Order, delivery and invoice as one chain
Three documents for one case. If one of them differs, it shows without anyone comparing.
Practice / Materials and orders
Materials and orders
Order, delivery note and invoice are usually recorded in separate routines. Matching them automatically works only with dependable identifiers and complete documents.
The starting point
The work
in between.
- Orders go out by email or by phone. What was ordered sits in the sent mail.
- The delivery note arrives with the goods and ends up in the van, in the workshop or in the bin.
- The invoice arrives weeks later. Without a systematic three-way match, differences in quantity can go unnoticed.
- How dependable a stock figure is depends on recording discipline, posting times and the link to purchasing and goods received.
A suitable design
What needs to
work together.
These components describe one possible individual scope. Scope and rules are agreed with your business.
The delivery note is photographed, not typed
A readable photo can start the recording. Recognition, quantity and the link to the job are checked. Anything unclear stays open for approval.
Assigned to the job
Confirmed quantities are assigned to the right job. Part quantities and unclear references stay visible until they are settled.
An example decision card
An invoice differs from the delivery note
More units were charged than delivered. The difference is small, but it is there.
A draft query to the supplier is ready. Not sent.
Where does the difference come from?
- order: one quantity
- delivery note: a smaller quantity, signed for
- invoice: the quantity originally ordered
- → the invoice follows the order, not the delivery
07 · To compare
Ordered, delivered, invoiced.
Three documents belong to the same delivery. Bring them together. The difference only becomes visible in the chain.
State and handover
Check the quantity across order, delivery and invoice
The query to the supplier is prepared but not sent.
- 01 Order · 120 unitsorder B-778 of 27 July · confirmed separate
- 02 Delivery note · 112 unitsLS-5418 · signed for on delivery separate
- 03 Supplier invoice · 120 unitsER-8841 · 4 August · not posted yet separate
- 04 Query with the supplierquestion with the order and the delivery note attached not created
Documents
3 separateAs things stand, the invoice would be posted with the quantity ordered.
History
The starting position and the check that ran stay distinguishable.
- Agent · purchasing Supplier invoice ER-8841 matched to the supplier and to order B-778.
An illustration. The supplier, the documents, the quantities and the prices are invented; no message is sent.
The chain finds the mistake
Each document on its own is plausible. Only the order, the signed delivery and the invoice side by side show that the quantity charged never arrived.
Unclear stays unposted
The difference is neither guessed at nor disputed automatically. It stands there as a concrete point to settle, with the documents that belong to it.
The countercheck
Where things
can go wrong.
Modelling a full warehouse can build unnecessary structure for a smaller business. The benefit depends on whether stock can be kept dependable in daily use. Often the part that belongs to the job carries it to begin with. The rest stays deliberately out until there is a concrete need for it.
A useful first trial includes this failure case explicitly. Fast processing alone is not success if checking and correction create more work.
The connection to the next task
Your first stage
Start where
the work improves.
For Materials and orders, we choose a bounded first outcome with your team. Existing specialist systems can stay where they fulfil necessary requirements. We compare time relief, payments that can end and the cost of the new way of working.
The workshop gives you priorities and a roadmap. You can continue internally or with support from Markus Kirchmair. The choice of model and agent follows the task, with data and rules retained outside an individual chat.
Explore the workshop →Ready for the next change
Keep the work simple.
The first view should show the next relevant decision. Reasoning and sources remain accessible. We leave out unnecessary features and make actual progress visible.
When a rule changes, agents can help investigate the impact, prepare the adjustment and update tests and documentation. A qualified person assesses the result and its adoption.
Try a change →Your first step
Say yes
to less.
Less unnecessary software. More room for your work. Let’s find the useful first step.