Job Workflow

Pupose and Function

Once you have created a new job you begin what we call the Job Work Flow. You may simply know it as the process of getting bids, awarding the job and ordering it. This process is straight forward and probably very familiar to you:

1. Prepare Job Specifications
2. Select Suppliers
3. Send Request For Quote (RFQ)
4. Collect Supplier Prices
5. Compare Prices
6. Award Job
7. Create Job Order
8. Send Job Order

The P3 system has an easy to use analogue for each of these steps. A typical workflow looks very similar. Click on the links below for help with each step:

1. Prepare Specifications in an RFQ
2. Selecting suppliers from the Supplier List
3. Sending the RFQs to your suppliers
4. Receiving responses and updating bids
5. Comparing prices using the Compare Bids window and selecting a winning supplier
6. Creating, authorizing, and sending a job order
7. Completing the job and updating information for the Reporting System

As you move through the workflow, you will update the Job Status to reflect its current state. As you complete jobs and collect data about suppliers and their performance, the Reporting System will become an extremely useful tool for informed buying and keeping track of your company's affairs. This workflow can be seen in the buttons located along the top of the Job Master.

Job Master Work Flow Buttons

Conveniently, there is a series of buttons running across the top of the Job Master window that follow the typical Job Work Flow. The same functions are available through the RFQ-Management menu, but the buttons are very convenient.

Select Suppliers - This button will open the Suppliers List window. Click on a supplier from the list, and then click the Add Supplier button. Do this for each supplier you want to bid on the job. If you change your mind, simply deselect the supplier you want to remove. Click here for more information on the Suppliers List page.

Send RFQ - Clicking this button will activate the email generator that will prepare an RFQ (Request For Quote) email message. The subject and introductory text in the message can be modified before sending. The job specifications you created will be appended to the end of the introductory message.

Compare Bids - This button launches the bid comparison window. Once the prices are posted in the system, you can quickly compare suppliers using the Compare Bids window. This window displays a table of the selected suppliers and the prices offered for the job.

To alleviate the nuisance of entering prices manually, P3 Software has created a web page mechanism through which suppliers can enter their prices and comments, and you can download them directly to the job record. On the Compare Bids window there is a button labeled Update Prices that will automatically pick up prices posted for the job through the P3 Software web site. We have taken special precautions to ensure that this process is simple for suppliers and very secure. The Compare Bids window also contains a button that allows you to Award the job to a particular supplier.

Award Job - This process triggers a set of optional email messages to the winning and losing suppliers regarding their bids. In addition, the supplier that is awarded the job is entered on the Job Order automatically.

Order Job - Once the job is awarded to a supplier, you can then click the Order Job button. This will open the Job Order window where you can add information to create a Work Order.

Complete Job - When a job has been completed, click the Complete Job button. This will trigger a series of prompts asking if you want to set the completion date, rate the supplier's performance and deactivate the job. This clean up process is very important for tracking supplier performance and moving old jobs off your active job list.

Job Status

Job Status is a property of each job, shown primarily in the Job List. You can see the status of each job displayed in the circled column below.

Purpose

The Job Status setting for each job has an impact in many places throughout the system. These steps and the Job Status correspond to the steps that a typical job takes as it progresses through the RFQ process and the job ordering and production process.

Enterprise Administrators can customize the Job Status system by adding additional values to the Job Status list, through the Enterprise Settings window.

The default job status values and their intended use are as follows:

Planning

The specifications are still being written; the supplier list and RFQ are still unlocked. The RFQ has not been sent yet.

Bids Requested

The RFQs have been sent to suppliers, and so the specifications and supplier list are typically locked. Pricing data will begin to appear as bids come in.

Reviewing Prices

All of the bids have been received, and the user is prompted to compare their prices in the Job Master Window.

Awarded

The user has chosen a supplier to produce the job.

Ordered

The job order has been sent to the winning supplier.

Complete

The job is finished, and production is complete. When this job status is selected it triggers the completion process.

Canceled

The job has been canceled, but the information is still available. When this job status is selected it triggers the cancellation process.

On Hold

The job is on hold: not progressing in the workflow, but still available.

A user can also select options that show a range of job statuses:

Planning to Reviewing Prices

This includes jobs in planning, bids requested, or reviewing prices stages.

Awarded to Complete

This includes jobs in awarded, ordered, or complete stages.

Ordered to Complete

This includes jobs that are in either the ordered or complete status.

As a job progresses through the production cycle the user will be prompted at certain times to adjust the Job Status. These automatic adjustments take care of most but not all of the cases where a user needs to adjust a job status. It is important also to update the Active checkbox for each job. When a job is complete or not currently being planned, setting it to inactive will make its contents read-only, and hide it from the Job List by default. P3 will prompt you to change the Active checkbox when switching a job's status to Complete, Canceled or On Hold.

Effects of Job Status

Changing a job's status changes how it is displayed in the Job Master.

Changing to Awarded, Ordered, Completed or further:

• The Order Info tab in the bottom left side of the Job Master Window is displayed first rather than the RFQ Info tab.

Changing to Ordered:

• The dates section changes to the On-Time Tracking mode.
• The dates previously set by the user are copied into a second row to indicate the original production plan.

NOTE: As you move forward with production on a job, remember to update the dates in the first row to reflect the current production plan, and to switch them to Actual as each deadline passes. You may switch a date to Actual from Anticipated by clicking on the button below the heading of each column of production dates. Switching a date to Actual prevents it from being changed, and removes it from your deadline calendar (indicates it has been completed).