Purchase Order Workflow Problem

[George J. Campbell-Kelly]

I have just implemented a PO workflow in 31i. To overcome this problem we
copied to concepts behind the SAP Purchase Requistion release.
 
My workflow is triggered by either a create event or a change event, a
check fm runs to ensure the PO requires release. The next level of required
release is then looked up and a workitem is sent to them. Terminating
events are: PO released, PO release and no further release required, PO
release reset and PO changed. If a further release is required another
workflow is created, the time delay is not noticable as the releasers will
be by definition different people.
 
This has several advantages: it is staggeringly simple to implement, and
can then be used for any number or release levels.
 
I could not get any of the change documents to work correctly and in the
end put checkfm on all the events, messy but life is too short sometimes!
 
 
George
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Susan R. Keohan" <skeohan at MIT.EDU> on 21/06/2000 03:31:17
 
Please respond to "SAP Workflow Users' Group" <SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
 
To:   SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
cc:    (bcc: George Campbell-Kelly/GB/NSC/ICI)
Subject:  Purchase Order Workflow Problem
 
 
 
 
>X-Comment: mitvma.mit.edu: Mail was sent by fdpnmailgw1.dpn.deere.com
>X-Server-Uuid: 2d3b7162-db1d-11d3-b8ee-0008c7dfb6f1
>From: "Arthofer Heather M" <ArthoferHeatherM at JohnDeere.com>
>To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
>Subject: Purchase Order Workflow Problem
>Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 15:42:54 -0500
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>X-Wss-Id: 155108C562646-01-01
>
>This message was originally  submitted by ArthoferHeatherM at JOHNDEERE.COM
>to the
>SAP-WUG list  at MITVMA.MIT.EDU.  If you  simply forward it  back to  the
>list,
>using  a mail  command that  generates "Resent-"  fields (ask  your local
>user
>support or consult the documentation of your mail program if in doubt), it
>will
>be  distributed and  the  explanations  you are  now  reading  will be
>removed
>automatically. If on the other hand you edit the contributions you receive
>into
>a digest, you will have to  remove this paragraph manually. Finally, you
>should
>be able  to contact  the author  of this  message by  using the  normal
>"reply"
>function of your mail program.
>
>----------------- Message requiring your approval (48 lines)
>------------------
>We are currently in 46C and are trying to set up the standard purchase
order
>workflow provided by SAP.
>
>We have two release strategies set up.
>  1.  < $10,000 which only needs to be approved (released) by the
supervisor
>  2.  >= $10,000 which first needs to be approved by the supervisor and
then
>approved by a manager.
>
>The workflow works fine in the first case, where there is only one
approval
>needed.  However, in the second case, we are running into problems.
>
>The workflow first goes to the supervisor fine.  However, after the
>supervisor executes the work item and releases the purchase order it sends
>the notification that the purchase order has been released to the user who
>created the purchase order, but does not send a new work item to the
manager
>to do the final release of the purchase order.
>
>We looked at the Event Trace and determined that the ReleaseStepCreated
>Event is being created twice.  The first time it works fine and the a work
>item is sent to the supervisor.  The second time it says that the receiver
>was started correctly, however no work items or workflows are being
started.
>
>
>We tried to start the workflow manually for the second step and the
workflow
>is started fine and sends the work item to the manager.  We also tried
>creating the event manually and seeing if that worked and it worked as
well.
>
>The only thing that we could come up with is that there is a problem with
>the terminating event Released.  This event is created after the second
>ReleaseStepCreated Event is created.  This event terminates the first work
>item that should be sent to the supervisor.  However, it seems to be
causing
>problems with the other work item that should be sent to the manager.
>
>We copied the check function module for that event temporarily to allow us
>to terminate the event.  We found that if the Released event was not
created
>that the second ReleaseStepCreated Event started the workflow successfully
>and sent the work item to the manager.  The only problem was that the
first
>workflow that was sent to the supervisor does not terminate now.
>
>We checked to see if there were any OSS notes on this problem, but could
not
>find any.
>
>Has anyone had the similar problem in 46C or different releases?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Heather Arthofer
>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
This email is confidential, may be legally privileged, and is for the
intended recipient only.  Access, disclosure, copying, distribution, or
reliance on any of it by anyone else is prohibited and may be a criminal
offence.  Please delete if obtained in error and email confirmation to the
sender.