Euroscript TripPlanner (xCP sample application)

Trip Management Sample Application xCelerator « TripPlanner »

euroscript Systems France

February 2011, v2

TripPlanner Sample Application xCelerator, February 2011

Agenda – TripPlanner xCelerator

Presentation of the TripPlanner sample application

Specific use case

Benefits of the xCP approach

Application preview

Conclusion

Releases

TripPlanner xCelerator Presentation

Why a Trip Management Sample Application?


Business Interests: Business travel expenses are one of the controllable costs and

any reduction can lead to a better profitability, Companies are always looking for some new ways to reduce

their travel costs while increasing the quality of service at the same time,

During the last decades, travel costs reduction has often been achieved with new Corporate travel policies and negotiation with third party travel agencies,

Organizations are now looking for solutions that improve their business process and offer a better service to their employees.

Technical Interests: The Management of travel requests is a Business process that

exists in every Company, It is a perfect example to show the benefits of xCP to easily

implement an application.

TripPlanner xCelerator Presentation

Our goals and objectives with the TripPlanner xCelerator:


We propose to share with the EMC Community our 15 years of experienced skills related to document and content management, as well as publishing,

We offer a new approach to manage PDF Forms,

We prove that applications based on xCP xCelerator can be user-friendly:

using new kind of devices: Blackberry, iPhone, iPad, etc.

interacting with modern and famous other technologies: Google Maps, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

We integrate xCelerators from the Community, maximizing the functional cover of the solution and minimizing the specific development,

To summarize, we want to show to our customers, partners & colleagues how an application can easily be implemented in

7 days using xCP.




Specific use case


Application preview

Conclusion

Releases

TripPlanner xCelerator

Let’s introduce the TripPlanner sample application:

One company

Three key employees


John SmithConsultant

Marion DupontAssistant

Mary DoeManager


6 steps have been modelized for the TripPlanner xCelerator

Step 1 – Trip request

Step 2 – Automatic analysis

Step 3 – Validation & request treatment

Step 4 – Automatic transformation & generation of a

Memo

Step 5 – User Trip Memo

Step 6 – Manager interfaceTripPlanner Sample Application xCelerator, February 2011


Step 1 – Trip request


John Smith is based in Paris and has to go to Las Vegas for the EMC World Convention.

John has 2 different ways to fulfill his request

1. Paper Form 2. Adobe PDF Form

(sent by email)


Step 2 – Automatic analysis


The request is automatically pre-analyzed by the application.

A module has been designed to get information from the Adobe PDF Forms in order to use it as process variables or metadata of the process package. For instance, the system is able to check long distance and/or extended trips before sending the request into an approval Workflow.

As the Business Trip is far from John’s country, his demand has to be validated by Mary Doe, his manager.

This Step can be easily modelized for every Corporate travel policies.

The technology used by "TripPlanner" application to read PDF Forms has been integrated in another xCelerator called “PDF Form Reader”

Reuse


Step 3 – Validation and request treatment


Mary Doe, John’s Manager, has to validate the trip.

Mary has received an email and can validate the trip by a Web application.


Step 3 – Validation and request treatment

Marion Dupont received an email / task to proceed to booking.

The web application allows Marion to enter all the information needed for the Trip Memo (vouchers, etc.) as well as the reporting activities (costs, etc.).


Step 4 – Automatic transformation & generation of a

MemoOnce the request has been validated and the booking done, the system generates an email to John Smith:

Body: HTML Memo with all the information needed step by step - reservation numbers, vouchers, maps, etc.

This email also includes a pre-generated link to publish automatically the travel on the employee’s personal social networks (facebook, twitter)

Attachment: a PDF version of the Memo (with detailed itineraries, vouchers and maps) as well as all iCalendar invitations (train, plane)

This email has been carefully designed to be readable on any device: laptop, iPhone, Blackberry, other SmartPhone, …. TripPlanner Sample Application xCelerator, February 2011


Step 5 – User Trip Memo

John Smith received an mail readable on any device

Dynamic HTML with direct links to

the step information

Attachments:

iCalendar invitations PDF version of the

Memo

Pre-generated link to publish on

facebook, twitter, etc.



Step 5 – User Trip Memo (bis)

John Smith received an mail readable on any device

Blackberry & iPhone views

PDF version (with itineraries, vouchers and

maps) TripPlanner Sample Application xCelerator, February 2011

TripPlanner Sample Application xCelerator, December 2010


Pre-filled status by clicking on pre-generated links

Step 5 – User Trip Memo (ter)

Pre-generated links to publish on Twitter, facebook, etc.

John Smith can inform his contacts on Twitter and Facebook



Step 6 – Manager interface

Mary Doe has direct access to the Business Activity Monitoring of her Company.

The new version (v2) of TripPlanner includes two dashboard designed to improve Manager’s life and optimize their time. Thanks to the BAM (Business Activity Monitoring), a strong focus can be made on the reporting functionalities. With a simple web access, a Manager is now able to follow the up-to-date travel planning and access to some useful reports.



Step 6 – Manager interface (bis)

For instance:

- Number of requests per user

- Average Time delay, in hours, for the treatment of a demand

- Number of demands validated by the direction last month

- ...


Ability to monitor process performance &

productivity


Step 6 – Manager interface (ter)

For instance:

- Average distance of the trips

- Average trip distance per user

- Total trips cost per user

- Days away from office per user and per year

- ...


Follow-up of TripPolicy KPIs




Specific use case


Application preview

Conclusion

Releases

TripPlanner xCelerator | Technical Presentation


Technical aspects

xCP TripPlanner is based on the following software and technologies:

xCP

• Content Server: documents storage, processes execution, etc.

• Forms Builder: design of the TaskSpace forms (trip organization for instance)

• Process Builder: design of the main process, plus 2 sub processes

• xCelerators from EDN Community

• Generate Number: automatic identification of the Trip objects

• xDQL xCelerator: serialization of the trip information in XML

• Deep Export: export maps images used for the generation of PDF memo

• TaskSpace: configuration of an Application, with some customized screens to validate requests, organize of the trip

• BAM: Business Activity Monitoring Captiva InputAccel and Dispatcher: to process paper-based trip requests

TripPlanner xCelerator | Technical Presentation


Technical aspects

xCP TripPlanner is based on the following software and technologies:

Other technologies

• Adobe PDF forms: electronic submission of the trip request, by email

• Google Maps API: generation of detailed itineraries, maps

• Social Networks: direct link to facebook, twitter from the trip memo send by email

• Additional Java libraries:

• FOP: generation of PDF memo with maps

• iText: data extraction from PDF Forms, PDF merging



Reusability advantagesThe "TripPlanner" follows the xCP philosophy and its technical design combines several xCelerator from the Community :

xDQL xCelerator (https://community.emc.com/docs/DOC-8174)

Deep Export and Generate Number (https://community.emc.com/docs/DOC-7268)

PDF Form Reader (https://community.emc.com/docs/DOC-9863)

The technology used by "TripPlanner" application to read PDF Forms has been integrated in another xCelerator developed by euroscript and called “PDF Form Reader” (https://community.emc.com/docs/DOC-9863).

The solution also uses reusable design patterns from applications developed by euroscript (Google APIs, PDF merging).

Such a solution can be very easily deployed to any company in few days. The global process is adaptable to every organization’s travel policies by simple configuration.

https://community.emc.com/docs/DOC-8174





TripPlanner xCelerator - Estimated gains

Estimated gains The company has a direct control on its Corporate travel policies and their

application. Moreover, all demands and validations can be traced.

Employees do not lose time to prepare their Trip. They know that all information needed during their Business travel is on the Trip Memo.

Approval time is reduced, since the manager has access to a single work queue with all trip requests to be validated, with optional email notification.

Less paper, more electronic submissions. The Assistant can focus on reservations rather filing paper forms.

Management has a direct access to the Business travel expenses & reporting.

Tasks Initial delay New delay with xCP

Trip request by the employee 15 min 10 min

Paper forms management by the Assistant (validation, filing, etc)

3 hours 2 hours

If needed, validation by a Manager 1 - 3 days 1 day

Bookings 1 day 1 day

Reporting of travel costs by the Assistant 15 min2 min

(fully integrated in the screen dedicated to trip

organization)

Update of the “travel planning” (with trips of all the employees of the department) by the Assistant

5 min0 min

(automatic)

Time usually consumed by the traveler- To prepare his trip (localization, itineraries, etc.)- To print different elements (vouchers, etc.)

30 - 60 min3 min

(printing of a single memo, with all

information)


TripPlanner xCelerator - Estimated gains

Delay between a Trip request and the booking reduced by 50% (at least)




Specific use case


Application preview

Conclusion

Releases



Captiva InputAccel Scan Plus

User Interface

TripPlanner xCelerator – Processes Overview


The “TripPlanner” process

The “TripPlanner” process template is the main process. It manages the inbound channels, the data extraction from the PDF Form, the identification and storage of the trip object, and then triggers 2 sub processes:• “Processing Trip Request”• “Send Trip Memo”



“Processing Trip Request” process

The “Processing Trip Request” process template includes 2 manual activities: • the manager approval (only

for long trips, according to an automatic preliminary evaluation, based on the distance and duration),

• the organization of the trip by the assistant.

Then, many automatic activities are in charge of the retrieval of additional information (itinerary maps, location maps, detailed itineraries) and generation of the trip memo (HTML and PDF formats).



“Send Trip Memo” ProcessThe “Send Trip Memo” process template is fully automatic. It generates iCalendar events (reminders) for trip steps by Train or Plane, and finally sends the trip memo (HTML body, PDF memo and iCalendar events in attachment)




Specific use case


Application preview

Conclusion

Releases

Workload for TripPlanner v1 Men.days

[Analysis] Study of the EMC-Documentum xCP Best Practices Guide and the reusable xCelerator

1

[Analysis] Brainstorming & Design of the sample application 1

[Build] Installation of the different software 1

[Build] Integration with Captiva & process implementation 2

[Build] Specific Development, including the first version of the “PDF Form Reader xCelerator”

3

[Build] Reuse and modification of design patterns 1

[Implementation] Process Builder 4

[Implementation] Form Builder 3

[Implementation] Integration of the different components 1

[Implementation] Testing and fixing bugs 1

[Marketing] Demo Scenario & associated tests 1

[Marketing] Installation Guide & Marketing PowerPoint 1

TOTAL MEN.DAYS 20


TripPlanner xCelerator - Estimated Workload

Workload for TripPlanner v2 Men.days

[Implementation] BAM 2

[Marketing] Installation Guide & Marketing PowerPoint 2

TOTAL MEN.DAYS 4


TripPlanner xCelerator - Estimated Workload

TripPlanner xCelerator - Conclusion

Thanks to the TripPlanner xCelerator:


Employees can travel with a complete Memo readable from any device

Processing time of every Trip request is reduced by 50%

Managers can have a direct access to the system to validate request and to follow-up the Corporate Travel Expenses

Such an application has been designed, built and implemented in few days using xCP.

The global process is adaptable to every organization’s travel policies by simple configuration.




Specific use case


Application preview

Conclusion

Releases

TripPlanner xCelerator - Releases



This last version (v2) has been released on February 2011

It includes:

– new functionalities such as reports & Business Activity Monitoring

– detailed documentation & user manual

PDF Form Reader xCelerator First version released on February 2011 (

https://community.emc.com/docs/DOC-9863)

This xCelerator is designed to get information from an Adobe PDF Form in order to use it as process variables or metadata of the process package


Questions


Support information

The TripPlanner Sample Application xCP xCelerator is not supported by EMC.

It is supported by euroscript International (http://www.euroscript.com).

Contacts

Please feel free to contact us for any question:

• Julien Fontaine, Consultant, [email protected] • Benoit Mittau, Project Leader, [email protected] • Wilhelm Peraud, Developer, [email protected]

http://www.euroscript.com/

mailto:[email protected]



Thank you for your attention.

Technology

Euroscript TripPlanner (xCP sample application)