Method of and system for processing purchase orders

• US 7,660,742 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Biwer, Michael, Welter, Markus, Grendel, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Amee A
• Application Number:
  US10/932,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20050197915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,986 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.82
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A method of and system for processing a purchase order. The method of processing a purchase order includes receiving data regarding the purchase order in a computerized system, wherein the purchase order has been rejected based on the application of at least one rule. The method also includes providing options to facilitate acceptance of the purchase order. The system for processing a purchase order includes means for receiving data regarding the purchase order, wherein the purchase order has been rejected based on the application of at least one rule. The system further includes means for providing options to facilitate acceptance of the purchase order.

Claims

1. A method of processing a first purchase order, the method comprising:

receiving data regarding the first purchase order in a requestor computing system from a requestor;

determining by a computer system that the first purchase order violates at least one budge rule;

wherein the at least one budget rule is associated with other pending purchase orders;

rejecting by the computer system the first purchase order based on the determination that the first purchase order violates the at least one budget rule;

generating by the computer system a plurality of remedial options that overcome the rejection, the remedial options having characteristics which are determined by the requestor computing system based on the determination; and

wherein the remedial options comprise modifying at least one parameter of the first order and modifying at least one parameter of at least one pending order of the other pending orders associated with the at least one budget rule that are retrieved from a database;

presenting by the computer system the generated plurality of remedial options to the requestor based on the determination for required modifications for the acceptance of the current purchase order;

receiving by the computer system a selected option from the requestor computer system; and

the computing system implementing at least one of the selected option by

if the option selected modifies a parameter of the first order, then the first order is reevaluated based on the at least one budget rule;

or

if the option selected modifies a parameter of the at least one pending order, then the at least one budget rule is modified based on the modified pending order and the first order is reevaluated based on the modified at least one budget rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter of the first purchase order is at least one of a price, a quantity, a cost, a temporal period, and a date associated with the first purchase order.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a selected option includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reevaluating the first order based on the at least one budget rule includes comparing a cost associated with the modified first purchase order to an amount of available funding in a budget associated with the modified first purchase order.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter of the at least one pending order is at least one of a price, a quantity, a cost, a temporal period, and a date associated with the at least one pending order.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a modification to the at least one other purchase order includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reevaluating the first purchase order based on the modified budget rule includes comparing a cost associated with the first purchase order to an amount of available funding in a budget associated with the first purchase order.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing remedial options to facilitate acceptance of the purchase order includes providing an option to submit the purchase order to a user having authorization to approve the purchase order.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the user having authorization to approve the purchase order is provided with an option to approve the purchase order by one of modifying the at least one rule and suspending application of the at least one rule.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchase order includes purchasing data for at least one of a service and a product.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchase order is an electronic purchase order.

12. The method of processing a purchase order of claim 1, wherein generating the remedial options includes generating at least one of:

an opportunity to amend the purchase order, suggest one of an amount or time limitation, initiate a procurement, delay the purchase order, modify other related purchase orders and a list of existing purchase orders.

13. A system for processing a purchase order, the system comprising:

a requestor computing system configured to receive data regarding the purchase order from a requestor, the purchase order having a cost;

a computer system configured to determine the first purchase order violates at least one budget rule;

wherein the at least one budget rule is associated with other pending purchase orders;

the computing system configured to reject the purchase order based on the determination that the first purchase order violates the at least one budget rule;

the computing system configured to generate a plurality of remedial options that overcome the rejection, the remedial options having characteristics which are determined by a computing system based on the determination rejection; and

wherein the remedial options comprise modifying at least one parameter of the first order and modifying at least one parameter of at least one pending order of the other pending orders associated with the at least one budget rule that are retrieved from a database;

the computing system configured to present the generated plurality of remedial options to a requestor computing system based on the determination for required modifications for the acceptance of the current purchase order;

the computing system configured to receive a selected option from the requestor computing system; and

the computing system configured to implement at least one of the selected option by;

if the option selected modifies a parameter of the first order, then the first order is reevaluated based on the at least one budget rule;

or

if the option selected modifies a parameter of the at least one pending order, then the at least one budget rule is modified based on the modified pending order and first order is reevaluated based on the modified at least one budget rule.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing system configured to generate remedial options is further configured to provide an option to submit the purchase order to a user having authorization to approve the purchase order;

wherein the computing system is configured to provide the user having authorization to approve the purchase order with an option to approve the purchase order by one of modifying the at least one rule and suspending application of the at least one rule.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one parameter of the first purchase order parameter is at least one of a price, a quantity, a cost, a temporal period, and a date associated with the purchase order.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing system configured to receive a modification to the purchase order is configured to receive user input from a graphical user interface.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing system configured to apply the at least one rule to the modified first purchase order is configured to compare a cost associated with the modified first purchase order to an amount of available finding in a budget associated with the modified first purchase order.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one parameter of the at least one pending order is at least one of a price, a quantity, a cost, a temporal period, and a date associated with the at least one pending order.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing system configured to receive a modification to the second purchase order is configured to receive user input from a graphical user interface.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing system configured to reevaluate the first purchase order based on the modified bud et rule compares a cost associated with the first purchase order to an amount of available funding in a budget associated with the first purchase order.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the purchase order includes purchasing data for at least one of a service and a product.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the purchase order is an electronic purchase order.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer system configured to generate remedial options is further configured to generate options including at least one:

an opportunity to amend the purchase order, suggest at least one of an amount or time limitation, initiate a procurement, delay the purchase order, modify other related purchase orders and a list of existing purchase orders.

24. A program product for processing a purchase order, the program product comprising machine-readable program code for causing, when executed, one or more machines to perform the following method steps:

receiving data regarding the first purchase order in a computerized system from a requestor;

determining that the first purchase order violates at least one budge rule;

wherein the at least one budget rule is associated with other pending purchase orders;

rejecting the first purchase order based on the determination that the first purchase order violates the at least one budget rule;

generating a plurality of remedial options that overcome the rejection, the remedial options having characteristics which are determined by a computing system based on the determination; and

wherein the remedial options comprise modifying at least one parameter of the first order and modifying at least one parameter of at least one pending order of the other pending orders associated with the at least one budget rule that are retrieved from a database;

presenting to a display the generated plurality of remedial options to the requestor based on the determination for required modifications for the acceptance of the current purchase order

receiving a selected option from the requestor; and

implementing at least one of the selected option by

if the option selected modifies a parameter of the first order, then the first order is reevaluated based on the at least one budget rule;

or

if the option selected modifies a parameter of the at least one pending order, then the at least one budget rule is modified based on the modified pending order and the first order is reevaluated based on the modified at least one budget rule.

25. The program product of claim 24, wherein the generating remedial options further includes an option to submit the purchase order to a user having authorization to approve the purchase order;

and further providing the user having authorization to approve the purchase order with an option to approve the purchase order by one of modifying the at least one rule and suspending application of the at least one rule.

26. The program product of claim 25, at least one parameter of the first purchase order is at least one of a price, a quantity, a cost, a temporal period, and a date associated with the first purchase order.

27. The program product of claim 25, wherein the reevaluating the first purchase order based on the modified budget rule includes comparing a cost associated with the modified purchase order to an amount of available funding in a budget associated with the modified purchase order.

28. The program product of claim 24, wherein the at least one parameter of at the least one pending order is at least one of a price, a quantity, a cost, a temporal period, and a date associated with the at least one pending order.

29. The program product of claim 24, wherein receiving a modification to the second purchase order includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

30. The program product of claim 24, wherein the reevaluating of the first purchase order based on the modified budget rule includes comparing a cost associated with the first purchase order to an amount of available funding in a budget associated with the first purchase order.

31. The program product of claim 24, wherein the purchase order includes purchasing data for at least one of a service and a product.

32. The program product of claim 24, wherein the purchase order is an electronic purchase order.

33. The program product of claim 24, wherein generating remedial options includes generating at least one of:

an opportunity to amend the purchase order, suggest at least one of an amount or time limitation, initiate a procurement, delay the purchase order, modify other related purchase orders and a list of existing purchase orders.