted for each business together with the plan simulation results on the affiliated business entity terminal 300 in a selectable manner.

[0087] Then, the Agent Management Department 126 records the relationship between the business and the adopted agents as adopted agent information for each plan simulation (step S107). Specifically, the Agent Management Department 126 associates the VC design identifier, the business, the agent identifier adopted in the business, and the execution date and time for each business included in the VC design targeted for the plan simulation, and stores them in the VC design identifier 116a, the business 116b, the adopted agent identifier 116c, and the execution date and time 116d of the adopted agent information 116.

[0088] The above is the flow of the plan simulation process. According to the plan simulation process, in the designed value chain, information that serves as a basis for selecting agents that execute the task of automatically configuring an efficient plan for the tasks included in the value chain can be specifically obtained in a selectable state.

[0089] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of business execution processing. The business execution processing starts when an affiliated business entity accesses the value chain planning device 100 through the planning request section 321 of the affiliated business entity terminal 300 and selects and inputs an executable planning simulation from the result screen of the planning simulation processing.

[0090] First, for each of the designated VC designs in the VC design of the affiliated business entity, the plan adoption section 125 repeats the processes of steps S202 to S206 described below (steps S201, S207).

[0091] The plan adoption section 125 extracts, as the business to be executed, the business for which the execution date and time have arrived or the business designated by the affiliated business entity (step S202).

[0092] Then, for each of the extracted businesses, the plan adoption section 125 repeats the processes of steps S204 and S205 described below in the forward or reverse order of the businesses constituting the VC (steps S203, S206).

[0093] The plan adoption section 125 executes the adopted agent (step S204). Specifically, the plan adoption section 125 starts the execution module adopted as the agent for executing the target business. For example, if the execution module is a compiled binary file, the process is started, and if it is a text file such as a script, a runtime environment is constructed and the process is started.

[0094] Then, the agent management section 126 records the relationship between the executed business and the adopted agent as adopted agent information (step S205). Specifically, the agent management section 126 associates the VC design identifier, the business, the agent identifier adopted in the business, and the execution date and time for each business included in the VC design to be executed, and stores them in the VC design identifier 116a, the business 116b, the adopted agent identifier 116c, and the execution date and time 116d of the adopted agent information 116.

[0095] The above is the flow of business execution processing. According to the business execution processing, it is possible to automatically execute a business at a predetermined timing using the selected agent. For example, it is possible to automatically execute by the agent a business such as an item delivered weekly according to the VC design and a business of making a production plan according to the delivery quantity.

[0096] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of agent evaluation processing. The agent evaluation processing is started, for example, at a predetermined date and time (for example, the last day of each month, etc.) every month, or intermittently after a predetermined period (for example, 7 days).

[0097] First, the agent management unit 126 repeats the processing of steps S302 to S306 described later for each of the registered agents (steps S301, S307).

[0098] The agent management unit 126 totals the number of executions within the evaluation target period from the employed agent information 116 and calculates the reward (step S302). Specifically, the agent management unit 126 refers to the employed agent information 116, counts the number of executions of the target agent for the executions in which the execution date and time 116d is included within the evaluation target period, and calculates the reward using the number of executions as the number of employments. Then, the agent management unit 126 stores the number of employments of the agent in the number of employments 117d of the agent evaluation information 117.

[0099] Then, the agent management unit 126 identifies the increase or decrease of the ESG evaluation, financial evaluation, employee satisfaction, rating, and KPI of the affiliated business entity within the evaluation target period (step S303). Specifically, the agent management unit 126 refers to the employed agent information 116 and identifies the VC design identifier 116a for the execution of the target agent in which the execution date and time 116d is included within the evaluation target period. Then, the affiliated business entity of the VC related to the identified VC design identifier is identified from the VC design information 111, and information such as the increase or decrease of the ESG evaluation, financial evaluation, employee satisfaction, rating, and KPI of the affiliated business entity is obtained by referring to the evaluation information provided by an external organization that handles economic information.

[0100] Then, the agent management unit 126 calculates an evaluation score using an evaluation formula (step S304). Specifically, the agent management unit 126 substitutes the evaluation information identified in step S303 into a predetermined evaluation formula to calculate the evaluation score of the target affiliated business entity. Then, the agent management unit 126 sums up the evaluation scores of the affiliated business entities related to the VC designs executed within the evaluation target period. Then, the agent management unit 126 stores the evaluation score of the agent in the evaluation 117e of the agent evaluation information 117.

[0101] Then, the agent management unit 126 adds a reward to the agent according to the evaluation score (step S305). Specifically, the reward payment processing unit 127 adds the reward corresponding to the evaluation score calculated in step S304 to the reward calculated in step S302, and stores the total reward of the agent in the reward 117f of the agent evaluation information 117.

[0102] Then, the reward payment processing unit 127 pays the reward to the agent registrant (step S306). Specifically, the reward payment processing unit 127 performs a process of paying the reward to the reward receiving unit 223 of the registrant, such as a transfer process, via a bank account or a predetermined settlement institution.

[0103] The above is an example of the flow of the agent evaluation process. According to the flow of the agent evaluation process, the reward can be determined using the reward based on the number of executions for each agent and the reward based on the evaluation of the affiliated business entities of the VCs related to the executed operations, and paid to the agent registrant.

[0104] The above is the configuration of the value chain planning system 1 according to the embodiment. According to the value chain planning system 1, in the designed value chain, an efficient plan can be automatically configured for the operations included in the value chain.

[0105] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. The above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. It is possible to replace a part of the configuration of an embodiment with another configuration. Also, it is possible to delete a part of the configuration of an embodiment.

[0106] In addition, each of the above-described parts, configurations, functions, processing units, etc. may be realized in hardware, for example, by designing a part or all of them with an integrated circuit. Also, each of the above-described parts, configurations, functions, etc. may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program for realizing each function. Information such as a program, table, file, etc. for realizing each function can be placed in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk, or a storage medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

[0107] Note that the control lines and information lines according to the above-described embodiments show those considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines on the product. In practice, it may be considered that almost all the configurations are interconnected. The present invention has been described mainly with reference to the embodiments.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0108] 1: Value Chain Planning System, 10: Network, 100: Value Chain Planning Device, 110: Memory Unit, 111: VC Design Information, 112: Agent Information, 113: Master Information, 114: Transaction Information, 115: Planning Information, 116: Adopted Agent Information, 117: Agent Evaluation Information, 120: Processing Unit, 121: Agent Recruitment Unit, 122: Agent Inspection Unit, 123: Agent Registration Unit, 124: Planning Department, 125: Plan Adoption Unit, 126: Agent Management Unit, 127: Payment Processing Unit, 130: Input Unit, 140: Output Unit, 150: Communication Unit, 200: Agent Providing Terminal, 220: Processing Unit, 221: Agent Creation Unit, 222: Agent Providing Unit, 223: Payment Receiving Unit, 230: Input Unit, 240: Output Unit, 250: Communication Unit, 300: Affiliated Business Entity Terminal, 320: Processing Unit, 321: Planning Request Unit, 330: Input Unit, 340: Output Unit, 350: Communication Unit

Claims

1. A value chain planning device for a value chain from material procurement to sales of a product in which at least two or more business entities participate, an agent recruitment unit that recruits an execution module that is an agent for realizing the operations included in the value chain, an agent registration unit that, when accepting an application including the execution module, registers the execution module as an agent, a planning department that performs a simulation of executing the execution module registered as an agent for two or more operations included in the value chain and measures KPI for the result of the simulation, a reward payment processing unit that pays a reward according to the execution result to the execution module executed in the simulation, comprising, The agent registration unit accepts an application as long as the execution module is at least a program file in various executable formats (including a compiled program file), inspects the applied execution module in a secure environment, and registers it as an agent when the behavior is correct and safe. A value chain planning device characterized by this.

2. The value chain planning device according to claim 1, The planning department displays the agents employed in the simulation for each simulation. A value chain planning device characterized by this.

3. The value chain planning device according to claim 1, The planning department displays the result in the simulation for each simulation, and the participating business entity can select any of the results. A value chain planning device characterized by this.

4. The value chain planning device according to claim 1, wherein the reward payment processing unit increases the reward as the number of executions of the execution module increases, characterized in that it is a value chain planning device.

5. The value chain planning device according to claim 1, wherein the reward payment processing unit pays the reward according to an evaluation of the environment (Environment), society (Social), and corporate governance (Governance) of the participating business entities in the value chain in which the operations executed by the execution module are included, characterized in that it is a value chain planning device.

6. The value chain planning device according to claim 1, wherein the reward payment processing unit pays the reward according to a predetermined KPI of the participating business entities in the value chain in which the operations executed by the execution module are included, characterized in that it is a value chain planning device.

7. A value chain planning system for a value chain from material procurement to sales of a product in which at least two or more business entities participate, an agent recruitment unit that recruits an execution module that is an agent for realizing the operations included in the value chain, an agent providing unit that applies including the execution module, an agent registration unit that, when accepting an application including the execution module, registers the execution module as an agent, a planning department that performs a simulation of executing the operations by executing the execution module registered as an agent for two or more operations included in the value chain and measures the KPI for the result of the simulation, a reward payment processing unit that pays a reward according to the execution result to the execution module executed in the simulation, A reward receiving unit that receives the said reward, and is provided with The agent registration unit, as the said execution module, accepts applications as long as they are at least program files in various executable formats (including compiled program files), inspects the applied execution modules in a secure environment, and registers them as agents when their behavior is correct and safe. A value chain planning system characterized by the above.

8. A value chain planning method targeting the value chain from material procurement to sales of products in which at least two or more business entities participate, The information processing device An agent recruitment step of recruiting an execution module that is an agent for realizing the operations included in the said value chain, An agent providing step of applying including information including the said execution module, An agent registration step of registering the execution module as an agent when accepting an application including the said execution module, A planning and establishment step of performing a simulation of executing the said execution module registered as an agent for two or more operations included in the said value chain to execute the operations and measuring KPIs for the results of the simulation, A reward payment processing step of paying a reward according to the execution result for the said execution module executed in the said simulation, A reward receiving step of receiving the said reward, and implementing In the said agent registration step, as the said execution module, applications are accepted as long as they are at least program files in various executable formats (including compiled program files), inspected in a secure environment, and registered as agents when their behavior is correct and safe. A value chain planning method characterized by the above.

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