Outbound Orders
Create and manage outbound orders
Introduction
An Outbound Order is used to record a customer's order and initiate the fulfillment process. It serves as the primary document for managing customer sales in Numera.
With Outbound Orders, you can:
- Record a customer's order
- Reserve inventory
- Plan deliveries
- Generate invoices
- Track order fulfillment
Key Concept
Sales Process Overview
Outbound Orders are part of a complete sales workflow that flows through delivery and invoicing to accounting.
Navigation and Order List
Overview
The Outbound Orders list page provides a central view of all orders in the system. From this page, users can:
- View existing orders
- Search orders by number, customer, or reference
- Filter orders by status, date, or other criteria
- Sort orders by any column
- Open existing orders for viewing or editing
- Create new orders
Creating an Outbound Order
Overview
Creating an outbound order involves the following steps:
- Create a new outbound order - Start a new order from the list page
- Enter header information - Select customer, dates, and terms
- Add items - Add products and services with quantities and prices
- Review availability - Check stock levels for each item
- Save or confirm - Save as draft or confirm the order
Order Header Data
The order header contains key information about the customer and order terms.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Customer | Customer placing the order |
| Order Date | Date of order creation |
| Requested Delivery Date | Requested fulfillment date |
| Reference Number | Customer reference |
| Notes | Internal or customer notes |
| Currency | Transaction currency |
| Payment Terms | Agreed payment conditions |
Item Data
Adding Items
Users can add one or multiple products and services to the order. Each line should contain:
- Item - Product or service being ordered
- Quantity - Number of units
- Unit - Unit of measure
- Unit Price - Price per unit
- Discount - Line discount if applicable
- Tax - Applicable tax rate
- Line Total - Calculated total for the line
Inventory Availability
Stock Visibility
While entering order lines, users can review stock availability to ensure items can be fulfilled.
Availability Indicators
Current Physical Stock
Current quantity physically available in inventory.
Available to Promise (ATP)
Quantity expected to be available on the requested delivery date after considering:
- Existing allocations
- Incoming inventory
- Planned transactions
Saving and Confirming Orders
Save as Draft
Draft orders:
- Can be edited freely
- Do not reserve stock
- Do not affect fulfillment planning
Save and Confirm
Confirmed orders:
- Become active sales commitments
- Reserve inventory when Inventory Management is enabled
- Participate in allocation calculations
Quotations and Proforma Invoices
Overview
Outbound Orders can also be used as the basis for customer-facing sales documents before fulfillment begins. While an order is still in Draft status, users can generate:
- Quotation
- Proforma Invoice
This allows the sales team to provide pricing and payment documents to customers before confirming the order.
Quotation
A Quotation is used to present products, services, pricing, taxes, and commercial terms to a customer.
Typical use cases:
- New sales opportunities
- Customer price requests
- Formal offers
- Tender responses
Proforma Invoice
A Proforma Invoice is a preliminary invoice that can be issued before fulfillment and before creating the final sales invoice.
Typical use cases:
- Advance payments
- International trade
- Customer prepayments
- Internal approval processes
Available Documents by Status
| Document | Draft | Confirmed | Delivered | Invoiced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quotation PDF | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Proforma Invoice PDF | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pick List PDF | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outbound Delivery | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sales Invoice | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Recommended Workflow
Sales Quotation Workflow
Quotation
Create customer quotation
Customer Approval
Wait for customer acceptance
Order Confirmation
Confirm the outbound order
Outbound Delivery
Fulfill the order
Sales Invoice
Invoice the customer
Important
Actions Available for Confirmed Orders
Generate PDF Pick List
Generate a pick list document for the warehouse team.
Create Outbound Delivery
Generate a delivery document from the order.
Create Invoice
Generate a customer invoice.
Cancel Order
Cancel the order and release allocations.
Clone
Create a new order using the same data.
Outbound Order Status Lifecycle
Orders progress through a defined lifecycle from creation to completion.
Alternative path:
Status Definitions
Order is being prepared.
Order is approved and active.
Goods have been delivered.
Invoice has been generated.
Order has been both delivered and invoiced.
Order was cancelled and is no longer active.
Editing Existing Orders
| Status | Can Be Modified | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Yes | No restrictions |
| Confirmed | Yes | Allocation updates automatically |
| Delivered | Conditional | Related documents must be handled first |
| Invoiced | Conditional | Invoice must be handled first |
| Completed | Restricted | Delivery and invoice must be handled first |
| Cancelled | No | Cannot be modified |
Warning
Best Practices
Confirm only committed orders
Confirm orders when customer commitment is finalized.
Review ATP before confirmation
Use Available to Promise values to avoid over-promising.
Use Clone for recurring orders
Clone recurring customer orders to save time.
Maintain requested delivery dates
Accurate delivery dates improve planning and ATP calculations.