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Strategic Objectives Engine

Version: 1.0 Date: September 8, 2025 Status: Draft

1. Feature Name​

Strategic Objectives Engine

2. Objective & Purpose​

To ingest, interpret, and operationalize a company's annual corporate objectives, providing a real-time "strategic compass" for all S&OP decisions. This engine aims to ensure S&OP planning is directly aligned with overarching corporate goals.

3. Key Components/Modules​

  • Backend Service (StrategicObjectivesService.js): Manages objective ingestion, storage, impact calculation, and alignment scoring.
  • Frontend UI (ObjectivesAdminPage.js, GoalAlignmentIndicator.js): Provides interfaces for admins to define objectives and for S&OP participants to view real-time alignment.
  • AI Integration: Leverages LLM (Gemini) for intelligent document parsing and objective extraction.
  • Data Storage: Stores objective library, defined corporate objectives, and their weights.
  • Integration with Scenario Modeling: Connects with existing scenario modeling capabilities to calculate impact.

4. Detailed Functional Specifications​

4.1. Objective Library​

  • Pre-configured Objectives: A static or configurable library of common corporate objectives (e.g., Increase EBITDA Margin, Improve Inventory Turns, Achieve On-Time In-Full).
  • Mapping to S&OP Data Elements: Each objective is mapped to relevant S&OP data elements (measures, dimensions) managed by ChainAlign.

4.2. Annual Objectives Ingestion Process (Admin Backend)​

  • Access: Accessible via ObjectivesAdminPage.js in the Admin Backend.
  • Method A: Intelligent Document Parsing (Unstructured)
    • Input: Admin uploads source documents (PowerPoint, Word, PDF, pasted text from email/CEO message).
    • LLM Extraction: StrategicObjectivesService.js uses Gemini (via AIManager.js) to:
      • Read the document.
      • Extract key objectives, target values (e.g., X%, $Y, X days), and timeframes.
      • Recognize common objective phrases.
    • Review & Confirmation: System presents extracted parameters to the admin for review, editing, and confirmation before saving.
  • Method B: Structured Input
    • Input: Admin manually selects objectives from the pre-configured "Objective Library."
    • Parameter Input: Admin inputs specific target values for the year.
    • Weighting: Admin assigns a relative weighting to each objective (e.g., 60% weight for Profitability, 40% for Working Capital).

4.3. Goal Alignment Indicator (User-Facing Feature)​

  • Placement: Non-intrusive UI element (GoalAlignmentIndicator.js) on Reconciliation Workbench and Strategic Decision "Live Slide."
  • Real-time Calculation:
    • Backend (StrategicObjectivesService.js) maintains active, weighted corporate objectives.
    • When a user models a scenario (e.g., "increase safety stock"), the system calculates the impact on underlying S&OP metrics (e.g., Inventory_Value, Service_Level, COGS).
    • The engine scores these impacts against the weighted corporate objectives.
  • Visual Indicator:
    • Displays a simple, dynamic "Goal Alignment Score" (e.g., "Corporate Goal Alignment: 65%").
    • Provides a breakdown of impact per objective (e.g., "✅ Strongly Helps: Improve Service Level", "⚠️ Deters from: Lower Working Capital", "🔻 Strongly Deters from: Increase EBITDA Margin").

4.4. Visibility Control (Admin Backend)​

  • Granular Control: Admin has control over the visibility of the "Goal Alignment Indicator" feature.
  • Options: "Executives Only," "All S&OP Participants," or "Disable Entirely."

5. Data Model Considerations​

  • corporate_objectives table: Stores defined objectives (ID, name, description, target_value, timeframe, weight, status, created_by, created_at).
  • objective_mappings table: Maps objectives to S&OP data elements.
  • Integration with existing data: Leverages S&OP metrics, scenario data, and potentially AIManager.js for document parsing.

6. UI/UX Considerations​

  • Admin Interface: Intuitive forms for objective ingestion (both structured and unstructured methods).
  • Goal Alignment Indicator: Non-intrusive, clear, and concise visual feedback.
  • Responsive Design: Accessible on various devices.

7. Dependencies​

  • Backend: Node.js, Express.js, PostgreSQL.
  • Frontend: React.js, existing UI components.
  • AI Services: AIManager.js (for LLM interaction, especially for document parsing).
  • Scenario Modeling Engine: Requires its output to calculate impact.

8. Testing Considerations​

  • Unit tests for StrategicObjectivesService.js (objective extraction, scoring logic).
  • Unit tests for ObjectivesAdminPage.js and GoalAlignmentIndicator.js components.
  • Integration tests for end-to-end objective ingestion and alignment calculation.
  • End-to-end tests simulating admin and participant flows.