Build a Release Strategy with Workflow and Fiori for PO Approvals

In the most recent episode of The Never-Ending Climb to Stronger Supply Chain and Procurement for Companies Running SAP, our CEO Shaun discusses some of the most common mistakes he sees procurement teams making, many of which may be low-hanging fruit. 

What Is A Release Strategy? 

A release strategy is a predefined set of rules and conditions that determine how a purchase order should be approved. These rules are typically based on criteria such as the purchase order amount, the requesting department, or the vendor. Release strategies are often specific to an organization's procurement policies and practices. Together, with a workflow, that ensures the right people make approvals in the correct order and everything is transparent, and Fiori, a user experience design language developed by SAP for simple design, the strategy becomes clear. 

An Overview of The Release Process 

Here's how the process typically works: 

• Creation of a Purchase Order: A user in the procurement department creates a purchase order within the organization's procurement system (e.g., SAP). 
• Release Strategy Determination: The system checks the purchase order against the predefined release strategy to determine the approval path. It identifies the specific approvers or groups of approvers who need to review and approve the PO. 
• Workflow Automation: The purchase order is then automatically routed through the workflow based on the release strategy. Approvers are notified of their pending approvals through the workflow system. They can view and take action on the purchase order directly from their Fiori-based user interface. 
• Approval Process: Approvers can view the purchase order details, check for compliance with company policies, and either approve or reject it. If the release strategy requires multiple approvals, the workflow ensures that the PO passes through the necessary stages. 
• Visibility and Monitoring: All stakeholders can track the status of purchase orders in real-time. Transparency is improved, and bottlenecks or delays in the approval process can be identified and addressed. 
• Notification and Alerts: Workflow and Fiori provide alerts and notifications to keep relevant parties informed and ensure timely approvals. 

How Do You Know If Your Release Strategy Needs Attention  

In a recent episode of The Never-Ending Climb to Stronger Supply Chain and Procurement For Companies Running SAP, Shaun uncovers that if your team can’t approve a PR or PO on your phone with a simple app that shows you the documents that are waiting for a person to approve, it isn’t a strong enough release strategy. 

To contrast, the alternative (which all too many teams are still facing) look more like your dad’s ERP, which you need to log into, enter a transaction code, type in a PO number, fill in the the magic spot to look, locate the special button to click, all pending on you remembering to hit save. As you might notice, the process is a lot slower, lacks transparency, has a tendency to face delays and also can’t be easily tracked or audited.