JP7641604B1 - How to visualize enterprise business processes as process menus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a user interface method for visualizing corporate business processes as a process menu, which not only intuitively shows the flow of process work to the user but also presents the number of work items to be processed, thereby further improving the usefulness of ERP solutions.
[Solution] A user interface 120 visualizes enterprise business processes in a computer system that supports enterprise resource planning (ERP) as process menus 121, 122, 123, 127, 128. By implementing the process menu screen in the ERP system, a user in charge of ERP work who is not a developer can easily create and modify business processes directly in the solution, and the user can easily execute events such as queries and inputs by clicking on the process menu.
[Selected figure] Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to corporate operations, and in particular to a user interface method for ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) refers to a type of software used by business organizations to carry out their daily business activities, including finance, accounting, logistics, project management, human resources, risk management and regulatory compliance. An ERP system, built by installing this software on a company's computer network system, bundles various business processes together and enables the flow of data between each process. Recently, ERP systems have played an important role in managing many businesses within all companies, and ERP is considered to be an essential element in corporate activities, just like the electricity that turns on the lights.

However, because various business processes carried out by companies are integrated into the ERP system, offline business activities are composed of various functions of the ERP system. In other words, the processes built in the ERP system are composed of numerous businesses and are very complicated compared to other application programs. In an attempt to simplify this complexity, conventional ERP systems vertically organize business processes. For example, from the perspective of the user interface, business processes are built in the ERP system in the form of a drop-down menu in which a submenu opens when a specific button is clicked, or in the form of a folder menu. As a result, users of the ERP system are unable to grasp at a glance the processes embodied in the menu.

An ERP solution is a system that integrates corporate operations, and by building an ERP solution, companies want to understand their own processes and see the processes that have been built at a glance. This is an essential need of most users of ERP solutions. Of course, even if you use a drop-down or folder-style menu, a user who has been experienced for many years may be able to use the functions designed in the ERP solution without any inconvenience. However, there are disadvantages in that it is very difficult to understand the work when the person in charge is changed, and it takes a long time to get used to the work and understand it.

The inventors of the present invention have conducted research and development for many years to solve these problems, and have now completed the present invention.

The object of the present invention is to turn the ERP solution menu itself into a process and configure a user interface, so that a company's operations can be grasped at a glance on the ERP solution screen. The inventors consider this to be a very important matter, because if the ERP solution user interface itself can provide an environment that allows users to easily understand the operations, then even if the person in charge of the operations is changed, the new person in charge will be able to grasp the new operations more quickly and accurately and demonstrate their abilities.

The task of improving the user interface may not be a big deal, since developers design and code based on that design. However, since business personnel do not code directly, ultimately there is a difference in interests and needs between developers and users. As a result, a limitation arises in that users cannot understand the business embodied in the solution unless they understand the developer's intentions. Another object of the present invention is to actively reflect the user's intentions, not the developer's coding intentions, in the user interface. In other words, when turning the menu of an ERP solution itself into a process, the present invention aims to provide a means for users to directly create or adjust the process to reflect their own intentions.

The present invention allows users to intuitively grasp the overall flow of work, dynamically understand the progress of the work they are doing (i.e., the context of the work), and freely edit the process. Meanwhile, other objects of the present invention that are not explicitly stated should be considered additionally within the scope that can be easily inferred from the detailed description below and its effects.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a user interface method for visualizing an enterprise business process as a process menu in a computer system supporting enterprise resource planning, comprising the steps of:
A step of a user terminal accessing the computer system and selecting a process module in which sequential tasks are preregistered from a major classification menu;
The method includes the steps of: in a process user interface corresponding to the process module, a menu icon having a hyperlink function for calling a query window or an input window is displayed as a process menu in a diagrammatic process connected with arrow nodes indicating business procedures, and a process menu for moving to another process module is displayed as a part of the diagrammatic process; and when a user terminal clicks on the process menu, the computer system executes any one of a query event, an input event, and an event for connecting other process modules, and a user interface corresponding to the event is displayed on a screen of the computer system.

In a user interface method for visualizing an enterprise business process as a process menu in a computer system supporting enterprise resource planning according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable to further include a step of displaying the number of unexecuted events as the number of unprocessed events in a numerical manner on or adjacent to the process menu if an event in the process menu that should be performed by the user terminal has not been executed.

It is also preferable that the method further includes a step in which a process menu editor is displayed simultaneously with the process user interface as a screen area independent of the process user interface, and a user terminal modifies the layout of the process menu in the process user interface.

According to the user interface method of the ERP system of the present invention, a "process menu" can be freely configured using PowerPoint, which is familiar to users. Therefore, since a deep understanding of the process menu editor is not required, the user can easily access it. Of course, it goes without saying that the process menu disclosed in this specification can be realized using other programs or tools other than editing with PowerPoint, so the features and advantages of the present invention are not limited to simply using PowerPoint (registered trademark). Meanwhile, it is added that even if the effects are not explicitly mentioned here, the effects and provisional effects described in the following specification that are expected from the technical features of the present invention are treated as described in the specification of the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram of a computer system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating high-level categories 101 of business operations provided by an ERP system 100 of the present invention. 1 is a diagram conceptually showing how process menus 121, 123, and 127 are visualized and provided on a business screen 100 of an ERP system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates a scenario of the process user interface 120 for order/shipment operations according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating examples of menu icons for visually distinguishing process menus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a process menu editor 150 as a web editor in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a process menu 123 displayed on a process user interface 120 in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a semiconductor device manufacturing method, and a semiconductor manufacturing method thereof.

In this invention, the term "process menu" appears. This is an icon that is process-based and has a menu function. For example, according to this invention, in a user interface corresponding to a business category selected from a large menu of an ERP solution, menu icons with a hyperlink function that calls up a query window or an input window are connected by arrow nodes that indicate the steps of the business. This allows a series of processes to be diagrammed. In other words, a process menu can dynamically show a process that is predefined or uploaded by the user.

The present invention departs from the traditional drop-down menu and filter menu format and configures the screen of the ERP system in the same flow as the company's actual work procedure manual. Preferably, the ERP system user, who is not a professional developer, can directly create and manage the work screen with a PPT file using PowerPoint (registered trademark) (plug-in). After uploading the created PPT file to the system, the process menu of the present invention, which can be easily used, is completed by simply specifying the icon area, etc. using a web editor.

The specific contents of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings showing the configuration of the present invention as an example. In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related publicly known functions will be omitted if they are obvious to a technician in this field and are deemed to be likely to obscure the gist of the present invention.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a computer system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

A computer system server 10 including one or more pieces of hardware and software equipment constitutes an ERP system 100. The computer system server 10 is composed of one or more servers including DBMS and MSSQL, and includes a backup server 11. Of course, data can be exchanged with an external server located in a network not shown via a communication network.

User terminals 1, 1 access the ERP system 100 via a network. A variety of devices such as personal computers, tablet PCs, and smartphones can be used as such terminals.

The ERP system 100 of the present invention provides the user with an intuitive and dynamic ERP system using a user interface method described below. Such an intuitive and dynamic user interface can be configured using a process menu editor 150. PowerPoint (registered trademark) made by Microsoft Corporation can be suitably used as the process menu editor 150. Although other presentation programs may be used, PowerPoint (registered trademark), which is widely used on the market, is useful from the viewpoint of versatility.

The computer system of the present invention includes multiple databases 15 that store various resources and data that enable the services provided by the ERP system 100.

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a higher-level category 101 of business operations provided by the ERP system 100 of the present invention. The business operations included in the category 101 are displayed on the screen of the ERP system 100 according to a predetermined rule. For example, it is as follows.
HR (Human Resources): Organization, general administration, employee benefits, etc.
LM (Labor Management): Attendance management, labor management, etc.
PM (Pay Management): Salary, social insurance, settlement, retroactive payment, retirement, etc.
Evaluation: Ability evaluation, performance evaluation, multi-faceted evaluation, comprehensive evaluation, etc.
Finance: Financial statements, documents, ledgers, financial statements, assets, etc.
Budget: Budget preparation, deadlines, budget control, carryover, etc.
Tax: Electronic tax invoice, VAT, etc.
Activities: Sales activities, lead management, field reports, sales results, etc.
Sales: Sales planning, unit price management, domestic sales, sales results, etc.
Exports: Export management, local conversion, export performance, etc.
Services: Customer registration, after-sales service reception processing, paid and free processing, etc.
Distribution: Inventory, other incoming and outgoing goods, consignment, etc.
Production: Production planning, CAPA, MRP, equipment, performance, etc.
Outsourcing: Outsourcing contract, outsourcing order, delivery, performance, etc.
Purchase: Purchase price, purchase request, purchase order, delivery, return, etc.
Import: Import management, local conversion, import performance, etc.
Materials: Material requests, issues, material returns, etc.
Quality: Quality standard information, purchasing, income, process, outsourcing, shipping inspection, etc.
SCM: Orders from partners, purchasing subcontractors, delivery management, etc.
Project: Contract, WBS, resource budget, progress rate, sales, etc.

As described above, among the business operations classified into the higher category 101, sequential operations are the processor modules of the present invention, and are embodied in the process user interface and process menu described below.

Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram showing how process menus 121, 123, and 127 are visualized and presented on the business screen 100 of an ERP system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

A main menu including process modules is displayed in the left column 105 of the user screen. If the user terminal selects order/shipment from among the process modules, then a process user interface 120 corresponding to the relevant processor module is displayed on the right side of the business screen 110. In other words, the left side is a list and the right side is the process user interface 120. The process user interface 120 is not set for all main menus. The process user interface 120 is set in advance only for sequential business.

The process user interface 120 includes arrow nodes 130 in which process menus 121, 123, 127 are displayed with different icons and indicate the steps of a business. In other words, the process user interface 120 integrates the menus and business processes by diagramming the process menus 121, 123, 127 connected by the arrow nodes 130. By clicking on the process menus 121, 123, 127, the user can inquire about, move to, or record a business that is predefined in the corresponding menu. The icons and identifiers used in the process user interface 120 are further described in FIG. 5.

In addition, a process menu editor 150 is displayed simultaneously with the process user interface 120 corresponding to the process module as a screen area independent of the process user interface 120. The user terminal can create a PPT file in PowerPoint format by defining the process menu, work procedures, etc., and can link and upload this PPT file to a computer system to generate and modify the process user interface. The process user interface created in this way requires fine adjustments such as the placement of the process menu on the screen. The user terminal can perform such operations using the process menu editor 150, which will be further described in FIG. 6.

FIG. 4 illustrates a scenario of the process user interface 120 for order/shipment operations according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Process menus 121, 123, 127, and 128 are connected by arrow nodes to visualize the business process.

Process menus can be classified into first process menus and second process menus. First process menus are menu icons connected by arrow nodes, and are indicated by 121, 123, 127, and 128. Second process menus are menu icons that are not connected by arrow nodes but that immediately execute a specific function, and are indicated by 121 and 125 in the upper left corner of the drawing.

Through this screen, users can intuitively understand order/shipping operations at a glance. Then, by clicking on the process menu, they can immediately call up or move to the desired operation screen.

Process menus can also be classified according to the type of subsequent events. Subsequent events include query events, input events, and events that connect to other process modules.

For process menus, it is preferable to display the name of the process menu at the bottom of the menu icon. However, it is difficult to display all the text in the drawings, so for convenience, the drawings show it with symbols. In an actual scenario, it is preferable to display it with text instead of symbols. The actual process menu names displayed instead of symbols are as follows. The part in parentheses is a brief explanation of the function given to the process menu.
(1): Quote input (an input event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user's device)
(2): Quote inquiry (an inquiry event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user's device)
(3): Order entry (the input event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user's terminal)
(4): Inquiry about ordered items (the inquiry event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user terminal)
(5): Order inquiry (the inquiry event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user's terminal)
(6): Order change registration (an input event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user's terminal)
(7): Shipping request input (the input event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user's terminal)
(8): Shipping request inquiry (the inquiry event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user terminal)
(9): Statement input (the input event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user terminal)
(10): Transaction statement input (unit price retrospective) (The input event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user terminal)
(11): Production request input (the input event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user terminal)
(12): Purchase request input (the input event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user's device)
(13): Input of consignment shipping request (The input event is executed by clicking the menu icon on the user terminal)
(14): Receiving orders from partner companies (clicking on a menu icon on the user's terminal executes an event that links to other process modules in the same major menu)
(15) Inspection management (clicking on a menu icon on the user terminal executes an event that links to a process module of a different major menu)
(16) Delegated management (clicking on a menu icon on a user terminal executes an event that links to a process module of a different major menu category)
(17) Purchase management (clicking on a menu icon on the user's terminal executes an event that links to a process module of a different major menu)
(18) Production management (clicking on a menu icon on the user's terminal executes an event that links to a process module of a different major menu)
(19): Shipping/Sales (Clicking on the menu icon on the user terminal executes an event that links to other process modules in the same major menu)

The user terminal uses a process menu editor to connect process menus with arrow nodes, and may add text 135 at this time. Text related to the inspection management process menu 127 and text related to the print icon 133 may also be added for this purpose.

Figure 5 shows examples of menu icons that visually distinguish process menus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The process menu 121 is a menu icon that allows the user terminal to directly input information when the user clicks on the corresponding menu icon.

Unlike process menu 121, process menu 122 is a menu icon that can execute an input event after jumping. In other words, it is a menu icon that is given the ability to jump and input using a characteristic button on the preceding screen. Therefore, unlike process menu 121, it is not possible to directly open an input screen.

The process menu 123 is a menu icon that opens a screen that executes an event that queries the target that should proceed to the next screen in the process flow.

Process menu 124 is a menu icon for displaying graphics, unlike process menu 123, which displays an object. It does not call up a screen for displaying general data, but rather a screen that can be displayed in an analyzable form, such as a chart or graph.

Process menu 125 calls up a query screen similar to process menu 123. However, it is not connected to other process menus by arrow nodes, i.e., it is a menu icon that calls up a screen that is not related to the process flow, and can execute an event to query the input information.

The process menu 126 is a menu icon that is provided with the ability to place data in a batch process. The screen can be opened directly in the process user interface. Through the process menu 126, an Excel form can be uploaded and processed for batch input, or a screen developed to facilitate batch processing by allowing bulk copy/paste can be called up.

Process menu 127 is a menu icon that is given the function of linking to process modules of other major menus, that is, moving to the process user interface of another major menu. In contrast, process menu 128 is a menu icon that is given the function of linking to other process modules of the same major menu. For example, "Order/Shipping" is classified as a sales process. However, the "Shipping/Sales" process is also predefined as a sales process. In this case, it is linked by process menu 128. However, "Production Management" and "Purchase Management" are preregistered as process modules belonging to other major categories. In this case, it is linked by process menu 127.

The solid arrow node 130 represents a process flow that must be processed, while the dotted arrow node 129 represents a process flow that may be processed selectively.

Preferably, after executing PowerPoint in which a PowerPoint plug-in function is pre-configured to generate the process user interface of the present invention, a process menu can be created (including modification, addition, and deletion) on the PowerPoint screen and linked with arrow nodes to create a PPT file. Then, the process user interface can be generated by linking to an ERP system. In this embodiment, PowerPoint that creates the PPT file to be uploaded to the ERP system becomes the process menu editor of the present invention. However, in the case of a web editor, a function for adjusting the layout of the icon area is provided. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a process menu editor 150 as a web editor in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The main configuration of the process menu editor 150 as a web editor in Figure 6 is as follows:

Upload 151 uploads a PPT image that will be used as the background for the process user interface.

Reset 152 can specify an area other than the background image where menu icons can be clicked. It can also rearrange the menu icon area designation.

Refresh 153 is a function that updates the screen to check the changed background, such as uploading, rearranging the menu icon area, etc.

. Save 154 is a function for saving the corresponding content after rearranging the menu icon area designation.

Templates 155 provides the ability to download PPT files that guide you through how to create a process user interface in PowerPoint.

PPT download 156 provides a PPT file that records pre-registered process menus and business procedures for business process logic related to order/shipment to the user terminal.

On the other hand, in the present invention, the process user interface 120 helps the user intuitively understand and grasp the overall flow of work related to the selected process module, and can even display the "work to be done." In other words, if an event that the user terminal should perform has not been performed, the number of unperformed events can be displayed.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a process menu 123 displayed on the process user interface 120 in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. For process menus 123 that can perform an order inquiry event, the number of unexecuted events can be displayed as a number 163 adjacent to the process menu 123 or above the process menu 123. In the case of Figure 7, the user should perform three order inquiry events. In other words, three orders have not been inquired about. When the user performs an inquiry event, the number 163 of the number of unexecuted events changes or disappears.

Not only for order inquiry events, but also for process menus such as quotation inquiry, order item inquiry, and shipping request inquiry, the number of pending items as described above can be displayed numerically.

Figure 8 shows a simplified overall process of a user interface method for visualizing enterprise business processes as process menus in a computer system supporting enterprise resource planning according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

First, the user terminal accesses the ERP system of the present invention and selects a process module in which sequential tasks are preregistered from a major classification menu (S110). For example, the order/shipment module can be selected.

The ERP system server then displays a process user interface corresponding to the selected process module (S120). As described above, this process user interface includes process menus and arrow nodes that define the business procedures of the process menus. The process menus are menu icons that have a query window, an input window, and a hyperlink function that calls other process modules. The arrow nodes link the process menus to show the business procedures. The process user interface diagrammed with such process menus and arrow nodes allows the user to intuitively grasp the flow of business.

Next, the input means of the user terminal selects a specific process menu, and then executes an event of a function assigned to that process menu (S130). In other words, when the user terminal clicks on a specific process menu, the ERP computer system displays a screen for executing one of a query event, an input event, and an event that links other process modules. The user executes the corresponding event on that screen.

Incidentally, in a computer system supporting enterprise resource planning according to one embodiment of the present invention, a user interface method for visualizing an enterprise business process as a process menu may be embodied in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. In addition, a computer-readable medium in which the above steps are embodied in the form of program instructions may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc., either alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and constructed for the present invention, or may be known and usable by those skilled in the art of computer software.

Examples of computer readable media may include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. Examples of program instructions include high-level language code that may be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like, as well as machine code such as that produced by a compiler. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

Meanwhile, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the description and expression of the embodiments explicitly described above. Various substitutions and modifications are possible within the scope of protection of the present invention. Furthermore, it is noted that the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited by obvious modifications or substitutions made in the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

By implementing the method of the present invention in an ERP system, a user in charge of ERP work, who is not a developer, can easily create and modify process menu screens directly using PowerPoint (plug-in). The created/modified process menu can then be immediately applied to the web screen.

The process menu of the present invention may immediately execute events such as inquiries and inputs on the user interface. In addition to intuitively showing the flow of process operations to the user, the number of operations to be processed can be presented, thereby further improving the usefulness of the ERP solution. Since the user can easily and freely edit processes, the know-how of the operations can be reflected more dynamically on the ERP screen when performing the operations, rather than the conventional static document format management.

Claims (3)

A user interface method for visualizing an enterprise business process as a process menu in a computer system supporting enterprise resource planning, comprising:
A step of a user terminal accessing the computer system and selecting a process module in which sequential tasks are preregistered from a major classification menu;
In a process user interface corresponding to the process module, a menu icon having a hyperlink function for calling a query window or an input window is displayed as a process menu in a diagrammatic process in which the menu icon is connected with an arrow node indicating a procedure of a business, and a process menu for moving to another process module is displayed as a part of the diagrammatic process;
when a user terminal clicks on the process menu, the computer system executes one of a query event, an input event, and an event linking other process modules, and a user interface corresponding to the event is displayed on a screen of the computer system. A user interface method for visualizing an enterprise business process as a process menu in a computer system that supports enterprise resource planning according to claim 1, further comprising a step of displaying the number of unexecuted events as a number of unprogressed events in a numerical manner on or adjacent to the process menu if an event in the process menu that should be performed by the user terminal has not been executed. a process menu editor is displayed simultaneously with the process user interface as a separate screen area from the process user interface;
2. The user interface method for visualizing an enterprise business process as a process menu in a computer system supporting enterprise resource planning according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: modifying a layout of the process menu of the process user interface by a user terminal.

Images