The status options for purchase orders and customer orders are useful not only for tracking where orders are holding but also for triggering and allowing actions.
For example, when a purchase order is changed to Receiving:
- The system can automatically update inventory for the items in that order; if you ordered 10 cases, your inventory will now show 10 more cases.
- You can choose whether moving to Receiving state receives the order in full or requires you to input the amount you actually received.
The system can also block certain functions in different states.
For example, the system can block everyone except the manager from moving an order to the Approved status.
Workflow Rules
Following are some of the available Workflow Rules, i.e. the actions that can be triggered or blocked in different states. Speak to your administrator to set it up.
| Action | What it Does | Recommended States |
| Supply the inventory | Updates inventory for items in the order; if Use separate Quantity to Supply column (see below) is checked, it will not update inventory until you enter it manually | Receiving …and all following states Except Aborted |
| Reserve the inventory | Puts items in the order on reserve; used when ordering for a specific customer | All |
| Add to On Order inventory | Shows items in the order as On Order | Issued …until Receiving |
| Apply balance on account | Adds order balance to selected account | Issued …and all following states Except Aborted |
| Needs available account credit | Only allows you to move to this state if there is credit available in the account | Issued |
| Needs paid account balance | Only allows you to move to this state if the account balance is paid | Issued |
| Needs paid txn balance | Only allows you to move to this state if the transaction is paid in full | Closed |
| Suggest payment | Opens popup to take a payment when moving to this state | Closed |
| Needs manager to set state | Can only be moved to this state by a manager | Any |
| Needs manager to leave state | Can only be moved out of this state by a manager | Any |
| Track version | Keeps track of this version of the order | All |
| Recalculate discounts | Calculates the discounts that need to be applied (if you created a new discount) | New Open |
| Recalculate price rules | Calculates the price rules that need to be applied (if you created new price rules or added the customer/supplier to the rule) | New Open |
| Allow auto add items | Selects which state bulk purchase orders can be added to; if it’s set only to New or Open, new items from bulk purchase orders will be added to existing new or open POs for relevant suppliers, and will create a separate PO if the existing POs are in later states such as Approved or Receiving* | New Open |
| Requires account | Only allows you to move to this state if there is an account selected | Issued …and all following states |
| Requires at least one entry | Only allows you to move to this state if something was entered in the order | All Except Delivering and Aborted |
| Can change account | Allows you to change the account in this state | New Open |
| Can accept payment | Allows you to accept payment in this state | For Customer Orders |
| Can go back to this state | Allows you to go back to this state after leaving it | Any |
| Can edit item entries | Allows you to edit names for items in the order | New Open |
| Can change Bill To | Allows you to change to whom the item is billed | New Open |
| Can change Ship To | Allows you to change to whom the item is shipped | New Open |
| Can change Site | Allows you to change which site to the items are taken from or added to | New Open Issued |
| Use separate Quantity to Supply column | Allows you to use the Quantity to Supply column so you can input how many of the item were actually delivered | Receiving |
| Can discount | Allows you to add discounts in this state | New Open |
| Recalculate tax | Recalculates tax (if an adjustment was made) | New Open |
Workflow/Setup
* For example, if bulk purchase order shows that you need to reorder sequins because you’re low in stock, it can add the sequins to an open purchase order for the supplier (in which you were about to order ribbons). But if the purchase order with that supplier was already received (i.e the ribbons already arrived), it will create a separate purchase order for the sequins.