MM WORK FLOW SCENORIOS I

Releasing a Purchase Requisition (MM-PUR-REQ)

Purpose

Release procedures for purchase requisitions (PReqs) can be used both for individual items and for all the items of a requisition (i.e. for the complete requisition). Such release procedures are necessary, for example, if the requisition exceeds a certain value and authorization is required for the relevant expenditure. It is sensible, for example, to define separate release strategies for different groups of materials for which different departments are responsible, and to define separate release strategies for capital goods and consumption goods.

The document type determines whether the release procedure applies to certain
items only or to the complete requisition.

Release Procedure With/Without Classification

If a complete purchase requisition or a requisition item fulfills certain conditions (e.g. the order value exceeds $10,000), it needs to be approved before it can be converted into a request for quotation (RFQ) or a purchase order (PO). In the SAP System, the release procedure replicates this approval process. Two procedures are available for purchase requisitions:


Release procedure without classification
With this procedure, it is not possible to implement a link to workflow. For this reason, it will not be dealt with here. For more information, refer to the MM Purchasing documentation.

Release procedure with classification
This procedure works with MM Classification, permitting a link to SAP Business
Workflow.
All further information provided here is based on the release procedure with
classification.

Each individual involved in the release procedure signifies approval with his or her release code using a release transaction. Once effected, a release can also be cancelled with the same code (that is to say, the original status is reinstated).
If linkage to SAP Business Workflow has been defined, refusal to release (rejection of a requisition or requisition item) is also possible.

SAP Business Workflow The system can be set up in such a way that a person authorized to release purchase requisitions but whose daily duties primarily involve other tasks is advised via workflow when such a document is awaiting release. That is to say, this person sees a work item in his or her integrated inbox, which can be processed directly from within the inbox. When the item is processed, the release transaction is automatically invoked and the requisition item awaiting release is offered for release or refusal. The individuals who have been informed via workflow that a document is awaiting release thus need to know neither the transaction name (or menu
path) nor their release code.




Releasing a Purchase Requisition (MM-PUR-REQ)

An individual workflow is started for each release step (i.e. for each release code).
IDES A release procedure linked to workflow has been set up in the International Demonstration and Education System (IDES), which you can run through. If you wish to do so, first read the documentation on the demo system (MM Materials Management documentation, section Purchase Requisition - Release Procedure with Workflow and Classification).



Example Scenario for a Release Procedure

All the examples quoted in the following are based on this scenario:
In the Sales and Distribution Department, each employee may prepare and submit purchase requisitions for PCs. Depending on the total order value (and on certain other conditions, see Release Conditions [Page 11]) purchase requisitions are subject to an approval procedure as follows:

Release strategy KF (cost center release)
Requisitions with an order value of up to $10,000 are subject to the following procedure:

irst, a member of the Technical Services Department must check the configuration of
the PCs. Different members of Technical Services are responsible for checking,
depending on the purpose for which the PC is to be used (e.g. for scientific or
administrative purposes). At this point, an alternative release is possible, i.e. only one of the staff members need release the requisition item.

After this, the Sales Manager must approve the requisition, since it is the latter’s cost center that will be charged.
Release strategy TF (technical release)
If the order value exceeds $10,000, the release procedure is basically the same as in the case of requisitions whose total value does not exceed $10,000. However, a member of the Executive Board is additionally required to signify approval (effect release).
Since, as a rule, Sales Managers and Executive Board members are seldom required to approve purchase requisitions, they are informed via Workflow when a requisition is awaiting release.

Release Conditions

Definition

The release conditions determine the release strategy in accordance with which a complete purchase requisition or a requisition item is to be released. The conditions are formulated via characteristic values and are stored in the Purchasing Customizing facility (under the release strategy).
A prerequisite for this is that the characteristics have previously been created in the classification system. For more information on this topic, refer to CA Characte [Ext.]ristics and CA Classification System [Ext.] and the Implementation Guide (IMG) for Purchasing.

To enable a release strategy to be assigned to it, a complete purchase requisition or a requisition item must have one of the possible values for each characteristic.
Release conditions for release strategy KF:



In plant 1000, the preliminary account assignment specified for a purchase
requisition item covering two PCs (material number R-1003, material group 002) is
Asset no. 3221. The total value amounts to $4,920. Purchasing group 001 is
responsible for ordering this item, to which the system automatically assigns the
release strategy KF.


Release Conditions

If a complete requisition or requisition item does not fulfill any of the conditions for a release strategy, it is automatically released for the issue of an RFQ or a PO.