GETTING STARTED

Introduction

Industrial Neural is a both a web application and a business architecture framework. The two are in symbiosis. The framework reflects the web application, the web application reflects the framework.

The application leverages a three dimensional view of market participants, business systems, and internal functions - mapped from the framework. It allows users to explore and see connections across enterprise and market environments.

The application is designed to make enterprise modelling easy and fast. It achieves this via simple point and click controls, and requires no modelling experience. Its outputs can be easily understood by both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

One of the constraints of most enterprise modelling tools and frameworks is that they require advanced architecture skills and experience, and the outputs are geared towards a very technical audience.

By making business modelling easy and fast, Industrial Neural helps solve intractable problems of business complexity. These problems frequently lead to cost overruns on change and transformation delivery programmes - which can run to many millions of dollars.

The getting started section of this guide is a short introduction to what Industrial Neural is, its features and use-cases, who it is designed for, and how to use it. It also explains the usage of the words neural, graph theory, nodes and edges.

The subsequent sections dive into much deeper detail - covering both the application itself and the framework. Welcome!

Core Features

Example Use Cases

Target Users

Modelling

Modelling with Industrial Neural is easy. You don't need to think about formatting your models. And you don't need to spends days or weeks discovering market, systems and business concepts. It's all there in the framework.

In the three dimensional modelling environment, connect nodes with mouse-clicks, and scroll around 3D space to explore the rapidly forming model.

Nodes

Node is a term from graph theory. A node is a specific point or location. The term is interchangeable with vertex and point.

In Industrial Neural, nodes are market participants, systems or internal functions.

Click on a node in the left panel, and the node is selected in 3D space. Click on another node, and the first and second nodes clicked are connected. It's that simple.

You can also select a node by double-clicking it in 3D space.

Edges

Edge is also a term from graph theory. It refers to a connection or link between nodes, and is interchangeable with connection, arc, link, and line.

You can review all node connections in the left panel. Click on an edge list item to select and highlight it in 3D space.

Selected edges can be deleted simply by pressing the delete key on your keyboard.

Three Dimensions

The advantages of enterprise modelling in 3D space is compelling. By providing an immersive experience, it opens a gateway into re-thinking and re-experiencing what a corporation is.

Equally importantly, the amount of information that can be easily comprehended in 3D space is much greater than in 2D space. It would be much harder to interact with 700 nodes on a spatially flat perspective.

Crucially, modelling in 3D space allows you to move around and into models in ways that would be impossible in 2D space.

To rotate a model, simply drag the model with you mouse. To move into or away from the model, use the scroll function of the mouse.

Two Dimensions

As compelling as three dimensional business modelling is, 2D models are still very valuable for printing, presenting, sending, documenting and archiving models in traditional formats.

To convert a 3D model to 2D, simply click the 2D button in the top navigation bar.

To print the 2D model to PDF, right-mouse click on the model and select print.

To return to 3D view, just click the 3D button in the top menu bar.

Framework

In 3D space there are 7 vertcially stacked layers:

These layers reflect the following:

Non-Operations nodes are common across most industries.

For example, the framework assigns the following to the Procurement set:

Operations nodes, however, are industry-specific. For example, the framework assigns the following to the Insurance industry:

... and the following to the Airline industry:

Every industry also has different types of IT systems. In the Industrial Neural framework, these Industry systems directly reflect their Operations functions.

It's important to note that, in the application, each organisation only sees the industry-specific systems and operations functions for their industry. This ensures a seamless and industry-relevant experience of the application, regardless of which industry you are in.

Industrial

The Industrial Neural framework addresses 120+ industries. These industries cover the full spectrum of economic activity, and most of the global economy. In that sense, it is a meta enterprise framework at the scale of the world system, and covers the following sectors:

Neural

The concept of the neuron threads its way through many fields - especially AI, with its longstanding use of neural networks in machine learning.

The term is used here differently than in AI, though future iterations of Industrial Neural will increasingly embed machine learning capabilities. See the Roadmap section at the end of this guide.

Primarily, the neural in Industrial Neural refers to the concept of nodes that are connected by edges in the same way neurons in the brain are connected by synapses. In that sense, it is conceptually similar to its use in AI.

Graph Theory

Graph theory, with its concepts of nodes and edges, is at the middle of both AI and Industrial Neural.

The application produces three dimensional graphs as a way of solving complexity problems that are very difficult to approach in two dimensions.

In the context of Industrial Neural, the term graph is interchangeable with model.

THE APPLICATION

Layers

The seven layers in 3D space correlate to:

1. External Participants (Layer 1)
2. IT Systems (Layer 2)
3. Internal Functions (Layers 3 to 7)

The systems layer is coloured blue to highlight its essential intermediating function between the enterprise and the market.

Also see the Framework topic in the Getting Started section above, as well as the 3 Categories and 7 Layers topics in the deep-dive Framework section below for more information.

Zoom & Rotate

To zoom and rotate, simply use normal mouse drag and scroll operations.

Lists

In the Industrial Neural application, lists are always in context. This is to ensure that the modelling environment is always in view. Rapid comparison of models can be made simply by clicking on list items.

Nodes

The Nodes section in the left panel provides easy access to viewing and selecting nodes in 2D space. Scroll to access all 700 nodes.

The nodes in the left panel exactly reflect the nodes in 3D space.

Select Set of Nodes

To locate a set of nodes in 3D space, click on the set title in the nodes section of the left panel. The set of nodes will be highlighted in 3D space.

Select Individual Node

There are two ways to select a node.

1. Single-click on the node in the nodes section of the left panel.
2. Double-click on the node in 3D space.

Locating and selecting nodes is much easier in the nodes section of the left panel than in 3D space.

Once selected, the node will be highlighted in both the nodes section of the left panel and in 3D space.

Connect Nodes

There are two ways to connect nodes:

1. Single-click on a node in the nodes section of the Left panel. Then single-click on a second node. The nodes will then be connected by an edge in 3D space.

2. Double-click on a node in 3D space, then double-click on a second node in 3D space. The nodes will be connected by an edge in 3D space.

Note that finding and selecting nodes in the nodes section of the left panel is much easier than in 3D space.

When nodes are connected, whether via the nodes section of the left panel or in 3D space, the edges section of the left panel is automatically updated.

Edges

The edges section of the left panel provides a list of all edges in the model. Each edge list item includes the node and the set the connected nodes are part of.

For example, the list item for a connection between the BDM and CRM nodes is:

Sales: BDM | Business IT: CRM

The edges in the left panel exactly reflect the edges in 3D space.

Select Edge

To select an edge, click on a list item in the edges section of the left panel. The edge will be highlighted in red in 3D space.

To unselect an edge, either click on the edge list item again, or click to select another edge list item.

Delete Edge

To delete an edge, select it in the edges section of the left panel, then press the Delete key on your keyboard.

The edge in 3D space will disappear and the nodes it connected will be un-highlighted - unless they are still connected to other nodes.

Create Model

To create a model, click the new button in the top menu bar. Then simply start selecting and connecting nodes.

Model Title

To create or update a model title, click in the model title field in the top menu bar and add the required text.

Save Model

To manually save a model, click the save button in the top menu bar.

However, all changes to models are also automatically saved.

Delete Model

To delete a model, click the delete button in the top menu bar.

Publish Model

To publish a model, click the publish check box next to the model list item in the mine section of the left panel.

To unpublish a model, click on the checked Publish checkbox next to the model list item in the Mine section of the left panel.

Lock Model

To lock a model, click the lock check box next to the model list item in the mine section of the left panel.

Viewers of the model, who are not the owner, will see a Locked status next to the model title.

Models that are being edited by another user, will also be locked until the user has completed editing and the edits are saved. This is managed automatically by the system.

To unlock a model, click on the checked lock checkbox next to the model list item in the mine section of the left panel.

Locked models that are published can only be edited by the owner of the model. Unlocked models that are published can be edited by any viewer of the model.

Filter Model

To filter a model, click the filter button in the top menu bar. All unselected nodes will be hidden.

This feature allows exploration of the filtered version of the model in 3D space - including zoom and rotation capability.

2D Model

To view a 2D version of the model, click the 2D button in the top menu bar.

The 2D version of the model is auto-formatted by the system, and only shows the nodes and edges of the selected nodes.

To return to 3D view, just click the 3D button in the top menu bar.

Print to PDF

To print the 2D version of the model to PDF, right-mouse click on the 2D model, and select print. The print layout is auto-set by the application.

Reference Models

Reference models are located in the reference section of the left panel.

Reference models for each set are included to showcase the capabilities of Industrial Neural. These are continuously improved by Industrial Neural, and serve as living benchmarks, evolving alongside new data and advancements in model development. The reference models are read only.

They are also at a very high, node-set level - for example, there is a reference model for the sales business function. In practice, model development will be much more specific, and targeted at the multitude of use cases, users and teams within an organisation.

Published Models

Published models are located in the published section of the left panel.

Models that are published, but locked by the owner, can only be edited by the owner.

Models that are being edited by another user are in a locked state until the editing is completed and the model is saved.

Your Models

Your models are in the mine section of the left panel. Only models that you own are in this section. You can edit or delete any model in this section, except for models that another user is editing - which can only happen if you have published the model, and allowed editing by other users.

User Settings

User settings are in the settings section of the left panel.

In this section, all users can update their password and switch between light and dark menu themes.

Change Password

To change your password, go to the settings section of the left panel. Enter your existing password, then enter and confirm a new password.

If you have forgotten your password, and you are not an admin user, contact an admin user at your organisation to have your password reset.

Select Light or Dark Menu Theme

To switch between light and dark menu themes, go to the settings section in the left panel, and click the light menu/dark menu button as required.

Admin Settings

Admin settings are located in the settings section of the left panel, and are only visible to admin users of the application. The first user at your organisation is automatically an admin user, and can add, remove and update the details of other users.

Create User

To create a new user, go to the settings section in the left panel. If you are an admin user, you can create a new user in this section.

Enter the first name, last name, and email address of the new user. You can also tick the admin checkbox if you want the new user to also be a admin user. There is no restriction to the number of admin users.

Then click the create button. The system will email an activation link and temporary password to the new user. The new user will automatically appear in the user list below.

Update User

To update the details of an existing user, go to the settings section in the left panel. If you are an admin user, you will see settings for administering users.

Go to the list of users. Click on the user that needs updating. The user's details will then appear in the form above the list, where you can update the users first name, last name and/or email address.

You can also make the user an admin user by clicking the admin checkbox. Or, alternatively, remove admin permissions by clicking the checked admin checkbox.

It is important to advise the user who has been granted admin permissions to refresh their browser, or log out and back in. Until they do this, they will not see the admin settings in the settings section of the left panel.

Reset User Password

To reset a users password, go to the settings section of the left panel. If you are an admin user, you will see settings for administering users.

Go to the list of users. Click on the user that needs a password reset. The user's details will then appear in the form above the list. Then click on the reset password button.

The system will email a new temporary password to the user.

Remove User

To remove a user, go to the settings section of the left panel. If you are an admin user, you will see settings for administering users.

Go to the list of users. Click on the user that is to be removed. The user's details will then appear in the form above the list. Then click on the delete button.

The user will no longer be able to use the application. If they still have the application open in a browser, they will still see the application UI until they refresh their browser or log out. However, any interaction with the UI will not be processed on the server.

Update Invoice Email

To update the invoice email address for your organisation, go to the settings, section of the left panel. If you are an admin user, you will see settings for administering users.

Go to the invoice email fields. There you will see the existing invoice email for your organisation. Enter and confirm the new invoice email address, and click the update button.

Future invoices from Industrial Neural will be sent to the new email address.

Account Number

To find your organisations account number, go to the settings section in the left panel. If you are an admin user, you will see settings for administering users.

Go to the account field. There you will see the account number for your organisation.

View User List

To view a list of all users at your organisation, go to the settings section of the left panel. If you are an admin user, you will see settings for administering users.

Go to the list of users.

User Count

To confirm how many users are at your organisation, go to the settings section in the left panel. If you are an admin user, you will see settings for administering users.

Go to the users field. There you will see the total number of users at your organisation.

THE FRAMEWORK

Taxonomy

The Industrial Neural framework is based on a taxonomy. A taxonomy is a system for organising and classifying information, objects, or concepts into hierarchical categories based on shared characteristics or relationships.

Originally developed in biology to classify living organisms, the concept of taxonomy has since been applied across various fields such as information science, education, and business. A well-structured taxonomy helps to bring order to complex data by grouping similar items under broader categories, making it easier to navigate, analyse, and understand the underlying structure of a domain.

The highest level of categorisation in the Industrial Neural framework taxonomy are the following three concepts:

Each of these three categories have sets. There are 35 sets in total - 5 allocated to the External Participants category, 5 to the Systems category, and 25 to the Internal Functions category. Each set has 20 nodes. There are 700 nodes in total.

The seven three dimensional layers in the application directly reflect the taxonomy. The usage of nodes, edges and other concepts from graph theory expands the taxonomy into the Industrial Neural framework.

This section of the guide explores the framework in detail.

Methodology

The methodology for developing the taxonomy was based on the concept of the functional value of a constraint. For example, in the theory of relativity, the speed of light is the constraint that enabled the development of new ideas in physics around it.

Industrial Neural leverages the power of functional constraints in the same way. 3 categories, 7 layers, 35 sets of 20 nodes and 700 nodes in total.

This constraint is designed to unleash modelling creativity by removing the need for users to define categories, layers, sets and nodes themselves. It also positions all users at an organisation on the same page, and provides a common reference point for approaching the vast complexity of a large enterprise. This ensures that all modelling collateral generated in Industrial Neural is compatible across users, teams and projects - and promotes the interchange of ideas and discovery.

The development of the Industrial Neural taxonomy centred on experimentation with different numbers of nodes (the most detailed level in the taxonomy). Given that all of these nodes are presented to the user at once, the more nodes, the greater the complexity and difficulty of working with the nodes. However, reducing nodes lessens the precision and value of the modelling outputs.

Experiments with 500 nodes yielded models that lacked granularity. Experiments with 1000 nodes yielded models that were harder to create, and variance across similar nodes within the same set became obscure.

700 nodes, however, proved to be very approachable, and yielded high quality models.

Graph Theory

Graph Theory was invented by Leonhard Euler in 1736, and was the result of his famous analysis of the Seven Bridges of Konigsberg optimisation problem. The seven bridges connected 4 parts of the city separated by the Pregel river. Could someone visit each part of the city crossing the 7 bridges only once? Euler represented the problem as a network graph - with 7 edges (bridges) and 4 nodes (parts of the city), and proved that it was impossible to cross the 7 bridges only once.

Represented as a network graph, the Seven Bridges of Konigsberg problem is as follows:

Since then, graph theory has become one of the most profoundly important fields in mathematics. It has numerous powerful applications - none more so than in the neural networks powering AI.

Enterprise Network Graph

Industrial Neural also leverages graph theory, and is centred on the concept of nodes and edges applied to enterprise concepts - where market participants, IT systems and internal business functions are nodes, and the connections between them are edges.

For example, a customer is a node that is connected to the sales function, which is also a node. The sales function and the customer are also connected to a CRM system, which is also a node. The CRM system is connected to the customer service function, which is a node too.

Although this is a very simple example, the formalisation of the connections opens the door to solving business optimisation problems on much more complicated graph networks.

Three Dimensional Network Graph

In the Industrial Neural web application, models are generated in three dimensional space, using simple point and click selection of nodes. For example, the following reference competitor model maps network connections that could represent how the product and R&D teams respond to competitors in the market.

Clicking the 2D button in the top menu bar converts the three dimensional model above into a two dimensional graph. Notice the similarity with the other network graphs.

When such modelling is scaled out across multiple business teams, projects and business units, an increasingly network focused view of the enterprise and market emerges. The power to apply that network insight to optimisation problems in continuous improvement and transformation is immense.

3 Categories

Having established how the taxonomy, methodology, and graph theoretic approach are foundational to the Industrial Neural framework, the following parts of this section of the guide detail every enterprise node set and node.

To recap, the highest level of the taxonomy are the following 3 categories:

In three dimensional space, these categories are distributed as follows:

7 Layers

In three dimensional space, the application arranges 35 node-sets of 20 nodes into 7 layers as follows:

In total there are 700 nodes across the 7 layers - 100 nodes per layer.