Scope - Sensorica/valuenetwork GitHub Wiki

This page is work-in-process to describe the intended scope of the valuenetwork software project.

You could compare it to an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system except that it is not for enterprises nor is it focused on planning.

Or you could compare it to an SCM (supply chain management system) except that it is not really focused on management, either.

But the intended scope is comparable in ambitiousness to both of those systems. In other words, huge.

The software intends to be a "system of record" for a value network. "System of record" in this case means "providing all of the information required to produce, use, exchange and share value" and "a value network" is defined only by the participants. Could be small, could be large. Could be simple or complex. Could have different rules, although an emerging definition of "open value network" would constrain the rules so that, for example, a closed-source group that exploits its contributors would not apply.

"All of the information" includes:

• Definitions and standards for resources, events and agents. (See Concepts)
• The rules of the network.
• Plans for producing, using, exchanging and sharing value.
• Events that produce, use, exchange and share value.
• Contributions from individual network members of work and resources.
• Distribution of income to contributors according to a "value equation".

In terms of customary business system modules, the scope will include:

• Bills of material and routings (combined into Recipes).
• Customer and R&D (internal) orders and generation of dependent demands (similar to MRP and CRP).
• Research and Development processes with lab notes.
• Production schedules, including all resource requirements.
• Inventory in a large sense, including tracking resources like designs and ideas.
• Small-batch manufacturing. (If a network grows to where they need high volume production, all bets are off. But it will be a good problem to have.)
• Logging of work time and resource production and use.
• Purchasing and Receiving.
• Shipping.
• Accounting, both conventional and unconventional.
• Economic analysis.
• Simulation.

We also intend the scope to extend to Internet-scale, not by making this software that large, but by developing a protocol by which different networks, using the same or different software, can interchange information and values.

We also plan an API whereby other systems or methods of posting or receiving information can be connected to the Core of the software. This should allow people to use or develop other interfaces that still maintain the core of a system of record.

For example, we intend through protocol and API to allow people to interact with the system of record through email or a command line or text messages, as well as other methods.

Not part of the scope

(At least at this stage)

• E-commerce (a customer order taking system). SENSORICA, for example, will develop a separate e-commerce system and it will send orders to the valuenetwork system via an API.
• CRM
• Payments

Any such systems that are readily available as open-source software and would work for a value network are probably not worth developing inside the valuenetwork software, but should be integrated via an API. (But making the results available to the system of record as required.)