Dell Buyer Recommendation Engine. This helps the buyer/Procurement leader to a decision on choosing the vendor.

1. BUYER RECOMMENDATION ENGINE
(FOR BULK EXPENSE PARTS)
1. Introduction
A recommendation enginefortheLeadersofGCMs& buyer, which
helpsto takea decisionon whichvendorto choose.Based on various
key indicatorslikesavings,spent,current &previouscostperpart,
buying rateandquality.
1.1Scope of Project
1. Serve asanalytical,predictive,consultativebusinessdashboard
2. Facilitate leadership review and decision making
3. Optimize commoditypricing and bettermanagerisk
4. Manifestashealth/progress/trend indicatorsof KPIs
1.2 Value add to Dell
1. Expected to facilitate decision making with all data pointsat oneshot
2. Proactiveapproach instead of reactiveapproach
3. Timely decision making based on predictiveinputs
4. Datadriven optionsgeneration ratherthan subjectiveapproach
1.3 Project planning and execution
Below is the projectplanning and executing dashboard.
Tasks Duration Who
April June
07 14 21 28 04 11
Intake raised by the Business
(buyer team Arun Prakash) 4 Days Arun
Analyzing the requirement and
scaling the project 2 Days Balaji
Checking the existing data
sources 3 Days Balaji
Choosing the project
infrastructure and evaluating
customer usability 2 days Balaji
Discovering the data from
sources to match the business
requirement and completing
initial level of validation 5 days Balaji & Arun

2. Building skeletal dashboard to
show case the numbers 2 days
Customer validation, by setting
up calls to validate numbers if it
matches the any legacy report
numbers 1 day Arun, Brio & Ajay
Phase 1 completion and demo
with business 1 day Balaji, Arun & Ajay
User input interface building,
getting input from buyer
(example: for each active part
who is the tier 1 supplier, tier 2
supplier and manufacturing cost) 3 days Balaji
Validating the input method if it
is working fine from customer
end (buyers team Arun Prakash) 0.5 day Arun and Balaji
End User signoff and
implementation on extended
region. 7 days
Validating to the larger set of
team and finishing 7 days
2. User input interface planning and executing explanation
Here is the solution that PAGhad introduced to simplify getting the buyerinputinformation to thebulk
expensebuyerrecommendation tableaudashboard.
2.1 Problem statement
Each and every buyerwho is a GSM or onewho worksfora GSM, will haveto modify information like
primary and secondary supplierforevery partfrequently in the Tableau dashboard.
As Buyersmightnotbe having Tableau softwareortechnicalknowledgethey need a plug and play
softwaresetup to feed their inputsinto SQL data baseserver.
2.2 Solution Implemented
We had created a simplified input interfacein sharepoint.
Where buyercan retrieve and modify theinformation fromsqldata baseserverthatwill immediately
reflect the modification in Tableau dashboard.

3. 2.3 Accessing Input Interface
1. Usethe belowlink to open thesharepointlink.
a. https://opsandcs.one.dell.com/sites/OPS_COE_SHAREPOINT/Shared%20Documents/For
ms/AllItems.aspx?RootFolder=%2Fsites%2FOPS%5FCOE%5FSHAREPOINT%2FShared%20
Documents%2FCostGoodness&FolderCTID=0x0120005449CB4DA9A3A942BE9DEE87FB0
6C2FF&View=%7B0E74DD8B%2D739C%2D46CF%2DAE0D%2DC963B219E7AE%7D
2. For the first time useplease download,“ExtractMeAndRunOnLocalMachinenew”using the
abovelink
a. Once if it is downloaded pleaseextractitto yourlocal machine
b. Then run the registry file by justdoubleclicking the same.
c. This will help ussetup the connectivity to the databaseserverfromyourmachine.
d. Userdoes nothaveto do this every time, justfor thefirst time it will be necessary.
3. Then click on 3 dotsnextto file “Buyer Input”and then click on edit.
4. Once if it is opened,
a. Click on enableprompton the top of theexcel file if there is any
b. Usercan makenecessary changesbased on hisCCN and partnumber
c. Once heis donehe can click on “Upload Information to Server”button to upload the
information.Thedatashould getuploaded in seconds.
i. Notethatthis option is
d. Once if the information isuploaded,the modified data will immediatestartreflecting on
the tableau dashboardand also the“Uploaded Data”sheetin sameexcel.
i. Tableau Dash board
5. If the user wantto clean all the information thatisthere in the server,he can usethe clean slate
protocolbutton and enterthe password “123”.
a. But this will clean every buyerinformation availablein the data server,so onewho is
performing thisshould becareful.
3. Project Story Board snapshot and explanation
The story script by which the businesswill takeactions areas explained.
1. Tab1… Businesswill fist see SavingsvsSpentmadeatquarteron quarter.

4. 2. Tab2… Where ever the spending ishigh, business will thefocusto action to impactoperation
expenditure.
3. Tab3… Businesscan see which expensivecommodity is causing thisissue
4. Tab4… Which commodityis helping ussaving cost
5. Tab5… Which buyeris responsibleto take actions
6. Tab6… Which item buyeris supposed to action on
7. Tab7… As an action item which vendorto chooseforgetting a better deal
8. Tab8… and Tab9… in detail view of geo and buyerlevel information.
RecommendedProcessFlowtothe Business
3.1 Introduction
This tab ofthe dashboardexplainsthescope andvisionof the project.
Take a
decision
Looking at
Vedor
recommen
dations
Visulize
cost impact
(Butterfly
view)
See Buyer’s
performan
ce metric
view
Deep dive
at
commodit
Level
Compare
Saving Vs.
Spent

5. 3.2 Saved VS SpentChart View
It is very importantforthebusinessto know quarteron quarterhow much is thespentand savingsmade
at every region.This view explainsthe sameon single glance and maketheviewers understand the
details.Green barsare thesaving madeand red barsare the expenditure,each and every quarter’s
numbersarestacked so thatthe performancecould bevisualized.
A Quicksnapshot

6. 3.3 CommoditylevelSpent
This view helpsto visualize theGlovia commodity level savingsmadeon each and every quarter.On the
left, quarteron quartersavingsmadeata differentGlovia commodity levelis shown.And thesameata
drilled down level is shown on theright.
A Quicksnapshot

7. 3.4 CommoditylevelSavings
This view helpsto visualize theGlovia commodity level savings madeon each and every quarter.On the
left, quarteron quartersavingsmadeata differentGlovia commodity levelis shown.And thesameata
drilled down level is shown on theright.
A Quicksnapshot

8. 3.5 Buyer’sLollypop (Biggerand Greenercandiesare liked by business)
Lollypop view visualizesthe buyerto buyerperformanceon variouscommodity level.
Quick noteson understanding view:
1. Taller/Bigger the candy showsthattheorderplaced by buyeris huge.
2. Dark Greener the candy saysthatthebuyerwasable to savemore
3. In thebelow exampleHDW is the commodity and it hasbeen boughtby 2 buyers
a. Buyer1: Arun,who havebought60Kof HDW in qty
i. Was ableto save$180
b. Buyer2: Lisha,who haveboughtthesamecommodity butwasableto saveonly 1/3 of
whatArun had saved.(6Kis the order qty and saving thatis madeis $6, which is 1:1000
and Arun wasable to save at1:2000) which calls outis a hugesaving by Arun visually.
A quickover view

9. 3.6 Cost Butterfly(Part level previouscost vs current cost)
The butterfly viewvisualizes thepreviouscost,current cost,saving/inflation in cost,buying velocity,cost
impactpercentagein a single shot.
1. To putit morein an artistically way
1.2 Bigger the butterfly wing which alwayson top,significantcostis puton procuring thatpart.
1.3 Left side wing showsthepreviouscostof theitem number
1.4 Right side wing showsthecurrentcost of the sameitem number
1.5 Saving/inflation on thatitemis shown atthe end of rightflag.
1.6 More dark bluerthe leftwing –more quantityordered
1.7 Greenerthe rightwingmore savingandred isthe opposite.
To understandwithandexample,itemnumberinbelow diagram0M4RY the previousprice (leftwing)
$11.5568 and currentprice is $11.1468. Savingmade are $0.4100 perunit.Andsince itis the firstitem
inthe wingitisthe mostcostlyitem.
Itemnumber5x22p the right wingisredwhichmeansthe price has gone highcomparedto previous
offering.Andalsothe demand/volumeof orderfromusis more for the same vendorI0001 so isa clear
recommendationmade byDGA tobuyerto pitchin fora betterdeal withthe vendor.
A Quicksnapshot

10. 3.7 VendorRecommendation
This view is to help the buyerto pitch in for a new quoteto thelocal supplierbased on the offering made
forthe samepart ata differentgeo and differentvendor.Justin caseif thebuyerwasable to makea win
by negotiating on price for thesebulk expenseparttheimpact will bea significantas thecost lies asthe
multiplication factor.
Here in the belowexamplethepart number“XNOWP”which belongsto Documentcommodity hasbeen
boughtby two differentbuyerArun and Jane.Both belong to differentregion,if we havea quick lookat
the blue circle on the belowscreenshot,it is a clear recommendation to Janeto pitch in for a betterdeal
to MentorMedia or Yamagatawho aresuppliersatM10000.
The otherproactiveway to savecost could be asking Arun (who hasa better dealfor samepart) to buy
moreof thatpartif it is in demand atotherregions.And then ship the sameusing MMR (material
movementrequest) accounting thelead timeas a factor.Averagecostper1000 Kg of partsto get
shipped frompointA to point B globally is $250. Which is way to cheaper compared to the amountof
money spentatthe local vendor.
A Quicksnapshot

11. 3.8 Geo Detailview
This view speakin detail on each and every bulk expensepartwhen it wasbought,with respective
geologicalsplit. As an affinityinformation to thatbelow is the list of information showcased.
1. Bulk ExpensePartnumber
2. Delivered date
3. Currentprice of the partincluding service and taxes
4. Previousprice of the partincluding service and taxes
5. Per unit saving/extra spentmade
6. Percentageof Price difference, comparing to currentprice and previousprice
7. Received quantityon thatspecific day
8. Total savingsmadeasper thatsavingsprojected
A Quicksnapshot

12. 3.9 Buyer DetailView
This view speakin detail on each and every bulk expensepart justlike the geo view, butit speaksata
buyerlevel. The rest of theaffinityinformation on partslevel remainsthe same.
A Quicksnapshot
4. Conclusion and immediate business actions
As businesslookedinto the dashboard,the firsteye catchingdollarsavingwasmade on a part xn0wp
as per the diagramshowninvendor recommendationsnapshot.Businesswasquiet surprisedthat the
part is actuallymanufacturedandimportedfrom Chinato India.Still Indiacurrently payinga very less
price where asChinahas been payinga very high cost.This further steps taken by businesswas to
investigation andpitchin fora better deal to Chinavendor to improvethe operational costefficiency.
Businesswill further have the opportunity totake datadriven decisionproactivelythanbeing reactive
at the numbers.Buyer can now focuson their 3 mainmetrics (Zero shortage,Cost per unit and
Quality).
4.1 Further scope on phase 2
We wouldlike to take feedback acrossglobal GCMsandbuyers to bring inmore valuable
insights,toenhance and improvecustomer experience to businesson behalfofPAG 2.0.
Planningtoincorporatedemand forecastof volumeapproved by financeteam (Hyperion
numbers) into the dashboard.