JPH1131179A - Method and device for managing inter-company transaction progress - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform progress management of transaction or a project in which plural companies work together and participate in accordance with the time of deliver when final products are delivered to a customer. SOLUTION: A relaying part 22 of a server 11 relays transaction information sent from a transaction information sending terminal 12 of a certain company to a transaction information receiving terminal 13. An inter-company progress managing part 24 expands it into a work schedule that consists of plural work processes and stores it in a progress state database 21 when it receives merchandise order information from the part 22. When the actual results report of a related work process is acquired through the part 22 and a receiving part 23, actual results date is recorded on the schedule and when it is later than a scheduled date, changed date about a subsequent work process is recorded. A retrieving part 27 fetches corresponding progress state from the database 21 in response to an inquiry from a progress state inquiring terminal 14 and sends it to the terminal 14 via an editing part 28 and an outputting part 29.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing the progress of a transaction using a computer, and more particularly to the progress management of a work schedule involving a plurality of companies based on transaction information transmitted between the companies. Method and apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Production management and project process management within a single company using a computer are carried out by many companies, and the technology is well known. For example, JP-A-7-1
Japanese Patent Publication No. 29667 discloses a process management method of a business for managing a project.

[0003]

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] It is necessary to link a plurality of companies until the final product is delivered, such as manufacturing and shipping parts, assembling and shipping equipment, according to the delivery date when delivering the final product to the customer. There are products to do. In this way, when managing the progress of a transaction or project in which multiple companies are involved under a series of delivery conditions from the highest-level work process to the delivery of the final product, the conventional process within the same company Management technology cannot be applied directly. In other words, it is difficult for the server that manages the progress of such inter-company transactions to access the in-company server of the related company to extract the data of production management and inventory management, and differences in data formats and code systems between companies. It is even more difficult to collect useful data for managing the progress of a target transaction or project from a company. Under such circumstances, it has been difficult to determine which company has completed the work on the previously ordered product and whether there is any delay with respect to the schedule.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to provide a method and apparatus for managing the progress of a transaction involving a plurality of companies.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention acquires transaction information transmitted between companies via a network, and based on the transaction information, determines a plurality of work processes and a scheduled completion date across a plurality of companies. Expand to the work schedule including the work schedule, record the actual date in the work schedule when acquiring the performance report of the work for this work process, and when the actual date is later than the scheduled completion date, plan the completion of the subsequent work process according to the number of days delayed The present invention is characterized by a method and an apparatus for managing the progress of transactions between companies that record a change date for correcting a date in a schedule. Here, it is assumed that the work result report can be associated with one of a plurality of developed work processes, and that the scheduled work completion date can be compared with the reported work date.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the progress management system of the present embodiment. The system is composed of a server 11, a transaction information transmitting terminal 12, a transaction information receiving terminal 13, and a progress status inquiry terminal 14 which are connected to the server 11 via a network 15 and serve as clients. The transaction information transmission terminal 12 is installed in one company and transmits transaction information to the server 11 via the network 15. The transaction information receiving terminal 13 is installed in another company, and receives transaction information from the server 11 via the network 15. Server 11
Relays the transaction information relating to the ordering of the product received from the transaction information transmitting terminal 12 to the transaction information receiving terminal 13, creates a progress table of the work from production to delivery of the product, and manages the progress. Progress inquiry terminal 1
4 inquires of the server 11 via the network 15 about the progress of a specific product order, and acquires progress data.

[0008] The transaction information transmitting terminal 12, the transaction information receiving terminal 13, and the progress inquiry terminal 14 are information processing devices such as personal computers. Since the name of each terminal device indicates a function of an application program (AP) executed by the information processing device, one information processing device can have two or more functions of these terminals. The server 11 is an information processing device such as a personal computer, a workstation, a mainframe computer, and a parallel computer. The network 15 is a network such as the Internet that can be used between a plurality of companies and a dedicated line provided by a VAN company.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the database and functional modules held by the server 11. The progress database 21 stores data on the progress of operations such as manufacturing, shipping, and delivery of products across a plurality of companies based on orders for products between companies. The relay unit 22 transmits the transaction information received from the transaction information transmitting terminal 12 to the transaction information receiving terminal 1.
3 and handover to the inter-company progress management unit 24. The transaction information transmitting terminal 12 may transmit the same transaction information to both the transaction information receiving terminal 13 and the server 11 by broadcasting. In that case, the relay unit 22 is merely a receiving unit of the transaction information. The receiving unit 23 passes the work result data received from the transmitting terminal such as the transaction information transmitting terminal 12 to the inter-company progress management unit 24. The inter-company progress management unit 24 is a processing unit that develops the order transaction information of the product received from the relay unit 22 into a progress table format and stores the information in the progress database 21. The inter-company progress management unit 24 updates the corresponding progress table in the progress database 21 with the transaction information or work result data received from the relay unit 22 or the receiving unit 23. If the work schedule is delayed as a result, the alarm / work instruction transmitting unit 25 transmits an alarm or a work instruction to a receiving terminal such as the transaction information receiving terminal 13 of the related company. Reception unit 26
Is a processing unit that receives a transaction progress inquiry from the progress inquiry terminal 14. The search unit 27 is a processing unit that searches the progress status database 21 and acquires a corresponding progress status table. The editing unit 28 is a processing unit that edits the obtained progress status table. The output unit 29 is a processing unit that transmits the created progress data to the progress inquiry terminal 14. Note that it is possible to store the AP including the functional module in a storage medium, and the server 11 can read and execute the AP on the storage medium.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of data of the transaction information 35 transmitted from the transaction information transmitting terminal 12 to the transaction information receiving terminal 13. FIG. 3A shows order information transmitted from Company A to Company X, which includes a product number, a quantity, a delivery date, an orderer, a contractor, and an order number. FIG. 3 (b) shows that the company C
This is shipping information transmitted to the company, and is composed of a product number, quantity, delivery date, orderer, orderer, order number, shipping number, and actual shipping date. The format of the transaction information can be based on a standard format such as CII syntax rule and EDIFACT. It is also assumed that order numbers, product numbers, and the like are unified according to the unified standard of the code system between companies.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of the progress data stored in the progress database 21. The progress data is a schedule table showing the progress in the order of the work of the company related to each product order. The table arranges the order number, company name, work name, scheduled work completion date, actual work date and work change date in the column direction, and arranges the work of each company involved in the same product order and its progress in the work order in the row direction. I do. The company name indicates a single company name or two company names involved in an inter-company transaction. The order number, the company name, the work name, and the scheduled work completion date are data set by work development when the first product order is placed. The actual work date and the work change date are data stored by the company's performance report or the transaction information 35. The work change date is for correcting the scheduled work completion date of the work process subsequent to the work process for which the performance report was made. For example, the actual work date of shipment from Company C to Company Y is extracted from transaction information 35 from Company C to Company Y. The alarm and the work instruction added to each work indicate the alarm and the work instruction transmitted to the company in charge of the subsequent work due to the work delay. In the example of FIG. 4, the delivery from Company C to Company Y is delayed by one day, so the delivery from Company Y to Company B is delayed by one day, and as a result, “delivery delayed” to Company B, the destination company. Indicates that the warning. In addition, it indicates that the company B is instructed to “reduce the lead time” instead of changing the manufacturing schedule of the company B. In addition, there is a possibility that the shipment from Company B to Company X may be delayed. Therefore, "Emergency shipment" is instructed to Company X, and the shipment from Company X to Company A may be delayed. Yes "is indicated. A pattern is prepared for the contents of the alarm and the work instruction according to the type of work and the number of days delayed. Although it is not necessary to register the alarm and the work instruction in the progress database 21, the alarm and the work instruction are generated in correspondence with each work, and therefore are shown in parallel with the progress of each work for convenience.

The manufacturing process may be included in the shipping transaction information of the company C-Y and the company B-X without providing the manufacturing process of a single company such as the company C and the company B. "Shipment" means delivery of a product in the case of production, and "delivery" means delivery of a product in the absence of production, such as when passing through a store or a trading company. Although the example of FIG. 4 is a simple example in which work steps are connected in series, a plurality of work steps proceed in parallel, assembling parts manufactured by each company, assembling a final product, and ordering the orderer. In the case of a complicated work schedule to be delivered to a company, similarly, one product order can be developed in the progress status table, and a work result date and a work change date can be set by a company result report or transaction information 35.

FIG. 5 shows an inter-company progress management section 2 of the server 11.
4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of an alarm / work instruction transmitting unit 25; Upon receiving the transaction information 35 or the work result data from the relay unit 22 or the receiving unit 23 (Step 51), the inter-company progress management unit 24 searches the progress database 21 based on the order number (Step 5).
2) It is determined whether or not the transaction information is for a new product order not registered in the progress database 21 (step 5).
3). If it is a new product order (step 53YE
S), work is developed as a prototype schedule using the company name, work name and standard work days preset in the storage device (step 54), and the progress database 2
1 (step 55), and the process ends. The orderer-orderer included in the ordering information is set as the company name of the last delivery work or shipping work, and the delivery date of the product is set as the scheduled completion date of the last delivery work or shipping work. If it is not a new product order (NO in step 53), it is determined whether the registered product order is inter-company transaction information or a work result report (step 56). If the transaction information / result report is for an already ordered product (YES in step 56), the actual work date of the work corresponding to the order number is set in the progress status table. A change date is set on the work change date according to the number of delay days (step 57). Next, the progress database 21 is updated with the created progress table (step 58).
As a result of the processing in step 57, if the actual work date is not later than the scheduled work completion date (step 59NO), the processing is ended. If the delivery date is delayed (step 59Y)
ES), control is passed to the alarm / work instruction transmitting unit 25,
The alarm / work instruction transmission unit 25 transmits the order number, the work name, the alarm or the work instruction to the receiving terminal of the related company in accordance with the preset alarm and work instruction pattern (step 60). If the transaction information or the in-company information received from the transmission terminal does not relate to the progress of the registered order product (NO in step 56), the process ends. When the manufacturing process of the single company is not provided in the progress status table, the information input to the inter-company progress management unit 24 does not include the information from the receiving unit 23, and the relay unit 2
Only the inter-company transaction information input from step 2.

It should be noted that different work prototypes can be employed depending on whether parts are in stock or not at the time of work development in step 54. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, if it is possible to obtain information that the company B has a stock of parts corresponding to the number of ordered products, the work prototype may be started from the manufacture of the company B. The server 11 can hold the latest component inventory information of the company B, or can obtain it by inquiring of the server of the company B.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a data example of the progress status inquiry 65 transmitted from the progress status inquiry terminal 14 to the server 11. The progress status inquiry 65 includes information such as an order number, an orderer, a contractor, and a delivery date.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data example of the progress data 75 which is an inquiry result transmitted from the server 11 to the progress inquiry terminal 14. The progress status data 75 is obtained by editing the progress status table of the designated order number into a table format that is easy for a person to see. As progress data,
It is also possible to edit the progress status table in the form of a process control chart that uses graphics to represent the progress table.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing from the receiving unit 26 to the output unit 29 of the server 11.
The receiving unit 26 sends a progress inquiry 6 from the progress inquiry terminal 14.
5 (step 81), the search unit 27 searches the progress database 21 and extracts the progress table of the designated order number (step 82). The editing unit 28 edits the acquired progress table into the format of the progress data 75 (step 83), and the output unit 29 transmits the created progress data 75 to the progress inquiry terminal 14 (step 84).

The server 11 is connected to each transaction information transmitting terminal 12
Instead of registering and updating the progress table in the progress database 21 by capturing the transaction information transmitted from the transaction information receiving terminal 13 to the transaction information receiving terminal 13, the transaction transmitted from the transaction information transmitting terminal 12 in the company information system of each company. The information may be relayed by a company server and transmitted to the transaction information receiving terminal 13, and the transaction information may be transmitted from the company server of each company to the server 11.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, integrated progress management is performed for transactions involving a plurality of companies, so that the progress can be immediately grasped.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a server 11 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data example of transaction information 35;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of a progress database 21 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of an inter-company progress management unit 24 and an alarm / work instruction transmission unit 25 of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a data example of a progress status inquiry 65;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data example of progress situation data 75;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a progress inquiry process according to the embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

11: server, 12: transaction information transmitting terminal, 13: transaction information receiving terminal, 14: progress inquiry terminal, 21: progress database, 24: inter-company progress management unit, 35: transaction information

Claims (8)

[Claims] Claims 1. Transaction information transmitted between companies via a network is acquired, and based on the transaction information, the information is developed into a schedule including a plurality of work processes and a scheduled completion date across a plurality of companies. When a performance report of a process is acquired, the actual date is recorded in the schedule, and when the actual date is later than the scheduled completion date, the change date for correcting the scheduled completion date of the subsequent work process according to the number of days delayed is set in the schedule. A method for managing the progress of transactions between companies, characterized by recording the information in 2. When the actual date is later than the scheduled completion date,
The method according to claim 1, wherein a warning message is transmitted to a destination company of a subsequent work process. 3. The business progress management method according to claim 1, wherein a designated schedule is taken out in response to the inquiry about the progress, and the edited schedule is transmitted to an inquiry source. 4. A means for acquiring transaction information transmitted between companies via a network, and a means for developing a schedule including a plurality of work processes and a scheduled completion date for a plurality of companies based on the transaction information. And when the actual result report of the work is acquired for the work process, the actual date is recorded in the schedule, and when the actual date is later than the scheduled completion date, the scheduled completion date of the subsequent work process is corrected according to the number of days delayed. Means for recording a date in the schedule. 5. When the actual date is later than the scheduled completion date,
5. The server device according to claim 4, further comprising means for transmitting a warning message to a destination company of a subsequent work process. 6. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable storage medium for managing the progress of a transaction between companies, the program including the following steps: And (b) develops a schedule including a plurality of work processes and a scheduled completion date for a plurality of companies based on the deal information, and (c) performance of the work for the work process. When the report is obtained, the actual date is recorded in the schedule, and when the actual date is later than the scheduled completion date, a change date for correcting the scheduled completion date of the subsequent work process according to the number of days delayed is recorded in the schedule. 7. The program according to claim 6, further comprising a step of transmitting a warning message to a destination company of a subsequent work process when the actual date is later than the scheduled completion date. Computer programs. 8. The computer program according to claim 6, further comprising a step of retrieving a designated schedule in response to the inquiry about the progress, and transmitting the edited schedule to an inquiry source.