Method and system for flexible budgeting in a purchase order system

• US 7,813,949 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2005
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Grendel, Alexander, Stanke, Renate
• Primary Examiner(s): Boswell; Beth V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Singh; Gurkanwaljit
• Application Number:
  US11/075,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,044 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705/9, 705/10, 705/30
• US Class Current: 705/7.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A system and method of budgeting in a purchase order system are disclosed. The method of budgeting includes allocating a budget according to one or more planning levels and selecting or defining one or more keys, each key corresponding to one or more planning levels.

Claims

1. A computer-executable program product comprising computer executable instructions tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium that when executed by one or more processors perform a method comprising:

allocating a budget according to a plurality of planning levels, the plurality of planning levels comprising a store planning level, a product planning level, and at least one of a year planning level, a season planning level, a delivery period planning level, an order period planning level, a merchandise category planning level, a buyer planning level, or a vendor planning level;

selecting one or more keys, each key corresponding to one or more planning levels;

generating a centralized purchasing budget from the allocated budget for a plurality of stores based on two or more of the plurality of planning levels and the one or more keys, the plurality of stores including a first store and a second store;

generating a decentralized purchasing budget from the allocated budget for the first store based on two or more of the plurality of planning levels and the one or more keys;

generating a decentralized purchasing budget from the allocated budget for the second store based on two or more of the plurality of planning levels and the one or more keys;

allocating the centralized purchasing budget, the decentralized purchasing budget for the first store, and the decentralized purchasing budget for the second store to at least one budget category;

wherein the at least one budget category comprises at least one of a year budget category, a season budget category, a delivery period budget category, an order period budget category, a merchandise budget category, a buyer budget category, or a vendor budget category;

generating a centralized purchasing document based on the centralized purchasing budget, the centralized purchasing document configured to provide centralized purchasing for the plurality of stores during a first season;

generating a decentralized purchasing document for the first store based on the decentralized purchasing budget for the first store, the decentralized purchasing document for the first store configured to provide a purchasing function specific to the first store during the first season;

generating a decentralized purchasing document for the second store based on the decentralized purchasing budget for the second store, the decentralized purchasing document for the second store configured to provide a purchasing function specific to the second store during the first season;

generating a centralized purchase order based on the centralized purchasing document;

generating a decentralized purchase order for the first store based on the decentralized purchasing document for the first store and the purchasing function specific to the first store;

generating a decentralized purchase order for the second store based on the decentralized purchasing document for the second store and the purchasing function specific to the second store;

applying one or more budget rules based on the centralized purchasing budget to the centralized purchase order;

applying one or more budget rules based on the decentralized purchasing budget for the first store to the decentralized purchase order of the first store;

applying one or more budget rules based on the decentralized purchasing budget for the second store to the decentralized purchase order of the second store;

determining whether the centralized purchase order, the decentralized purchase order for the first store, and decentralized purchase order for the second store are accepted or rejected for processing based on the budget rules;

forwarding the purchase order to a procurement module if the purchase orders can be processed;

if the purchase orders cannot be processed, configuring the procurement module via the purchasing document to conform to the budget rules;

transmitting at least one of the centralized purchase order, the decentralized purchase order for the first store, and the decentralized purchase order for the second store to a vendor;

receiving at least one confirmation for the centralized purchase order, the decentralized purchase order for the first store, and the decentralized purchase order for the second from the vendor; and

storing at least one of the centralized purchasing document, the decentralized purchasing document for the first store, the decentralized purchasing document for the second store, the centralized purchase order, the decentralized purchase order for the first store, the decentralized purchase order for the second store, the confirmation, and vendor data.

2. The computer-executable program product of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the centralized purchasing budget to a centralized purchase order cost, comparing the decentralized purchasing budget for the first store to a decentralized purchase order cost for the first store, and comparing the decentralized purchasing budget for the second store to a decentralized purchase order cost for the second store.

3. The computer-executable program product of claim 2, further comprising transmitting at least one of the centralized purchase order, the decentralized purchase order for the first store, and the decentralized purchase order for the second store based on at least one of the centralized purchasing budget being equal to or greater than the centralized purchase order cost, the decentralized purchasing budget for the first store being equal to or greater than the decentralized purchase order cost for the first store, and the decentralized purchasing budget for the second store being equal to or greater than the decentralized purchase order cost for the second store.

4. The computer-executable program product of claim 2, wherein the centralized purchasing budget is in a first currency, the decentralized purchasing budget for the first store is in a second currency, the decentralized purchasing budget for the second store is in a third currency, and further comprising translating the first currency, the second currency, and the third currency into a common currency.

5. The computer-executable program product of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the centralized purchasing budget to a centralized purchase order cost, comparing the decentralized purchasing budget for the first store to a decentralized purchase order cost for the first store, and comparing the decentralized purchasing budget for the second store to a decentralized purchase order cost for the second store;

transmitting at least one of the centralized purchase order, the decentralized purchase order for the first store, and the decentralized purchase order for the second store based on at least one of the centralized purchasing budget being equal to or greater than the centralized purchase order cost, the decentralized purchasing budget for the first store being equal to or greater than the decentralized purchase order cost for the first store, and the decentralized purchasing budget for the second store being equal to or greater than the decentralized purchase order cost for the second store; and

wherein the centralized purchasing budget is in a first currency, the decentralized purchasing budget for the first store is in a second currency, the decentralized purchasing budget for the second store is in a third currency, and further comprising translating the first currency, the second currency, and the third currency into a common currency.

6. The computer-executable program product of claim 1, wherein the transmitting at least one of the centralized purchase order, the decentralized purchase order for the first store, and the decentralized purchase order for the second store to the vendor is further based on an industry report.

7. The computer-executable program product of claim 1, wherein the transmitting at least one of the centralized purchase order, the decentralized purchase order for the first store, and the decentralized purchase order for the second store to the vendor is further based on an industry report, an actual inventory level, and at least one of an expected product delivery and a change in inventory level.