[wsia][wsia-req] "smartBuyer" e-procurement business scenario

["Timothy N. Jones" <tim@crossweave.com>]

Attached please find the "smartBuyer" e-procurement business scenario for
consideration.  Both the HTML and Word formats are included, as the Word
template did not convert so well to HTML.

The agenda for Friday's telecon includes review of the "PC Memory
configurator" scenario, which I don't believe has been posted to the list.
Could we get this posted before Friday so we have time to look it over?

Regards,

Timothy N. Jones, Ph.D.
CrossWeave, Inc.
tim@crossweave.com
+1 (510) 986-5459 (voice)
+1 (510) 986-5455 (fax)
http://www.crossweave.com/

WSIA Scenario - smartBuyer.DOC

Title: WSIA Scenario: smartBuyer

Requirements Document

WSIA Scenario: smartBuyer

 

Version 1.0

 

Revision History

Date	Version	Description	Author
30 Jan 2002	1.0	Initial draft	Timothy N. Jones

 

Table of Contents

1.       smartBuyer         1

1.1     Description      1

2.       Participants         1

2.1     Product Supplier      1

2.1.1         Role            1

2.1.2         Relationships            1

2.1.3         Business Objectives            1

2.1.4         Solution Requirements            1

2.2     Buying Organization      2

2.2.1         Role            2

2.2.2         Relationships            2

2.2.3         Business Objectives            2

2.2.4         Solution Requirements            2

3.       Proposed Glossary Terms         3

4.       References         3

WSIA Scenario: smartBuyer

1.               smartBuyer

1.1             Description

Product suppliers sell goods over the Internet through sell-side e-commerce applications.  Buying organizations purchase goods over the Internet through buy-side e-procurement applications.  The smartBuyer scenario focuses on an e-procurement application of the same name, through which members of a buying organization purchase goods from multiple suppliers.

2.               Participants

2.1             Product Supplier

2.1.1        Role

The product supplier sells goods over the Internet using a sell-side e-commerce application, which maintains all data and logic regarding product characteristics, configuration, pricing, and availability.

2.1.2        Relationships

The buying organization establishes a purchasing relationship with the product supplier in which terms of the relationship such as payment mechanism or credit line are established.  The means of establishing this relationship are outside the scope of this scenario, and may be assumed to take place through human-human negotiation.  Once the relationship is established, the buying organization is provided with login credentials allowing its members to access the product supplier’s sell-side application.

Each product supplier has relationships with multiple buying organizations.  Product suppliers do not interact with one another.

2.1.3        Business Objectives

The product supplier uses its e-commerce application as a low-cost, self-service sales channel, allowing members of buying organizations to identify, purchase, and track goods themselves without the assistance of the product supplier’s staff.  If the product supplier’s e-commerce application contains advanced features (such as recommendation-based browsing), it may be used as a competitive weapon by providing a more pleasant or efficient experience to the buying organization than those of other product suppliers.  The product supplier also uses the e-commerce application as a management tool to support marketing and operations functions internally.

2.1.4        Solution Requirements

2.1.4.1    Functionality

The product supplier’s existing e-commerce application supports the following functionality:

·        Catalog browsing

·        Product searching

·        Product availability

·        Shopping cart (session-based, non-persistent)

·        Order placement

·        Order tracking

2.1.4.2    Usability

The e-commerce application expects to interact with a user via a browser

2.1.4.3    Reliability

N/A

2.1.4.4    Performance

N/A

2.1.4.5    Supportability

N/A

2.1.4.6    Constraints

The product supplier may be willing to modify its e-commerce application once to support an e-procurement or other relevant standard, but it must not be required to modify its application for each type of e-procurement application or buying organization.  The e-commerce application looks and behaves the same for all buyers.

2.2             Buying Organization

2.2.1        Role

The buying organization purchases goods from product suppliers over the Internet using a buy-side e-procurement application, which maintains all data and logic about which members may purchase which products from which suppliers.

2.2.2        Relationships

The buying organization establishes, off-line, a purchasing relationship with the product supplier enabling its members to access the product supplier’s e-commerce application.

The buying organization has relationships with multiple product suppliers.  Buying organizations do not interact with other buying organizations.

2.2.3        Business Objectives

The buying organization wishes to integrate its product suppliers into its e-procurement application to fully automate the requisition process.  It needs to add its own approval workflow around the e-commerce application, yet allow its members to purchase goods for themselves without going through a central purchasing department.  The buying organization also needs aggregate functionality including the ability to search for the lowest price on a product across all product suppliers.

2.2.4        Solution Requirements

2.2.4.1    Functionality

·        Single sign-on into e-procurement application and across all product suppliers’ e-commerce applications

·        Browse individual product suppliers’ catalogs using their native look-and-feel

·        Search across all product suppliers for specific items, presenting results in unified format

·        Prevent prohibited items from being purchased, and suggest alternative items to user (e.g., to support preferred product suppliers for specific products)

·        Persistent requisitions – user interactions which add items to product suppliers’ shopping carts are intercepted and items are instead inserted into e-procurement application requisition; user may build up a requisition over multiple browser sessions; when complete, the application executes the requisition by filling product suppliers’ session-based shopping carts and submitting order

·        Approval – requisitions may not be executed immediately, but may have to wait for approval by a supervisor

·        Real-time pricing and availability updates – application automatically polls product suppliers’ e-commerce applications for pricing and availability updates throughout the procurement process

·        Real-time order status updates – application periodically polls product suppliers’ e-commerce applications to support notification of order status changes

2.2.4.2    Usability

Users of the e-procurement application interact directly with it using a browser for non-product supplier-specific functions such as searching.  For product supplier-specific catalog browsing, users interact with the product supplier e-commerce application from within the e-procurement application.

2.2.4.3    Reliability

The e-procurement application can compensate for certain temporary failures of product supplier e-commerce applications.  If a requisition requires order placement through a product supplier whose e-commerce application is down, the e-procurement application can queue the order until the product supplier’s application becomes available.

2.2.4.4    Performance

N/A

2.2.4.5    Supportability

N/A

2.2.4.6    Constraints

The e-procurement application must not be required to replicate any data or logic from the e-commerce applications of its product suppliers.  Any changes to product information or the purchasing process at a product supplier are automatically passed through to the e-procurement application and its users.

The e-procurement application must be able to access specific features from within product suppliers’ overall e-commerce applications to support certain procurement functionality such as price comparisons.

3.               Proposed Glossary Terms

N/A

4.               References

N/A