SaaS Sustainability Management System with Automated Decision Engine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for managing sustainable business goals are prone to errors and are limited in scope, as they often rely on manual tracking in spreadsheets or focus only on specific areas like energy, water, and carbon management, with limited adoption and value to businesses.
Innovation Solution
A web-based sustainable business development management system that provides comprehensive sustainability goal management, including automated data entry, real-time data retrieval, and decision engine-driven recommendations for environmental and societal impacts, with a Software as a Service (SaaS) architecture and API for e-commerce and value-added services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual tracking in spreadsheets and documents is used, then businesses can track sustainability metrics, but the system becomes prone to errors, complicated, and unmanageable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical tracking systems (spreadsheets, documents, email) with an automated electronic management system that retrieves sustainability data automatically from multiple sources, processes it through decision engines, and generates reports without manual intervention, thereby eliminating errors and complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by automatically retrieving data from utility providers, suppliers, and internal systems, processing it through automated decision engines that provide recommendations, and generating sustainability reports without requiring manual data entry or analysis by business users
2Extent of automation
If accounting software scans buying records to assign carbon values, then carbon tracking is automated, but the assigned values are only guesses or misleading
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces intermediary components including a decision engine that analyzes multiple data sources (utility bills, supplier sustainability data, product lifecycle information) and applies sustainability criteria to assign accurate carbon values, rather than relying on simple software scanning or guesswork
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs multiple functions to determine carbon values: retrieving data from various sources, analyzing sustainability criteria, applying decision logic, and generating recommendations, making it a universal solution that handles diverse carbon accounting scenarios with precision
3Adaptability or versatility
If comprehensive sustainability tracking is implemented across all business areas, then complete sustainability management is achieved, but the system becomes too complex for limited adoption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sustainability management system into distinct functional modules: data retrieval from multiple sources, decision engine processing, recommendation generation, and report creation. This modular architecture allows comprehensive coverage while managing complexity through organized, independent components
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the decision engine continuously analyzes sustainability data, provides recommendations to users, and learns from user interactions and outcomes, enabling comprehensive sustainability management while adapting to user needs and reducing perceived complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A sustainable business development management system and method are provided for businesses which provides these businesses with a comprehensive understanding of their sustainability goals, projects, and metrics including the environmental and societal impacts of their business with the ability to manage and report on these parameters in a way that makes sense for their business.