When purchase processes are configured, you are ready to manage business decisions and transactions which bring goods to the company's internal supply chain. (The planning work involved in automatically creating purchase and production orders based on sales or production demand is described in Perform Material Requirements Planning.)
Purchasing can involve many different tasks, depending on the work flow and the method of supply that is agreed upon with the business partners. Some purchase processes start with quotes or blanket orders, while other purchase processes are tied to sales orders for drop shipment to a customer's location.
Sometimes, received goods must be returned to the vendor because they are defective, or because a different type or quantity is required. Managing purchase returns can involve tasks, such as tracing the origin of specific serial/lot numbers, creating return-related documents, and combining return shipments.
The following table describes a sequence of tasks with links to the topics that describe them. These tasks are listed in the order in which they are generally performed.
| To | See |
|---|---|
Create and release purchase orders for normal receiving at the company or for direct delivery to customers. | |
Investigate return reasons and manage order documents involved in returning items to vendors. |