Document Flow Line

Document flow line is a tool for creating purchase process documents based on preceding documents in the flow. It is located at the top of each purchase process document. The Document flow line represents the typical purchase process which comprises five sequential steps that involve the creation of the following purchase process and purchase-related documents: 

Purchase quotation ⇒ Purchase order ⇒ Goods and Services receipt ⇒ Purchase invoice ⇒ Make payment 

Note: Document flow line is an auxiliary tool for managing your purchase documents. Its primary aim is to represent the purchase process in more transparent and coherent way. However, it is not the main tool for creating purchase process documents. For example, the Document flow line allows you to create only one document of a specific type based on preceding purchase documents. So, if you wish to create several purchase orders based on one purchase quotation, you have to use the standard copying functions but not the Document flow line. 

Navigation through the Document flow line

The Document flow line also helps to navigate through the purchase process and purchase-related documents. The line gives you information about where a particular purchase process document is located in the flow, whether it is based on other purchase process documents, which documents can or cannot be created directly from the given document.  

In the Document flow line, the current purchase process document is in deep blue.

Subsequent documents in the flow which you can create based on the given document are in light blue, also the Plus icon is displayed next to document names.

If the document is based on the preceding purchase documents, instead of generic purchase document names, you will see a serial number of the specific purchase documents based on which the given document was created. You can navigate to such documents by clicking them in the Document flow line. 

Documents that cannot be created from the given document are disabled in the line and are in grey.

Document creation via the Document flow line

For example, if you start your purchase process from adding a purchase quotation, you can create all subsequent purchase process documents based on it, in particular, you can create a purchase order, a goods and services receipt or a purchase invoice directly from the purchase quotation.

Note: You cannot create a make payment document from a purchase quotation or any other purchase process documents but for a purchase invoice. Make payment documents can be created only as standalone documents or based on purchase invoices. 

To create a document from the flow,  you have to, first of all, save the purchase quotation and then click a document in the line which you intend to create. The system will copy information from the purchase quotation and transfer it to the newly created purchase process document populating its fields with values copied from the fields of the purchase quotation. 

You can create any of the subsequent purchase process documents from the purchase quotation, except a make payment document that can be created only based on purchase invoices.

You can follow the typical purchase process and create all documents from the flow in sequential order or you can skip certain documents and, for example, create a receipt document directly from the purchase quotation. If you skip specific documents from the purchase flow and straight away create higher-level documents, you can return to the first document in the flow, and create the omitted documents. For example, you can create a purchase order based on the purchase quotation from which the receipt has already been created. Then, the created purchase order will also be displayed in the Document flow line. However, if there is no purchase quotation preceding the delivery, you will not be able to create purchase orders as the purchase process in Codejig ERP is a one-way process that moves only forward but not in reverse. So, it is highly recommended to commence your purchase cycle from creating the first document in the flow as this will allow you to create all documents from the flow at any time.

Note: You can modify purchase documents that have been created based on preceding documents in the flow. You can change data in any fields, add new items, delete transferred items or alter item details. Also, you can edit or delete documents based on which subsequent documents have been created without affecting those higher-level documents or triggering any changes in them. Also, you can create new documents instead of the deleted ones, and such documents will be displayed in the Document flow line. However, if you delete the first document in the flow, you will not be able to create new documents instead of it.

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