iPoint has options when it come to Allocating Items & Creating POs
It more than likely depends on the size of your company and/or if there is a rush or long lead time item you need to order. Below we break down where you can Allocate items from and where POs can be created from, plus the pros and cons of each.
Where can I Allocate in stock items from? ![]()
As per usual with iPoint, we are flexible. With the proper permission set you can allocate from a variaty of modules.
The Purchase Request Manager (PRM)
You can access the PRM from either the Inventory or Purchase Order Modules. In the PRM you can filter by line and see available stock. If you have more than one request for the same item, but limited stock you can easily prioritize and decide which request the item should be allocated to. This dashboard gives you a view of all items requested from any module.
Pros:
- Visibility of all requests in one dashboard and Required By Dates
Cons:
- You may have a lot of requests for a single product
- You cannot allocate in bulk
Sales Order > Product Manager
Within a SO>Product>Product Manager, you can see all of the products and their status for this specific SO. You can also show available stock and filter until your heart is content. You can also Allocate in bulk within the Product Manager.
Pros:
- You can Allocate in bulk!
Cons:
- You do not know what other requests are out there for these products
Project ![]()
Within a Project, you are able to Allocate in two different areas. First in Tasks/Parts, in the Parts tab. You are able to click into each item and Allocate them or you can click on Stock Options and do bulk transactions. Additionally, from the Add Parts tab you are able to Allocate items you have with you (usually stock from a technician’s van).
Pros:
- You can Allocate in bulk!
Cons:
- You do not know what other requests are out there for these products
Work Order (WO)
From a WO, you are able to Allocate in two different areas. First in Tasks/Parts, in the Parts tab. You are able to click into each item and Allocate them or you can click on Stock Options and do bulk transactions. Additionally, from the Add Parts tab you are able to Allocate items you have with you (usually stock from a technician’s van).
Pros:
- You can Allocate in bulk!
Cons:
- You do not know what other requests are out there for these products
Invoice ![Winston: Invoice]( "Winston: Invoice")
You may create a stand alone invoice for a point of sale transaction. You can Allocate from the invoice line itself. Additionally, you can opt into a Setting that will auto deliver items if they are available from the default warehouse.
Pros:
- You can Allocate each line
Cons:
- You do not know what other requests are out there for these products
Where can I Create POs from in iPoint?
There are multiple ways to create POs in iPoint. Those options are outlined below.
Purchase Request Manager (PRM) ![Winston Delivers]( "Winston Delivers")
WIthin the PRM you can see all requests that have come in from various locations in iPoint. Once you’ve Allocated what items are available in stock, it’s time to create your PO. There are headers in the PRM that identify Vendor and Manufacturer (along with lots of other stuff). If you sort by Vendor and click the plus sigh on the Vendor line, iPoint will capture any item below that Vendor that is not allocated (don’t worry, if three were requested and one is already allocated, iPoint will only put what is needed onto the PO). You simply click Create PO, then verify your vendor and you have a PO! The best part about this? When these items are received, they will automatically allocate to the module they were requested from.
Pros:
- Visibility of all item requests and their statuses
- You can select all items that need ordered by Vendor and create a PO with minimal clicks
- You can add items to an existing, open PO
- Creating POs this way you are more likely to make freight
- You can pick and choose what items you want to put onto a PO for a specific Vendor
- When items are received on the PO, items will automaticlly be allocated back to where the item was requsted from (SO, Project, WO, Invoice)
Cons:
- None – if you think of any, let us know!
Sales Order > Product Manager
Within each SO>Product Manager you are able to sort, select products, and create a PO. This is great if you need to quickly create a PO for a single, special order or long lead time item. You can also create POs for Vendors and add to existing, open POs.
Pros:
- You can order a single item or create a PO for a Vendor
- You can add items to an existing, open PO
- When items are received on the PO, items will automaticlly be allocated back to this SO
Cons:
- You may not make freight
- There may be other requests for the same items or items from the same Vendor that are not included on this PO
Purchase Order Module ![]()
You are able to go directly to the PO module to create a new PO; however, this is typically only done for stock only POs. If you create POs here and add items from a SO, Project, WO, or Invoice they are not automatically tied to that module and customer. That means, when received, they need to be manually allocated to where they should be.
Pros:
- You can create POs for stock items only if you’d like to keep those separate from other orders
Cons:
- Items added in this manner will not be auto allocated when received as they are not specifically tied to any other module – they will be received into stock