Learn more about the different features and information available from a project's Purchase orders tab.
On this page:
Product images
The POs tab displays an image of the first item in a purchase order. The images are for your reference only and don't show on the supplier's purchase order.
SKUs
The SKU column displays each product (SKU) on the purchase order. Products are grouped onto a single purchase order if they:
- Are coming from the same supplier
- Have the same in-hands/shipping date
- Are shipping to the same location
- Have the same shipping method
You can edit each product's shipping details to combine multiple items on a single PO or split products on different POs.
Purchase order numbers
Each purchase order is assigned a unique PO number when it's created.
To preview a purchase order, click on the PO # to open the purchase order in a separate tab.
Purchase order details
The "PO Details" column displays:
- each purchase order's shipping details
- each purchase order's shipping label (click Shipping Label for a preview)
- each purchase order's packing slip (click Packing Slip for a preview)
The shipping label and packing slip are available as an attachment on the outgoing purchase order email.
Status: Purchase order stages
The Status column displays each purchase order's stage, each purchase order's status, and each proof's status.
- Purchase order stages are usually managed through the Production Report, but you can click the status drop-down to make changes through the POs tab.
- Proof statuses are managed through the project's Proofs tab or the Production Report.
All proof statuses, as well as purchase order statuses and stages, are logged in the project overview's Activity tab.
Production rep
The production rep is responsible for managing purchase orders and communicating with suppliers. A team admin can assign your default production rep through the Management > Admin tab.
Submitting a purchase order
You can submit a supplier's PO directly from a project or submit the PO externally and record the details in commonsku.
- Click Email to Supplier to email the purchase order from commonsku.
- Click Mark as... to mark the purchase order as submitted by another method (fax, FTP, supplier site, otherwise submitted).
- For PromoStandards ePOs, click Send to Supplier.
Emailing the supplier directly from commonsku, or selecting an option from the Mark as button, will automatically change the stage of the purchase order to Submitted.
Order Status (PromoStandards)
Click Check Order Status to track the purchase order's progress. Order Status details are only available from suppliers who offer PromoStandards Order Status endpoint.
PO Tasks & Notes
To add a task to a purchase order:
- Click Notes
- Click Add Task icon
- Compose your task in the text field
- Set the user and the task date
- Click Create Task
In the slide-out menu, new tasks are shown at the top, followed by notes and other activity logs about the project. Both are logged chronologically.
To add an internal note to a purchase order:
- Click Notes
- Click Add Note icon
- Compose your note in the text field
- Click Select Files to attach a file (optional)
- Click Create Note
PO tasks and notes can be logged and are visible from the POs Tab, the Production Report, the Production Dashboard, and the project's Overview.
Pin logs in the PO newsfeed
You can pin any logs in the POs activity feed so that it appears at the very top of the feed.
To pin a log:
- Find the log you need
- Click the icon
The pinned log will now appear at the top of the feed and can be identified as pinned by the blue line appearing on the left-hand side.
To unpin a pinned log:
- Locate the pinned log
- Click the icon
Comment on logs in the PO newsfeed
To leave a comment on a log in the POs activity feed:
- Click on the relevant log
- Type your comment into the "Your comment" text field
- Click Comment
Delete logs from the PO newsfeed
To delete a log from the POs activity feed:
- Find the log you need
- Click the icon
- Click OK in the browser pop-up
The log will now be permanently removed from the newsfeed.
Only the user who originally created the log will be able to delete it - other users can comment on, like, or pin the log, but they cannot delete it. Individual comments on logs cannot be deleted. Purchase order approvals performed by the supplier cannot be deleted.
@ mentioning a team member
You can use the notes section to @ mention a member of your team.
Delete a purchase order
To delete a purchase order, click Delete > Yes. You cannot delete purchase orders with supplier bills entered against them; you'll need to delete the bill before deleting the purchase order.
commonsku Tip: You cannot restore a deleted purchase order. The best practice is only to delete a purchase order if it was made by accident. If you're not longer placing the order, you can change the POs stage to Closed in the status column.
Proofs tab
Proofs can be uploaded and managed through the project or the Production Report.
FAQ
How can I change my PO number?An admin can customize your team's PO number through the Admin tab.
To set your purchase order numbers:
- In Management > Admin > Settings > Project Numbers > click the numeric field beside "Next Purchase Order #"
- Enter the next purchase order number
- Click Save
Can I customize the packing slip/shipping label?
Packing slips and shipping labels are automatically generated based on the purchase order's details. There's no way to customize packing slips or shipping labels in commonsku, but you can attach external packing slips and shipping labels to your outgoing purchase order emails.