Use Case Scenario
When the inspection results or defects have been recorded by the quality technician, the quality engineer assesses all available data and decides whether the inspection lot can be accepted or rejected.
Process in SAP S/4HANA
The following figure shows you how a usage decision is performed and which actions are triggered in the system:
A usage decision condenses the entire inspection information to a binary value: accepted or rejected. The Quality Engineer reviews all inspection results an defects that were recorded by the Quality Technician. They then decide whether they can accept the lot: if all characteristics are accepted and there are no defects, they accept the lot. If there are rejected characteristics and/or defects, they usually reject the lot. However, the Quality Engineer might also encounter a situation where all but one inspection characteristics are accepted or only characteristics of minor importance are rejected. Should they then accept or reject the lot?
Technically, executing a usage decision corresponds to selecting a code from a predefined list of usage decision codes that are maintained in a catalog by the Quality Planner. In a standard setup, there is usually one code for acceptance and one code for rejection, respectively. If there are only minor deviations, the Quality Planner usually defines the additional usage decision code "acceptance with minor deviations". Technically, this still corresponds to an acceptance.
After the selection of a usage decision code, the system automatically calculates the quality score for the inspection lot. The quality score corresponds to an integer number between 1 and 100 points, whereby 1 point is the worst grade and represents rejection and 100 points are the best grade and represent acceptance. For acceptance with minor deviations, the Quality Planner could have defined a value of, for example, 80 points. With the help of the quality score, the Quality Engineer can later evaluate the average quality of, for example, a supplier. In addition, they can generate a time series to analyze whether the quality of the supplier increased or decreased over time. Furthermore, when you automatically select a supplier in purchasing, the average quality score can affect the automatic supplier selection.
If the inspection lot manages stock, the system usually automatically executes an inventory posting on the basis of the usage decision (for example, posting from inspection stock to unrestricted-use or blocked stock). Usually, the Application Consultant configures the usage decision code "acceptance" such that the managed stock is posted to unrestricted-use stock. The "rejection" usage decision code usually moves the stock to blocked stock. For intermediate results, no automatic stock posting might be configured since it might be an individual business decision whether the lot quantity should go to unrestricted-use or blocked stock.
Note
In SAP S/4HANA, executing a usage decision is the last step in the lifecycle of an inspection lot and you cannot undo a usage decision. However, if you selected an incorrect usage decision code and saved the data, you can re-open the data set and correct your mistake. However, remember that you might have to manually correct the automated stock postings that were performed when you made the first usage decision (for example, you might have to move stock from unrestricted-use to blocked stock if you incorrectly selected an acceptance UD code instead of a rejection UD code).How to Execute a Usage Decision: System Demonstration
In the following demonstration, you will see these steps:
- Execute a positive usage decision for an inspection lot with accepted characteristics and without defects
- Execute a negative usage decision for an inspection lot with defects and rejected characteristics
- Review the stock posting
Note
If you have access to the practice system, you have now the option to do the exercise Execute Quality Inspections.