System and method for project designing and developing a procurement and accounts payable system

A method for generation and use of templates for describing deliverables of a general procurement and accounts payable development system, comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a database of generic templates describing the deliverables of tasks for developing a general procurement and accounts payable system;
• serving said templates to development team members including enterprise team members and customer team members;
• said development team members operating a plurality of web-enabled user terminals to access via a server said database for coordinating tasks by said service provider and customer members for configuring said deliverables to specific customer requirements;
• displaying at said terminals in a playbook summary view a create a summary task selection button, a create a detailed task button, a folders and views section, a task title display and selection area;
• responsive to member selection of said summary tasks selection button presenting in said selection area a listing of deployment stage asks organized by categories, said categories including requisition and catalog functional detailed fit cap analysis, requisition and catalog offering configuration, electronic data interchange infrastructure design, customer to golden process alignment, requisition and catalog catalog data preparation and loading, and accounting driver functional detailed fit gap analysis;
• responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog functional detailed fit gas analysis category, presenting in said selection area a first listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said first listing presenting to said user a first task template;
• said user, responsive to said first task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm requisition and catalog organizational hierarchy, define requisition and catalog functional detailed fit, and resolve functional gaps for requisition and catalog;
• responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog offering configuration category, presenting in said selection area a second listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said second listing presenting to said user a second task template;
• said user, responsive to said second task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm and refine requisition and catalog initial settings and organizational structure, confirm and refine requisition and catalog authorizations, and refine and validate requisition and catalog configuration;
• responsive to user selection of said electronic data interchange infrastructure design category, presenting in said selection area a third listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said third listing presenting to said user a third task template;
• said user, responsive to said third task template, selectively executing development tasks to establish an electronic data interchange infrastructure, and conduct information technology trading partner testing;
• responsive to user selection of said customer to golden process alignment category, presenting in said selection area a fourth listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said fourth listing presenting to said user a fourth task template;
• said user, responsive to said fourth task template, selectively executing development tasks to determine gaps between customer and golden processes, and perform process gap resolution;
• responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog catalog data preparation and loading category, presenting in said selection area a fifth listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said fifth listing presenting to said user a fifth task template;
• said user, responsive to said fifth task template, selectively executing development tasks to prepare and load a requisition and catalog catalog;
• and
• responsive to user selection of said accounting driver functional detailed fit gap analysis category, presenting in said selection area a sixth listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said sixth listing presenting to said user a sixth task template;
• said user, responsive to said sixth task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm accounting driver organizational hierarchy, define accounting driver functional detailed fit, and resolve accounting driver functional gaps.

A method for evaluating a potential client system and for adapting a general procurement and accounts payable system to the requirements of each of many potential clients, comprising:

• maintaining a database of generic templates describing the deliverables of tasks for developing a general procurement and accounts payable system;
• serving said templates to development team members including enterprise team members and customer team members;
• said development team members operating a plurality of web-enabled user terminals to access via a server said database for coordinating tasks by said service provider and customer team members for configuring said deliverables to specific customer requirements for a customer specific general procurement and accounts payable systems;
• displaying at said terminals in a playbook summary view a create a summary task selection button, a create a detailed task button, a folders and views section, a task title display and selection area;
• responsive to member selection of said summary tasks selection button presenting in said selection area a listing of deployment stage tasks organized by categories, said categories including requisition and catalog functional detailed fit gap analysis, requisition and catalog offering configuration, electronic data interchange infrastructure design, customer to golden process alignment, requisition and catalog catalog data preparation and loading, and accounting driver functional detailed fit gap analysis;
• responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog functional detailed fit gap analysis category, presenting in said selection area a first listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said first listing presenting to said user a first task template;
• said user, responsive to said first task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm requisition and catalog organizational hierarchy, define requisition and catalog functional detailed fit, and resolve functional gaps for requisition and catalog;
• responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog offering configuration category, presenting in said selection area a second listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said second listing presenting to said user a second task template;
• said user, responsive to said second task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm and refine requisition and catalog initial settings and organizational structure, confirm and refine requisition and catalog authorizations, and refine and validate requisition and catalog configuration;
• responsive to user selection of said electronic data interchange infrastructure design category, presenting in said selection area a third listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said third listing presenting to said user a third task template;
• said user, responsive to said third task template, selectively executing development tasks to establish an electronic data interchange infrastructure, and conduct information technology trading partner testing;
• responsive to user selection of said customer to golden process alignment category, presenting in said selection area a fourth listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said fourth listing presenting to said user a fourth task template;
• said user, responsive to said fourth task template, selectively executing development tasks to determine gaps between customer and golden processes, and perform process gap resolution;
• responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog catalog data preparation and loading category, presenting in said selection area a fifth listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said fifth listing presenting to said user a fifth task template;
• said user, responsive to said fifth task template, selectively executing development tasks to prepare and load a requisition and catalog catalog;
• and
• responsive to user selection of said accounting driver functional detailed fit gap analysis category, presenting in said selection area a sixth listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said sixth listing presenting to said user a sixth task template;
• said user, responsive to said sixth task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm accounting driver organizational hierarchy, define accounting driver functional detailed fit, and resolve accounting driver functional gaps.

A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for developing a general procurement and accounts payable application, said method steps comprising:

• maintaining a database of templates describing procedures for developing a general procurement and accounts payable system;
• serving said templates to development team members including enterprise team members and customer team members;
• said enterprise team members and said customer team members operating a plurality of web-enabled user terminals to access via a server said database for coordinating tasks by said service provider and customer team members implementing said procedures;
• each said template storing, either directly or by way of links to other documents, materials for guiding, coordinating and documenting the work of said service provider and customer team members;
• displaying at said terminals in a playbook summary view a create a summary task selection button, a create a detailed task button, a folders and views section, a task title display and selection area;
• responsive to member selection of said summary tasks selection button presenting in said selection area a listing of deployment stage tasks organized by categories, said categories including requisition and catalog functional detailed fit gap analysis, requisition and catalog offering configuration, electronic data interchange infrastructure design, customer to golden process alignment, requisition and catalog catalog data preparation and loading, and accounting driver functional detailed fit gap analysis;
• responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog functional detailed fit gap analysis category, presenting in said selection area a first listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said first listing presenting to said user a first task template;
• said user, responsive to said first task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm requisition and catalog organizational hierarchy, define requisition and catalog functional detailed fit, and resolve functional gaps for requisition and catalog;
• responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog offering configuration category, presenting in said selection area a second listing of development stare tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said second listing presenting to said user a second task template;
• said user, responsive to said second task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm and refine requisition and catalog initial settings and organizational structure, confirm and refine requisition and catalog authorizations, and refine and validate requisition and catalog configuration;
• responsive to user selection of said electronic data interchange infrastructure design category, presenting in said selection area a third listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said third listing presenting to said user a third task template;
• said user, responsive to said third task template, selectively executing development tasks to establish an electronic data interchange infrastructure, and conduct information technology trading partner testing;
• responsive to user selection of said customer to golden process alignment category, presenting in said selection area a fourth listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said fourth listing presenting to said user a fourth task template;
• said user, responsive to said fourth task template, selectively executing development tasks to determine gap a between customer and golden processes, and perform process gap resolution;
• responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog catalog data preparation and loading category, presenting in said selection area a fifth listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development staged task from said fifth listing presenting to said user a fifth task template;
• said user, responsive to said fifth task template, selectively executing development tasks to prepare and load a requisition and catalog catalog;
• and
• responsive to user selection of said accounting driver functional detailed fit gap analysis category, presenting in said selection area a sixth listing of development stare tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said sixth listing presenting to said user a sixth task template;
• said user, responsive to said sixth task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm accounting driver organizational hierarchy, define accounting driver functional detailed fit, and resolve accounting driver functional gaps.

An article of manufacture comprising:

• a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for developing a general procurement and accounts payable application, the computer readable program means in said article of manufacture comprising:
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect maintaining a database of templates describing procedures for developing a general procurement and accounts payable system;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect operating a plurality of web-enabled user terminals to access via a server said database for coordinating tasks by a plurality of service provider and customer teams implementing said procedures;
• each said template storing, either directly or by way of links to other documents, materials for coordinating and documenting the work of said service provider and customer teams;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect displaying at said terminals in a playbook summary view a create a summary task selection button, a create a detailed task button, a folders and views section, a task title display and selection area;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect responsive to member selection of said summary tasks selection button presenting in said selection area a listing of deployment stage tasks organized by categories, said categories including requisition and catalog functional detailed fit gap analysis, requisition and catalog offering configuration, electronic data interchange infrastructure design, customer to golden process alignment, requisition and catalog catalog data reparation and loading, and accounting driver functional detailed fit gap analysis;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog functional detailed fit gap analysis category, presenting in said selection area a first listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said first listing presenting to said user a first task template;
• said user, responsive to said first task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm requisition and catalog organizational hierarchy, define requisition and catalog functional detailed fit, and resolve functional gaps for requisition and catalog;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog offering configuration category, presenting in said selection area a second listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said second listing presenting to said user a second task template;
• said user, responsive to said second task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm and refine requisition and catalog initial settings and organizational structure, confirm and refine requisition and catalog authorizations, and refine and validate requisition and catalog configuration;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect responsive to user selection of said electronic data interchange infrastructure design category, presenting in said selection area a third listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stare task from said third listing presenting to said user a third task template;
• said user, responsive to said third task template, selectively executing development tasks to establish an electronic data interchange infrastructure, and conduct information technology trading partner testing;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect responsive to user selection of said customer to golden process alignment category, presenting in said selection area a fourth listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said fourth listing presenting to said user a fourth task template;
• said user, responsive to said fourth task template, selectively executing development tasks to determine gaps between customer and golden processes, and perform process gap resolution;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect responsive to user selection of said requisition and catalog catalog data preparation and loading category, presenting in said selection area a fifth listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said fifth listing presenting to said user a fifth task template;
• said user, responsive to said fifth task template, selectively executing development tasks to prepare and load a requisition and catalog catalog;
• and
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect responsive to user selection of said accounting driver functional detailed fit gap analysis category, presenting in said selection area a sixth listing of development stage tasks and responsive to user selection of a development stage task from said sixth listing presenting to said user a sixth task template;
• said user, responsive to said sixth task template, selectively executing development tasks to confirm accounting driver organizational hierarchy, define accounting driver functional detailed fit, and resolve accounting driver functional gaps.