like i have explained in another topic, its just additional work for some users. not all transactions require a delivery note still a delivery note is necessary for the business.
It would be easier if the users had the ability to select which transaction updates what inventory qty because the requirements of every user is different.
@lubos i agree with @sharpdrivetek
Its gonna be an additional work.
The previous interface was perfect and smooth flowing for our business requirements.
Here is how I see this… I want users to be rewarded by entering data into Manager to get more insight into their business. And this reward is only possible if certain rules are enforced. For example, to track items yet to be delivered or to track delivered uninvoiced items, Manager needs to assume you are entering all delivery notes. If you are cherry-picking which delivery notes to issue, then Manager cannot possibly tell what items have been delivered. In that case delivery notes are just glorified document generator rather than something more.
I want delivery notes to be something more, something significant which carries a weight in the system. Not just a repository of generated documents where the only usefulness is being able to print them.
You have basically two options, disable Delivery Notes tab and you won’t need to issue them. Or enable Delivery Notes tab and issue them all. There is no middle ground.
What if you want a middle ground? You can’t use Delivery Notes tab. That doesn’t mean you can’t print delivery notes out of Manager.
You could create a template called Delivery Note so when you view invoice and you want it to be printed as delivery note, just switch the template so it looks like a delivery note and print it. Done.
So @Sarika and @sharpdrivetek, you need to decide whether you want to use Delivery Notes tab at all. If you don’t want to track deliveries, don’t use delivery notes. Use custom template to make an invoice look like delivery note.
No we are not cherry-picking which delivery notes to issue.
Our nature of work deals with hardware and software.
Delivery notes are utmost import in case of Hardware delivery to track the data and printed for documentation purpose.
So I cannot disable the Delivery Notes tab.
Then why was this not implement at the development stage of Manager?
What about our past data in Manager? That is what is causing issue to read the correct inventory movement which was way simpler with previous interface.
I need the Delivery Note tab and i also need the previous Inventory Item interface.
Kindly help!
Delivery Notes are just as much legally valid as an Invoice. They are issued with separate unique serial numbers. So it is not possible to make an invoice look like delivery note. Delivery notes are issued from a customer along with a copy of their purchase invoice when they return a material for replacement or service and the business uses the same to deliver back the replaced or serviced materials along with a copy of the customer’s delivery note which acts as proof that the transaction is not a sale. This updates the inventory too when received and delivered.
@sharpdrivetek, a delivery note should never be used in any context except a sale. And customer-owned goods returned for service should never be in your inventory, as they do not belong to you. If they are returning something, that should happen with a credit note. If you are replacing something, that should be a new sales invoice. If both, the two will offset.
I’m not sure what you mean when you write about giving the customer a copy of their purchase invoice. The customer’s purchase invoice is a document they would use internally to enter your sales invoice to them. There should be no purchase invoice associated with returned material, whether for replacement or repair.
What about the suggestion, which I can’t locate, that the Sales Invoice have a tick box - goods taken with invoice - this side stepped the need to create delivery notes for such sales, this could be very applicable for software licences.
@Sarika, OK so you have decided to continue using Delivery Notes tab and will do delivery notes for all inventory items from now on. What I need to add is some mechanism to efficiently create past delivery notes so you inventory figures are correct.
Once your inventory figures are correct, only then we can discuss which interface was better. You can’t currently compare the two because the newer one doesn’t give you correct figures due to missing delivery notes.
Fair enough!
Will have to try and test the mechanism out.
Kindly incorporate my suggestion to have a clickable link for Qty owned for tracking stock In and Out in one page.
Thanks!
Well, I could as well add a checkbox to inventory items to indicate some items don’t have to be delivered but I really dislike going that route. It helps one business and another 1,000 will have to spend time to understand a feature they will never need. Do it dozens of time and nobody will ever bother to understand the system completely.
I’d rather have an argument over how some field is unnecessary and should be removed rather than an argument over how some new field should be added.
That is asking for a negative - "don’t - never an attractive option, so deserves your dislike.
The case for the - goods taken with invoice - tick box, was that there were businesses who sold both over the counter and via delivery. As it stands, all sales over the counter also need a delivery note.
Found it - in the topic “All stock missing from manager after update” you wrote “However I might consider adding a checkbox on sales invoice to make the invoice act as a delivery at the same time.”
Not a good idea. Even though in our country we do not need a mandatory delivery note if an invoice is made, it is mandatory when making an export. The delivery note is linked with both service and inventory rather than inventory alone.
Why not just sell inventory using cash receipt if it’s cash sale?
Also similar argument has been made about adding checkbox to invoices to indicate “it’s paid”. It was never implemented in Manager for the same reason.
I just don’t understand why is it a big deal. Even those who had their reasons to continue using Sales Invoices for cash sales got used to clicking on Receive money button to create a receipt. Why clicking on Copy to → Delivery note button is not going to work just as well?
I’m not trying to refuse a feature for the sake of refusing. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to add checkbox to invoice. If you have multi-location inventory, then I have to also add drop-down box to select inventory location. Then someone says “yeah, checkbox is good but I need it for each line item to indicate whether it was delivered or not on item level, then how many delivered, from where etc.”, then people start totally abusing this making edits to existing invoice to capture new delivery rather than creating delivery note completely misusing the purpose of the checkbox. And when something goes wrong, they will have no history of deliveries. Then they realize they have been doing it wrong.
All these unnecessary options are making it easy to fall into traps. Manager needs to be designed to keep people from falling into the pit of despair. I want them to fall into pit of success without them even realizing it. Sometimes this has to be done at the cost of minor inefficiency in data-entry.
About time i entered the discussion. The current delivery/goods receipt note system is very good. I love it.
Manager.io has Warehouse and Inventory Management features which will be improved as time goes and therefore encourages good inventory management practises.
I disagree with everyone trying to get @lubos to change the way it works now to suit their bad inventory management practices in their organisations just because it brings additional work. I also disagree with the check box option which will encourage bad practises.
A proper business setup will always segregate inventory handling from invoicing. I see the goods receipt and the delivery note tools as a tool that enhances inventory management internal control.
Sorry, to clarify - credit sales.
The same applies with Purchases Invoices, goods delivered with the invoice, goods delivered separately from invoice.
I’m not arguing with your how long is a piece of string but once you provide additional features such as multi-location you open a string of consequences such as - “then I have to also add drop-down box to select inventory location” - yes.
Take this case study - a business has three outlets, only does credit sales and has “no” need for Goods Receipts or Delivery Notes. Currently all inventory purchases / sales invoicing initially go to unspecified location. So if outlet A has 40 daily sales, outlet B has 30 and outlet C has 70, then you need to do 140 Inventory Transfers (if only one product per sale) if one is going to have any form of inventory control at each location. Yet if those same outlets do cash sales, they can select locations.
A consequence of multi-locations is that credit purchases / sales will also occur at each location. As a minimum, where goods receipts and/or delivery notes aren’t activated, then the purchase / sales invoice should allow location selection - otherwise every transaction requires a matching inventory transfer…
It is totally agreed that one needs to draw a line in the sand somewhere, and a multiple option within a single invoice is that line - not permitted, a no go area. Each purchase / sales invoice is for a single status - one location, all delivered.
Disagree, but perhaps yes if they are solely credit transaction focused. Every supermarket I have visited in the world has combined inventory / cash invoice (receipt) handling. In fact all inventory cash sales are non-segregated handlings.
Is it me? or I’m seeing Lubos have to make decisions whether to incorporate business user’s practices or to implement an accountability system which has to go through systematic process?
Yes Manager.io has provided for that, Inventory location appears to select items being traded for cash which the buyer verifies and carry away after payment to the cash sales officer.
But if invoicing officers can tick something to move away inventory or receive in inventory they evade all the controls established to properly account for inventory. Warehouse officers wouldn’t be able to control what is in and what is out on paper. And there will eventually be reconciliation problems.
Segregating inventory movement with goods receipt and delivery notes gives full control to Inventory managers. As for cash sales, inventory is issued from stores/warehouse to the location and the stores manager is responsible for what happens there.
That brings me to this. I am the one who suggested for the ability to hide some cash accounts from restricted users.
Now I am requesting for the ability to hide Inventory location from restricted users.
Reason is that, a cash sales officer can sell items and select the warehouse or the main store as the location instead of selecting the shop or the location they are actually selling from. Audit may reveal this eventually but it may be too late and lose of asset may be huge.
Now @lubos If possible, display inventory location as a column in the goods receipt and delivery note lists, it could be done with custom field but let it be automatic for control purpose.
I would love for this (Location displaying as a column) to be extended to Receive money and Spend money.
And also location should be displayed in the audit trail…Ability to hide inventory location from restricted users maybe enough though
Thanks @Abeiku, I had inadvertently used the word cash instead of credit, now corrected. So if a cash sale can select location why can’t a credit sale when delivery notes aren’t activated.
Imagine if the retail store cash sales officer has to issue a delivery not for every customer.
What must be done is setting up enough controls to prevent the cash sales officer from selling from a wrong location.
If the warehouse manager releases items to the retail store, and the retail workers can only see their location if they click on inventory location, the warehouse manager’s work ends if the inventory gets to the retail store.
There are two work flows for inventory management.
The cash sales/purchases. And the invoice, delivery note, goods receipt method. Never think they have to be the same. With inventory location restrictions it will work better
This is the same with receipts & payments. Every credit sale or credit purchase requires separate transaction to pay for it whether it was paid on the spot or later. I had literally the same discussion about this with someone else who was insisting invoices need to have a checkbox to indicate they’ve been paid at the time the invoice was issued.
If adding checkbox is going to save two clicks for some and confuse others, it won’t be added. There needs to be more justification for it to be there.
OK, I agree on this one. A business using multi-location inventory tracking without delivery notes or goods receipts is going to struggle here. I need to come up with solution here.
