| WHAT IS THE EDGE PROJECT?
EDGE Stand For: Event Driven Goal Environment
About EDGE:
- A focused, insurance project (with a customer) which evolves
into a set of software products
- Using partnership and (rapid) prototyping to develop product
requirements
- Focuses on largely-unautomated underwriting function, with
capability to expand into (1) agency/branch and (2) policy
service
- Achieves first ownership of data, gradually passing less and
less to mainframe
- A work-in-process architecture for distributed data & function
- Combines conventional and expert systems technology in a more
cogent environment
Why Do This:
- Deliver superior customer solutions & satisfaction
- Develop a superior and extensible solutions architecture
- Capitalize on insurance interest in expert systems
- Take the first steps to wrest desktop from IBM
- Position ourselves to move into mainframe territory
More To Follow
John
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| EDGE FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS (Pre-Phase Review)
1. W.I.P.S. (Work-In-Process-System) CONTROLLER: A generic and extensible
architecture for goal-oriented, event/task processing within a logical
system which can span multiple, physical, networked systems.
a. Goal Definition File
b. Goal Interpreter
c. Resource & Event Queues
d. Communications Control Interface Library
e. Event Processor
2. RELATIONAL UNDERWRITING DATA BASE: An RDB repository for all codified
and textual information captured from (1) applications for insurance,
(2) existing internal records and (3) outside information resulting from
inquiries, tests and investigatons. There must be a separate RDB design
for each line of insurance business, the first of which is individual
life. Major data relationships involve linking the following catagories
of information.
a. Case Information
b. Application Information
d. Producer Information
e. Underwriting Information
f. Host Records
g. Insurance Plan Information
h. WIP Status Information
3. FUNCTIONAL SOFTWARE AGENTS: Done by line of insurance business (the
first being individual life), these consists of highly-granular, plug-
in/out "modules" for processing an application (i.e. app) from point
of sale to issue of policy. The following software agents apply to
the Phoenix prototype and are a representative subset of those that
apply to a future (individual life) product specification or set.
app data entry app maintenance app validation
plan validation producer validation app review
requirements gen mark as validated submit app
order requirements order APS order lab
order Equifax APS requirements info needs notify
field office menu resolve requirements reverse status
mail notification reports help
remote data x-fer message receive sig events entry
sig events inquiry decnet startup HO DB merge
requirements orderer alpha search alpha update
ralph APS swa NBI order
resolve requirements follow-up assign pol. #
assign underwriter case presentation und. APS decision
underwriting decision pre-underwr. filter user req. order
post approval issue requirements delivery req'ments
issue sys feed issue data receive update case as paid
feed instat MIB request MIB reply
NOTE:
1. More detailed descriptions of the functionality of these is both
available and undergoing further development. The list is yet
incomplete.
2. Many of the above software agents relate to post-sale, pre-
underwriting work done in the agency/branch office and will
process in those physical systems.
3. Several of the above use expert systems.
4. Not all of the above will be completed for the prototype.
John McAtee
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