Adaco: Configuring the Ordering app

Overview

In Purchasing & Inventory (formerly known as Adaco), there are two types of requisitions, Purchase Requisitions and Outlet Requisitions. Each requisition is created separately from different screens using different templates.

In Purchasing & Inventory, an Outlet Requisition is different from a Purchase Requisition. By contrast, in the mobile ordering app, there is no such distinction.

The mobile ordering app is used to create a basket of items which a user needs. When creating a basket, the user can select the Outlet for where they want the goods, the date on which they want the goods, and the items that they want.

Within the app, it is not specified whether the items should be requisitioned internally or purchased from an external vendor. This is all dealt with by the ‘smart ordering’ functionality in the core application. Within the Ordering app, the user selects the items required, when they are to be delivered, and then Purchasing & Inventory completes the rest of the process.

Enabling Mobile Ordering in Purchasing & Inventory

• In Property > Administration > Property Preferences > Requisitions ,tick the option Enable Ordering App

Enabling this option will ensure that products, Locations, users, templates etc. are sent to the appropriate services.

Fig.1 – Enable mobile ordering in P&I

User access in Purchasing & Inventory for Mobile Ordering 

In order to see the Ordering App button within the Fourth Platform/app, a user must have access to the Requisition Access Right: Create. For more information on this, please see the following article - Purchasing & Inventory - Changing Requisition Access Rights in User Groups

Configuring Outlets in P&I for Mobile Ordering

There are three options for configuring Outlets. These will display in the Outlet master screen (located via Property > Setup > Location > Outlet), which will only be visible once Enable Ordering App is ticked in Property > Administration (see above).

1. Enable Mobile Ordering- When this is ticked, the Outlet itself will be published to mobile Ordering. This allows the user to prevent Outlets which are used for wastage from being available in mobile Ordering (as orders are not placed against these Outlets)
2. Default Route- This will only be available when Enable Mobile Ordering above is selected. This allows for the selecting of a default route for the Outlet, so that when requisitions are generated from an incoming basket, they will automatically be routed for approval.  This prevents the user having to log into Purchasing & Inventory to route their requisitions, having created them in mobile Ordering.  If left blank, requisitions will be created with a status of "no active routing"
3. Replenish From– This is used to specify the supplying Outlet for the selected Outlet. Typically, this would be the storeroom.  Where this value is left empty, then any orders created in mobile receiving will be converted to Purchase Requisitions.  When this field is populated, orders from mobile ordering will be converted to an Outlet Requisition, with the Replenish From Outlet as the supplying Outlet (subject to the rules specified below).

Please Note: The Replenish From field may already be visible if the option Property > Administration > Property Preferences > Requisition > Auto Create Outlet Requisitions is selected, as this field is also used for that functionality.

Fig.2 – Configuring Outlets in P&I

How a Basket from Mobile Ordering is converted into Requisitions in Purchasing & Inventory

When a basket is "checked out" in the mobile ordering app, the list of items will be sent to Purchasing & Inventory, along with the ordering Outlet and the required date.  When the core solution processes the basket contents, it will make the following checks:

Products

• If the Outlet does not have a "Replenish From" Outlet set, then all items will be added to a Purchase Requisition (this is used where an Outlet only ever makes direct purchases, such as a franchise restaurant within a hotel)
• If the Outlet does have a "Replenish From" Outlet set, then Purchasing & Inventory will attempt add the items to an Outlet Requisition as follows:

• Check if the item is within the guide of the "Replenish From" Outlet - if not then it will be added to a Purchase Requisition (i.e. for an item which is not stocked by the storeroom)
• If it is listed in the guide, check if the setting allow requisition more than available stock is enabled via Property > Administration > Property Preferences > Requisition.  If it is, then add the item to an Outlet requisition
• If allow requisition more than available stock is not enabled, then check if there is sufficient stock in the "Replenish From" Outlet.  If there is, then add the item to an Outlet Requisition
• If allow requisition more than available stock is not enabled, and there is not sufficient stock in the "Replenish From" Outlet, then add the item to a Purchase Requisition

In summary, the "smart ordering" logic will attempt to get any items that it can do from the storeroom (where the storeroom is set as the replenishment Outlet).  If it can't obtain an item from the replenishment Outlet, then it will add it to a Purchase Requisition.  This ensures that users don’t purchase items that they should be getting from an internal store, and don’t request things from an internal store that they should be buying from an external vendor.

Recipes

• Recipes that have a “Preparing Outlet” set will be added to an Outlet Requisition with the “Preparing Outlet” populated as the “Supplying Outlet”
• Recipes without a "Preparing Outlet" set will be added to an Outlet Requisition with the “Replenish From” Outlet populated as the “Supplying Outlet”
• If the Ordering Outlet does not have a “Preparing Outlet” set, then any recipes without a “Preparing Outlet’ set will be added to an Outlet Requisition, with the Property-defined “Storeroom” populated as the “Supplying Outlet”
  • The Property-defined Storeroom can be located under Property > Administration > Property Preferences > General: Storeroom

Conversion of Units when Creating Requisitions

As a Market List will contain both the purchase and inventory units, it is possible that an Outlet Requisition could be created for a number of purchase units, and a Purchase Requisition could be created for a number of inventory units. 

Where an Outlet Requisition is created, the quantity will be either the number of inventory units requested in mobile ordering or, where the user has ordered in purchase units, the number of purchase units converted to inventory units.  For example, if a user orders 2 cases of Coca Cola (24 x 330 ml cans) and this results in an Outlet Requisition, the quantity ordered would be 48 x 330 ml cans.

Where a Purchase Requisition is created, the quantity will be either the number of purchase units entered by the user or, where the user ordered in inventory units, the number of inventory units converted to purchase units rounded up.  For example, if a user orders 19 cans of Coca Cola and this results in a Purchase Requisition, the quantity ordered would be 1 case x 24 x 330 ml cans.

Auto Routing Requisitions for Approval / Releasing Requisitions

When a Purchase Requisition or Outlet Requisition has been created from a mobile ordering basket, it will be treated as follows:

For a Purchase Requisition:

• If none of the items in the PR require approval, release the Purchase Requisition (PR) according to the setting in Property > Administration > Property Preference > Requisition > Release To (i.e. it will be released to either Property or CP)
• If any of the items in the PR require approval, check the route assigned to the Outlet in the Default Route for the Outlet, and route the PR to the first user on the route.  From here onward, it will follow the existing Purchasing & Inventory approval work flow
• If any of the items in the PR require approval but there is no route assigned to the Outlet, then do nothing (leave the requisition as "No Active Routing")
• If none of the items in the PR require approval, and the setting When Requisition Exceeds Budget or Forecast is set to Block User From Saving Requisition, and the budget is exceeded, then route the PR for approval according to the Outlet default route

For an Outlet Requisition:

• If the option Property > Administration > Property Preferences > Requisition > Approval Needed for Outlet Requisitions is not selected, then release the Outlet Requisition (OR)
• If this option is enabled, check the route assigned to the Outlet in the Default Route for the Outlet and route the Outlet Requisition to the first user on the route.  From here onward, it will follow the existing Purchasing & Inventory approval work flow
• If there is no route assigned to the Outlet. then do nothing (leave the requisition as No Active Routing)

Publishing Templates in P&I as Market Lists in Mobile Ordering

Either Purchase Requisition or Outlet Requisition templates can be published to mobile Ordering as Market Lists. 

Market Lists are generic lists, and do not relate to either a PR or an OR, so once a template from Purchasing & Inventory has been published to mobile Ordering, it will be used to create a basket of goods which may end up creating a Purchase Requisition, an Outlet Requisition, or both. 

Please Note: Market List names in mobile Ordering are based on the Purchase Requisition Template "Description" or Outlet Requisition Template "Comments" fields, so ensure that a name is added in Purchasing & Inventory or users will not be able to see the Market Lists once the templates have been published.

To publish a template for use in Mobile ordering, the option in Property > Administration > Property Preferences > Requisition > Enable Ordering App must be enabled.  There will then be new controls and options visible on both PR and OR templates.

These controls will be visible, but may be disabled if the current template owner does not have a Fourth Account, as when a template is published to mobile Ordering, it has to have an owner. If the owner of the template does not have a Fourth Account, is will not be possible to publish the template. 

• Either assign a Fourth Account to the template owner in Purchasing & Inventory, or change the template owner to a Purchasing & Inventory user who has a Fourth Account

Providing that the template owner in Purchasing & Inventory has a Fourth Account, then the option to make the template available in mobile Ordering will be enabled.

Visibility of Templates as Market Lists in Mobile Ordering

There are also options which dictate the visibility of the template once published to mobile Ordering.  The options are either the template owner only, or anyone associated with the Outlet to which the template is assigned. 

Please Note: The template permissions for mobile Ordering have no relation to the template permissions within Purchasing & Inventory (as Purchasing & Inventory supports three template access levels, whilst mobile Ordering supports two).

Fig.3 – Configuring Templates for Mobile Ordering

Once a template is published to mobile Ordering, it will be visible as a Market List.  Any items added to the template in Purchasing & Inventory will be reflected in mobile Ordering.  This synchronization is one way, so changes made to the market list in mobile Ordering will not be reflected in Purchasing & Inventory.

As a Market List can be used to create both PRs and ORs, then for each product, both the inventory and purchase units will be sent to the mobile Ordering service.  For example, if the published PR template in Purchasing & Inventory has Coca Cola by the case of 24, and the inventory unit for this product is 1 can x 330ml, then the Market List will contain both the case of 24 x 330ml and 1 each x 330ml.