3D Navigational Cube for Vendor Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The process of finding suitable vendors to meet service provider requirements for deploying services is laborious and often results in conflicting recommendations due to the need for flexibility and cost considerations, traditionally requiring multiple consultants and leading to inefficient decision-making.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that assesses vendors by identifying necessary subservices, requirements, and vendor capabilities, using a computer-based system to determine vendor suitability and store indications of compliance, with a three-dimensional navigational cube for visualization, enabling service providers to select vendors effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple consultants are employed to assess vendor options, then comprehensive coverage of different vendor perspectives is achieved, but the decision-making process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple consultant assessments into a single integrated computer-based system that automatically evaluates vendors against standardized criteria. The system merges data from multiple sources and perspectives into one unified assessment, eliminating the need for multiple consultants while maintaining comprehensive evaluation coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The computer-based system acts as an intermediary between service providers and vendors, performing the assessment function that previously required multiple human consultants. This automated intermediary applies consistent evaluation rules and provides objective recommendations, reducing process complexity while maintaining assessment thoroughness.
2Ease of operation
If a vendor is selected based on previous trust and relationship, then decision-making is simplified, but the vendor may not have the required skills for the specific job
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary automated assessments of vendor capabilities against specific service requirements before the actual vendor selection decision. By pre-evaluating and ranking vendors based on their ability to meet specific technical criteria, the system ensures that trust-based selections are supplemented with objective capability verification, maintaining both ease of decision-making and reliability of vendor match.
3Productivity
If vendor selection is based on cost considerations, then price efficiency is improved, but other important factors such as flexibility and versatility may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the evaluation parameters from single-factor (cost or trust) to multi-factor assessment, incorporating weighted criteria that include cost, capability, flexibility, and other relevant factors. This allows the service provider to adjust the importance of different parameters based on their specific needs, achieving optimal balance between cost efficiency and service flexibility rather than sacrificing one for the other.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for using a graphical user interface for display and navigation of a three-dimensional navigational cube to assess vendors for meeting requirements of a service provider for deploying a selected service. A three-dimensional navigational cube configured to be navigated is generated and displayed. Mutually orthogonal axes of the navigational cube comprise subservices that the service provider must have to implement the selected service, vendors able to implement at least one of the subservices, and requirements stipulated by the service provider that are to be met for implementing the subservices. Selections sequentially received from a user include: one or more planar sections of the navigational cube, a vector of co-linear subcubes within one of the planar sections, and a single subcube within the selected vector which selects a vendor able to meet requirements for implementing the subservice for the selected single subcube.