Manager currently expects the items to be created in the inventory first, and then place a purchase Order. i agree it is a proper way to avoid duplicate items. But why not allow directly a batch creation in purchase order if the business system policy/ guarantees unique item code for every purchase order or if the item code never existed before. This happens for project specific dealing and trading companies.
In normal business types, the same batch creation be made ‘Fail’ when any item code is duplicate or already existing.
One purchase order can have multiple line items. So if you are trying to create multiple purchase orders at once, how do you represent this on spreadsheet?
If you are asking about batch creation in PO, Then i group by supplier in spread sheet and for every single supplier i would do a batch creation in Manager Purchase Order. So my PO’s to suppliers will have consecutive reference and not at once.
I still don’t get it. Do you have different spreadsheet for each PO? Or multiple PO on single spreadsheet?
What is the point of this? You would have to enter information in a spreadsheet, then go through the batch creation process. Twice as much work. Just enter the information in a purchase order. If you buy similar things again, use the clone feature and edit as necessary.
Yes, Different exel sheet for each PO.
No, The excel sheet I do not prepare for segregating suppliers nor to create PO supplierwise.
It starts this way, when I bid for a firm buying enquiry,
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I will have to take a fresh offer/quote from many suppliers as approved manufacturers by the Customer. Each supplier may have different terms, price, deviation/compliance and price validity. -
Secondly, the customer enquiry and when I submit offer to customer will have some time 1 item category or many item category. (categories I meant is example of pipe, flange, fitting, valves, stud bolts, etc.,) and each (category may have different sizes, different thickness, different construction, different standards, specification, painting/coating, different testing parameters, certifications etc.). -
I have to make a proper selection so as my overall Offer win the Order. This means for 1 category of pipe but 4 different sizes, I may go to either 1 to 4 manufactures depending on their best deliverables and compliance.
This 1 transaction is done through many communications with customer/supplier and may take months to finally receive a Purchase Order from customer. And my costing sheet will have as simple as 5 columns to 50 columns of information depending on complexity, compliance and number of supporting manufacturers. ( you suggested clone, but I can not use clone unless I get a repeat order where all terms are same and agreeable by manufacturer too, this is very rare).
These all I do not expect to do in Manager. Its complicated so I have to work around in excel sheet only. I will come to Manager only after winning the purchase order from customer. At this stage I will have 1 PO from customer, clearly defined with item, description, Qty, Origin/ Make and price. Now I have to make as much PO to Supplier depending on which supplier’s deliverables helped me to win the Order from my customer. This is not very specific or designed for my business alone, it is the case with 1000s of business houses delivering project supplies.
Hope I am clear to you, So where I can expect to simplify my work is to create a batch transaction in the Manager either in sales_order or purchase_order.
And In the interest of General/Normal business practise, creating new items in inventory first and then pull it in purchase order is OK, good. But why not allow (batch as same in inventory) an option to straight away create a purchase order when the item_codes are new for sure, and let system make entry in the inventory.
I have two thoughts to offer, @ismail:
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As you have admitted, estimating costs can sometimes be a long and complicated process. Manager is not estimating software, and certainly would not fit the requirements of many businesses if it were. So you are right to prepare your estimates outside your accounting program. This is very common in complex industries.
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You are making more work for yourself than necessary. I question whether you should be using inventory items at all. It sounds like you are not intending to hold materials purchased for a customer in stock for later sale, but to use them immediately on a project. Something does not have to be an inventory item for you to sell it. So, when a customer orders, create one sales order. Copy it to multiple purchase orders for the various suppliers involved and edit them to remove lines for other suppliers. Later, copy it to a sales invoice to send to the customer. This does not automate creation of the first document with a batch operation, but it eliminates all the inventory work for things that are going straight out the door to a specific customer.
If I understand your very full explanation correctly - you are a middle man - therefore I endorse
“So, when a customer orders, create one sales order. Copy it to multiple purchase orders for the various suppliers involved and edit them to remove lines for other suppliers. Later, copy it to a sales invoice to send to the customer”
The supplier invoices would be directly expensed so that “it eliminates all the inventory work for things that are going straight out the door to a specific customer.”
Perhaps they never got in the “door” if they were delivered directly from supplier to customer.
So within Manager, you could “simplify my work” by totally ignoring inventory considerations.
Thanks for understanding @Tut, when you said to create a sales order as first document and copy on further process, you are right. But the reason i request for a batch creation ( let it be in sales order or purchase order), is to (1) eliminate big data entry when items are 50 or more (duplicating work as i had already worked in excel and retyping it in manager again) and (2) to eliminate discription typo errors when i create Order to supplier because any omission or error will result in wrong material.
And it is not that i will not use the inventory at all, Some time for the project i may have to store it for a period which is not general stocking but for project specific only.
And i will also use the inventory of history data to bid (not a firm enquiry), sales offer.
Interesting right :). Be with me my friends.
@Brucanna, yes the process sounds like a middleman, but not actually, it is a company ISO certified, and approved by international end users and MNC clients, (the approval requires proper systems in practice and resource in place and require to satisfy government and client regulations) and annual renewals. i have team of people working in different functions and work on standards, audit, value added services and logistics delivered upto project sites. we cover all terms of FOB, Ex-Mill,CIF, CPT, DDP by sea ship and air freight. it is a complete project solution.
Then you could use within Inventory Items - Batch Update (if they must become inventory items) and this will 1) eliminate retyping it in to Manager and 2) eliminate description typo errors.
Once updated, then you could create the sales orders and clone to purchase orders as required.
Yes, i and all of us agree to this work flow, is perfect. my disucussion started when i have to create next step after inventory creation. That is when i have to create either a sales offer or sales order or streight away a purchase order.
what the current Manager has is, the user have to filter for the 50+ items but enter in each line item 1 by 1 by search and enter repetitive 50 times.
This is where i suggested in the very beginning as
(1) after correct search&filter, the data entry should populate automatically all items in 1go. (this is possible if i maintain common prefix in item_code when i created a batch in inventory for the specific order). And i think you had also suggested a check box (select all) option.
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(2) is as i said above, In the interest of General/Normal business practice, creating new items in inventory first and then pull it in purchase order is OK, good. But why not allow (batch as same in inventory) an option to straight away create a purchase order when the item_codes are new for sure, and let system make entry in the inventory.
Please imagine Manager Sales_Offer or Purchase_Order, in a normal user possibilty, is that not nice and user friendly when a user gets all items filtered correctly comes in to the screen automatically rather than doing item by item repeatedly for that many times of the items.
@Lubos should please consider this. it is not that Manager only satisfies to happy users dealing with 5 to 10 in an order.
The fact that you store materials for a project does not mean you must have them in inventory. The only reason they should be in inventory is if you are holding them for general sale. For example, if you buy pipe fittings for a project, but have some left over that you might use on the next project, needing to buy fewer for the second project because of those you already have in stock, inventory is appropriate. But if you buy the fittings only for the first project and will use them all, inventory is a waste of time. In the second situation, you are not holding the inventory items for sale, you have already committed them to a project before receiving them.
So this simplification of your workflow is completely separate from your desire to avoid typing entries into a sales or purchase order.
You are right if I am the user of the materials. But I have to maintain records of stock against bank, capital accounts and audit. And issue materials at different times in short notice. And at times we purchase manufacturer’s minimum order qty and sell only less as per customer’s order. Nothing stops us from holding stock for similar application but different projects as we save freight and earn discount. we are upgrading our yard offcourse. So maintaining inventory is not be ignored please.
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OK. That’s a different situation than you first described. So you are right: inventory is necessary.
@lubos,
Please do give a solution, the issue and merit is discussed in detail.