Policy based automation for a supply chain

1. A method for implementing a computer network system for managing a supply chain, the computer network system comprising a plurality of application server computers, the method comprising:

dividing areas of business activities into a plurality of business contexts;

identifying a business context for the supply chain from among the plurality of business contexts;

identifying a set of business policy rules for the business context of the supply chain with two or more entities involved in the supply chain;

governing the relationship between two or more entities for said business context of the supply chain in relation to said set of business policy rules;

creating a use-case description from the set of business policy rules;

creating a use-case model of the use-case description using a modeling language comprising a plurality of use-case model elements;

specifying a plurality of name/value pairs that model the set of business policy rules, wherein each of the plurality of name/value pairs is attached to a respective one or more of the plurality of use-case model elements;

creating, using the use-case model and the plurality of name/value pairs, a process specification that specifies a plurality of event-condition-action (ECA) items, wherein each of the plurality of ECA items is associated with a respective one or more of the plurality of name/value pairs;

creating a plurality of executable code modules corresponding to the use-case model and the process specification, each of the plurality of executable code modules comprising procedural code and corresponding to a respective one or more of the plurality of ECA items;

provisioning the plurality of application server computers of the computer network system with the executable code modules; and

provisioning a central directory database with the plurality of name/value pairs;

whereby the computer network system, in response to one or more events in business transactions between at least two entities involved in the supply chain that correspond to one of the plurality of ECA items is operable to dynamically deliver the respective one or more of the plurality of name/value pairs associated with the one of the plurality of ECA items and one of the plurality of executable code modules corresponding to the one of the plurality of ECA items from the central directory database and to execute the one of the plurality of executable code modules.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the business context is a context selected from the group comprising a purchase order context, a forecast context, a materials resource planning context, a manufacturing context, an inventory context, a shipping context, and a return material authorization (RMA) context.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of business policy rules is derived from a service level agreement, wherein the service level agreement defines an expected level of performance.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of ECA items is supported by one or more messages exchanged in the computer network system between the two or more entities in the supply chain.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein each message is formatted in extensible Markup Language (XML).

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating a state machine for managing a process flow involving at least one ECA item.

7. A method for implementing a computer network system for managing a supply chain, the computer network system comprising a plurality of application server computers, the method comprising:

dividing areas of business activities into a plurality of business contexts;

identifying a business context for the supply chain from among the plurality of business contexts;

governing the relationship between two or more entities for said business context of the supply chain in relation to a set of business policy rules derived from a service level agreement which defines an expected level of performance for the business context of the supply chain with two or more entities involved in the supply chain;

creating a use-case description from the set of business policy rules;

creating a use-case model of the use-case description using a modeling language comprising a plurality of use-case model elements;

specifying a plurality of name/value pairs that model the set of business policy rules, wherein each of the plurality of name/value pairs is attached to a respective one or more of the plurality of use-case model elements;

creating, using the use-case model and the plurality of name/value pairs, a process specification that specifies a plurality of event-condition-action (ECA) items, wherein the plurality of ECA items is associated with a respective one or more of the plurality of name/value pairs;

creating a plurality of executable code modules corresponding to the use-case model and the process specification, each of the plurality of executable code modules comprising procedural code and corresponding to a respective one or more of the plurality of ECA items;

provisioning the plurality of application server computers of the computer network system with the executable code modules; and

provisioning a central directory database with the plurality of name/value pairs;

whereby the computer network system, in response to one or more events in business transactions between at least two entities involved in the supply chain that correspond to one of the plurality of ECA items is operable to dynamically deliver the respective one or more of the plurality of name/value pairs associated with the one of the plurality of ECA items and one of the plurality of executable code modules corresponding to the one of the plurality of ECA items from the central directory database and to execute the one of the plurality of executable code modules.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the business context is a context selected from the group comprising a purchase order context, a forecast context, a materials resource planning context, a manufacturing context, an inventory context, a shipping context, and a return material authorization (RMA) context.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of ECA items is supported by one or more messages exchanged in the computer network system between the two or more entities in the supply chain.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein each message is formatted in eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising creating a state machine for managing a process flow involving at least one ECA item.

12. A method for implementing a computer network system for managing a supply chain, the computer network system comprising a plurality of application server computers, the method comprising:

dividing areas of business activities into a plurality of business contexts;

identifying a business context for the supply chain from among the plurality of business contexts;

identifying a set of business policy rules derived from a service level agreement which defines an expected level of performance for the business context, the set of business policy rules governing the relationship between multiple entities involved in the supply chain;

creating a use-case description from the set of business policy rules;

creating a use-case model of the use-case description using a modeling language comprising a plurality of use-case model elements;

specifying a plurality of name/value pairs that model the set of business policy rules, wherein each of the plurality of name/value pairs is attached to a respective one or more of the plurality of use-case model elements;

creating, using the use-case model and the plurality of name/value pairs, a process specification that specifies a plurality of event-condition-action (ECA) items, wherein each of the plurality of ECA items is associated with a respective one or more of the plurality of name/value pairs;

creating a plurality of executable code modules corresponding to the use-case model and the process specification, each of the plurality of executable code modules comprising procedural code and corresponding to a respective one or more of the plurality of ECA items;

provisioning the plurality of application server computers of the computer network system with the executable code modules; and

provisioning a central directory database with the plurality of name/value pairs;

whereby the computer network system, in response to one or more events in business transactions between at least two entities involved in the supply chain that correspond to one of the plurality of ECA items is operable to dynamically deliver the respective one or more of the plurality of name/value pairs associated with the one of the plurality of ECA items and one of the plurality of executable code modules corresponding to the one of the plurality of ECA items from the central directory database and to execute the one of the plurality of executable code modules.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the business context is a context selected from the group comprising a purchase order context, a forecast context, a materials resource planning context, a manufacturing context, an inventory context, a shipping context, and a return material authorization (RMA) context.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein each message is formatted in eXtensible Markup Language (XML).