Are you using the feature of "Create a purchase order from a request"?

[Samantha Sam]

As per the docs here, ServiceNow is giving an option of creating a PO once a user places an order for a Hardware/Software.

Question is, does this design/flow make sense in real world? If a user places an order for Hardware/software, the user would wait until the PO is ordered and received and then gets his request fulfilled?

Wont the IT team keep the required inventory in stock? Do they fulfil on-demand basis?

[Daniel Slocum]

Hi Avi,

The Procurement Flow for both Hardware and Software allows for either fulfillment from stock or by the creation of a PO. 

This Docs page discusses sourcing from Stock.

[Samantha Sam]

Hi @Daniel Slocum Sorry for the late reply. 

Yes I am aware of the the process of fulfilment or transfer from stock room.

But my question was more on the PO process once the request is created, like more in the real world how it works.

I always thought, once a request is created, it should be fulfilled either by consuming from the stock room <or> transfer from stock room. 

When you know that some item is about to run out of stock, we need to procure the items well ahead of time, rather an going through the PO process AT THE TIME of Request creation. 

PO team and Asset team should be separated from the Request flow.

This is how one of my previous customer had implemented, and I thought it was the same everywhere.

Why should the user wait for the PO to be fulfilled each time a request is created was my question 🙂

[Daniel Slocum]

Hi Avi,

Your approach is sound and is ideal for organizations with sufficient budget to maintain enough stock to support immediate fulfillment of standardized hardware and software assets. For off-catalog requests in any organization or for smaller organizations that may struggle with keeping sufficient stock on hand, awaiting receipt of a PO before fulfillment is the norm. 

Daniel