Maximo Open Forum

Suppose you have users filling out Materials Requisitions.  Suppose they need something that should be a Line Type of TOOL or ITEM, but, for whatever reason, they enter it as a MATERIAL and just write it in.

The business ultimately needs it to be a TOOL or ITEM -- needs to get entered in the right storeroom, need to capture serial number, maybe it's a rotating item and needs to be connected to both the correct ITEM record and needs the ASSET record stub created when received, and so on.

I can't find a way in the data flow to convert it from a Material to the "right" answer.  I mean, suppose the Purchasing Agent sees this on a PR and immediately knows, "hey, I know there's an Item record for that already;" or maybe sends it to an RFQ and wants to make an Item record for it, and convert the awarded RFQ line to utilize that Item record -- especially for Rotating Items.

How can this be handled?  Just hope that everyone else does "right" after the Material is received (create the ITEM or TOOL record, add to correct storeroom, create Asset record and capture serial number, etc.)?  Cancel everything all the way back to the originating Materials Requisition and make the user re-submit using the correct Item #?

I was kinda hoping there'd be a means to "convert" the Material as it exits the RFQ and moves to a Contract or PO, but I'm not seeing it. Ideas?

(Worst case scenario: the original user didn't even try to see if it had an Item number. He submits the MR. That becomes a PR, eventually a PO, gets ordered and received. . .but all the while it was actually a stocked item they could've just taken from the shelf in the storeroom.)

#EndUser
#Procurement

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Travis Herron
Pensacola Christian College
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Hi Travis,

Interesting scenario. There is no built-in method to "make it right."  I understand and appreciate your need to use your stock before ordering others.

So, let's examine this a bit more. If starting at an MR/DR (interchangeable terms), you cannot charge a storeroom, and you can never create a replenishment-type order from a DR.  Next, any line for a material will create a PR/PO (depending on your Org settings). Let's assume it's an unapproved PR.  When I look at the PR line for the material, I can see it tied back to the DR, but as you say, Maximo does not perform any matching to existing stock.

I can delete that line and add the correct item, but I CANNOT tie the new line back to the DR, therefore, if I continue to place the order, yes, I will eventually receive the item in stock, but the original requestor will never have their DR updated and therefore be informed.  What's more, when I deleted the original line, the DR's status went back to WAPPR and therefore is no longer approved...and guess what even if I now approve the DR, it will not re-rerun the reorder process and you will never get a new PR.  Please note that the requester's name is on the PR, so, yes you could inform them based on that value.

Now, my premise is that you do want the DR to become closed when the PO is raised from the PR, you do want to inform the requestor that the goods have been received, and you don't want a bunch of DR's hanging around in WAPPR status.

So, it's a lost cause to change things after submitting a DR.  Yes, you can add to the subsequent PR/PO, but removing any line that is referenced reverts the linked record back to WAPPR.

Maximo is dumb.

My thought is that you'd need to capture and change the line record at its earliest stage, in this case at the DR. But at what point of its lifecycle, noting that the reorder engine is run when you submit (one time only though). 

1. You may have to run the record through a Workflow which as part of one step is to find and convert the DR line.  One sticking point is which storeroom to pull the item from.  It could be as simple as looking at the user's record and using the value in the "Default Storeroom for Self-Service Requisitions".

2. Another thought is to have a pop-up dialog that presents a list of "matching" items and if they choose one from that list to then change the line type to ITEM and use the selected item number instead.

Let's walk back to the first premise "Use the stock we have before ordering more".  The user is entering free text because either they cannot find the item in their search, can't be bothered looking, or it's just how they have been taught.  With that in mind, #2 would be the better option.  Is this a case for a bit of AI?

The one sticking point is if you are using any punchout solution as that may be stipulated as your first port of call, but let's not go too deep here and just go with the plain version.

And someone I'm sure said there was an easy answer.

Options:

1. Delete the line on the PR/PO and add the correct Item.  You then also need to deal with the DR/PR reverting back to WAPPR.
2. Build an automation script that matches to a list of existing stock and have the user choose from that.
3. Build an automation script that just replaces the line with the item on the DR.
4. Live with it and just process it.  Re-education might be best.
5. Cancel the PR and DR and have the user resubmit with an item.

Good luck.

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Craig Kokay
Principal Consultant
COSOL

email: craig.kokay@cosol.global
#IBMChampion
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