Processing Release Procedures for Purchase Requisitions

In SAP S/4HANA, you can set up approval procedures for purchase requisitions and for external purchasing documents, such as purchase orders, contracts, scheduling agreements, and requests for quotation.

If a purchase requisition or an external purchasing document fulfills certain conditions (for example, a requisition item is assigned to a cost center), the document has to be approved (by the cost center manager, for example) before further processing can take place. An electronic release procedure can reflect the approval process. This release procedure automatically blocks the relevant documents for further processing. You cannot convert blocked requisition items into follow-on documents. Blocked purchase orders cannot be output/transmitted.

There are two possibilities to set up release procedures:

• Classic workflow with use of classification
• Flexible workflow

The two possibilities can be used together. It's not an either/or decision.

You create a release procedure for requisitions to prevent the requisitions from being converted into follow-on documents, such as RFQs, purchase orders, and outline agreements. You may require one or several approvals for the release. The release acts as an electronic signature.

You need to differentiate between the following types of release:

• Item-wise release
• Overall release

With an item-wise release, every item is checked to see if it is relevant for release. The check is made as you enter the data.

With the overall release, all items must fulfill these criteria. Therefore, you must choose the criteria for the overall release carefully. The check is made when you save or check the purchase requisition.

You decide whether to have an item-wise release or an overall release when customizing the purchase requisition type.

You can release purchase requisitions in the following ways:

• Individual release: You release individual items of a requisition, or—if the requisition must be released completely—you release the entire document. With individual releases, you can also reject the release.
• Collective release: You release several requisition items or requisitions by using your release code. To execute this transaction, you need to enter only your release code. The system then lists all requisitions and requisition items that can be released with this release code. You can limit the scope of this list using various selection options on the initial screen. A rejection is not possible with collective release.

You can use the flexible workflow for purchase requisitions with the automatic, one-step, or multi-step approval process.

As a configuration expert, you can add approvers and reviewers as recipients of workflow items. You can define recipients using either a role or a user-based assignment. You can also mark a workflow step as optional to automatically skip and move to the next step when an approver cannot be determined. You can also choose to exclude restricted agents from being approvers of purchase requisition.

You can configure emails with selected email templates to be sent to selected recipients when the approval deadline is reached, or when a purchase requisition has been approved or rejected.

As a reviewer, you can monitor the progress of the workflow. As an approver, you can get an overview of all the purchase requisitions you are responsible for. You can approve or reject purchase requisitions and add comments. You can also add decision reasons and comments.

Based on the workflow configuration, you can send back purchase requisitions to requestors for rework. You can also add new approval steps to the workflow.

As a purchaser or specialist, you can view the approval details of a purchase requisition. In Create/Edit mode, the approval details provide a preview of the possible approval steps based on the workflow configuration. In Display mode, the approval details show the actual approval steps with the current status. You can also add new approval steps to the workflow.

You will be notified if your purchase requisition has been rejected or sent back to you for rework. In the case of purchase requisitions that have been sent back for rework, you can read the approver's comments, make the required changes, and resubmit the requisition.

While using the flexible workflow, critical changes made to a purchase requisition will trigger the workflow based on the system settings or be sent back to you for rework. If purchase requisitions have been sent back for rework, you can read the comments from the approver, make the required changes, and resubmit the requisition. While using the flexible workflow, critical changes made to a purchase requisition will trigger the workflow based on the settings in the system.

• Release procedures in SAP S/4HANA: Set up approval workflows for purchase requisitions and external documents to block further processing until approved.
• Types of release: Choose between item-wise and overall release based on criteria, impacting requisition conversion into follow-on documents.
• Flexible workflow: Utilize automatic, single-step, or multi-step approval processes with customizable steps and notifications for efficient management.
• Workflow configuration: Add approvers, reviewers, and approval steps; monitor progress and make adjustments as needed.
• Responsive actions: Read approver comments, make changes, and resubmit requisitions through flexible workflow triggers.