Multilayered Software Framework for Supply Chain Planning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional computer-assisted planning methods fail to adequately account for business-specific constraints, leading to missed or insufficiently addressed important planning requirements in supply chain and workflow management, making it difficult and costly to develop tailored planning systems.
Innovation Solution
A multilayered software framework comprising a data layer for storing and manipulating planning data and an application layer for preparing and executing planning methods, allowing for flexible adaptation to specific business needs by separating generic and adaptable modules for optimized performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a generic planning support system is used, then development cost is reduced and implementation is simplified, but business-specific planning requirements and constraints are not adequately accounted for
Solution Approach 1:
The planning support system is segmented into multiple software layers (e.g., data layer, application layer, presentation layer), where each layer has specific responsibilities. This segmentation allows the system to maintain a generic core architecture while enabling customization at specific layers through adaptable modules that can be configured or developed independently to meet business-specific requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates adaptable modules that can dynamically adjust their behavior and configuration based on business-specific requirements. These modules can be enabled, disabled, or reconfigured without changing the core system architecture, allowing the planning support system to adapt to different business contexts while maintaining a stable generic foundation.
2Reliability
If a specialized planning system is developed to meet specific business requirements, then planning accuracy and constraint compliance are improved, but development cost and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The planning support system is designed with universal adaptable modules that can serve multiple business-specific planning scenarios. These modules are developed once with generic interfaces and can be configured to handle different business requirements, eliminating the need to develop entirely separate specialized systems for each business context while still ensuring constraint compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces intermediary adaptable modules that act as mediators between the generic planning engine and business-specific requirements. These intermediary modules translate business-specific constraints into formats that the generic planning engine can process, ensuring constraint compliance without requiring complete customization of the core system.
3Device complexity
If a fixed planning strategy is implemented, then system complexity is reduced and implementation is faster, but flexibility to adapt to varying business demands is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds a configuration dimension to the planning strategy implementation. Instead of having fixed strategies, the system allows planning strategies to be configured and adjusted through parameters and settings at the adaptable module level, enabling flexibility to varying business demands while maintaining a relatively simple core system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for providing a planning framework for use in managing a project to be planned in a supply chain, comprising providing a first software layer for storing and manipulating planning data relative to the planning project; providing a second software layer for communicating with the first software layer, the second layer arranged for pre processing, preparing and post processing a predetermined planning method. By such a multilayered framework, the invention is able to execute a planning algorithms to solve multi-level planning problems, wherein generic modules can be executed as fast modules in an environment that is highly optimized in terms of load on time and system resources and specifically adapted modules are embodying a particular planning strategy that can operate on a different level that is highly flexible.