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Decision analysis is a general phrase describing the
broad application of modeling and simulation techniques
for improving decision-making. Vanguard's decision
support system software makes it possible for you to
apply decision analysis techniques throughout your
organization to problems ranging from simple projects to
enterprise-wide strategic plans.
Unifying People, Analytics, and Systems
The Vanguard System™ is a comprehensive business
solution for improving the quality, reliability, and
speed of management decisions. It does this by helping
you Collaborate with colleagues
on important plans, Analyze alternatives
using state-of-the-art modeling and simulation
techniques, Automate routine
decisions using expert system technology, and Improve
overall management effectiveness by adding
structure to a normally chaotic process.
Business improvement is all about working smarter.
Vanguard brings together the people, analytics, and
systems required to help your business operate
intelligently.
Collaborate
The knowledge your business needs to make decisions
effectively is divided between individuals who are spread
throughout your organization. The Vanguard System frees
you from having to rely on the analysis of a single
planner with second-hand knowledge of critical
operations. Instead, Vanguard directly involves key
individuals in a collaborative planning process.
Vanguard's collaboration abilities go well beyond
simple communication strategies like Web conferencing.
Rather, Vanguard is based on principles of knowledge
capture. Individuals throughout your organization use our
innovative model-based approach to describe to the
Vanguard System how they make decisions or perform
particular tasks. In doing this, users capture knowledge,
or know-how, that is specific to your business. The
Vanguard System can combine the knowledge captured by
many individuals to create a Collective Intelligence
that is useful for testing business plans and automating
routine operations.
Analyze
Vanguard's powerful modeling and simulation technology
allows you to test business alternatives in a virtual
world where mistakes are inexpensive. Instead of helping
you know only what happens, Vanguard will help
you understand why. What's more, Vanguard can
help you anticipate future risks and opportunities so
that you can act rather than react.
Vanguard combines all of the most powerful and
essential quantitative methods in management with
features of spreadsheets, artificial intelligence tools,
and math applications to produce an advanced business
modeling system. Vanguard's specific capabilities
include:
- Forecasting: extrapolating
historical performance data to aid in planning.
- Monte Carlo Simulation: modeling
uncertainty to help manage business risk and
simulate complex systems.
- Decision Tree Analysis: choosing
the best course of action when future outcomes
are uncertain.
- Sensitivity Analysis:
determining which assumptions drive your
decisions most.
- Optimization: finding the best
solution to very complex problems subject to
business constraints.
- General Modeling and Problem Solving:
tackling logically complex problems and
communicating your ideas clearly.
- Data Analysis: pulling valuable
information from historical or experimental data.
- Advanced Analytics: building
models that push the envelope in state-of-the-art
business analysis.
- Application Development:
building mission-critical applications based on
Vanguard.
Vanguard's layered capabilities
architecture
Automate
Many management processes were once considered too
complex or too fluid to automate. As a result, routine
business planning at most companies involves copying and
pasting data between spreadsheets, re-building old
models, and a significant amount of gut-feel
decision-making. Although this process can work, it is
very inefficient and expensive.
Vanguard improves the speed, reliability, and quality
of routine decisions by combining its business modeling
capabilities with Expert System technology. Instead of
having your management team repeat the same analysis
monthly, you have people in the team describe how they
perform their analysis to the Vanguard System. Then, in
effect, the Vanguard System learns the process and can
repeat it for you.
You get business automation via an easy-to-use Web
interface without the need for an expensive IT
development.
Improve
Whether it is knowledge-based collaboration,
simulations at 1,500 times the speed of spreadsheets, or
advanced Expert Systems technology, each of these
Vanguard capabilities is a technological breakthrough in
and of itself. However, taken together, Vanguard sets a
new benchmark in management systems.
It will improve your company's decision-making by
improving the analysis on which these decisions are
based.
It will improve the quality of your analysis by
encouraging collaboration and the application of
state-of-the-art techniques.
And, it will improve your productivity by simplifying
the modeling process and encouraging reuse of prior work.
Vanguard has the potential to transform your business
by improving management team decisions rather than simply
analyzing operational data.
Benefits / Features
- Collaboration: Many individuals
simultaneously contribute to a modeling effort.
Like building blocks, easily combine their
knowledge, assumptions, and historical data into
complete models.
- Roll up / Drill down: Roll-up
your analysis to see high-level views, or drill
down into specific areas of a model for greater
detail and understanding.
- Go beyond data: When historical
data is scarce, Vanguard knows how to interpret
your management estimates, assumptions, and
uncertainties.
- Instant Web reports: With a few
clicks, Vanguard turns models into interactive
Web reports. Access your models anytime from
anywhere, fully exercise the models in real time,
and distribute your results to everyone who needs
them.
- Real-time results: Rest assured
you always have the latest results. Vanguard
automatically updates your models as changes are
made in any component.
- Open and transparent: Models are
displayed graphically and use plain English
formulas making them easy to communicate to
colleagues, management, or clients. Anyone can
quickly review assumptions, gain insight into
your results, and provide feedback.
- Easy integration: Vanguard
integrates directly with your existing business
systems such as databases, enterprise
applications, and even spreadsheets.
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