What we see time and time again is the SAP QM Vendor Release functionality is not being implemented as often as it should be. The QM Vendor Release functionality allows Quality to control the release of vendors when there is a new product, revision change, or a change of vendor. The QM Vendor Release functionality prevents purchasing from buying vendor materials before Quality has the chance to review and release the Material/Vendor combination for purchasing to then go ahead and purchase the necessary materials from the approved vendor. With a control key and the check of a box, QM Vendor Release gives Quality the chance to approve a Material/Vendor combination before Purchasing can buy from a new Material/Vendor combination once:
– Purchasing has bought a certain number of materials
– Until a review date
– Or allow purchasing to buy permanently
Purchasing clearly knows whether or not a Material/Vendor combination has been released by Quality because if not they will see an error on the Purchase Order create (PO) screen. It is important that Quality is proactive in releasing Material/Vendor combinations so that Purchasing can avoid the error message altogether.
All too often QM Vendor Release functionality is not being implemented as often as it should. As a result, many clients say they would have implemented this functionality had they known about it. In most business environments, there is a policy or procedure in place to ensure Quality has a chance to approve the Material/Vendor combination before Purchasing can buy. Unfortunately, many times the policy or procedure is not being followed. This is put to a end when QM Vendor Release has been implemented properly. If this policy or procedure is within your organization, then no one should oppose turning on this functionality.
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