Data Template: Purchase to Pay - Purchase Order

The Activity Name describes a step or status change within the purchase order process. Examples include 'Purchase Order Created', 'Purchase Order Approved', 'Goods Receipt Posted', and 'Invoice Received'. Each activity represents a distinct point in the process journey.

This attribute is essential for building the process map, which visually represents the flow of activities. Analyzing the sequence and frequency of different activities helps identify common process paths, deviations, bottlenecks, and rework loops, such as repeated approval or change events.

It forms the backbone of the process map, allowing for the visualization and analysis of the process flow, variations, and inefficiencies.

This information is typically derived from transaction codes, status change logs, event tables, or change document tables associated with the purchase order.

Event Time captures the date and time that a specific activity was executed or a status change was recorded. This timestamp provides the temporal context for each event in the purchase order's lifecycle.

In process mining, timestamps are fundamental for calculating cycle times, durations, and wait times between activities. By ordering events chronologically for each case, it becomes possible to analyze process performance, identify bottlenecks where time is lost, and monitor compliance with service level agreements (SLAs).

It enables all time-based analysis, including cycle time calculation, bottleneck identification, and performance monitoring against benchmarks.

This is typically found in event logs, change history tables, or as a creation or posting date field on transactional documents.

The Purchase Order ID is a unique alphanumeric code assigned to each purchase order, distinguishing it from all others. It acts as the central reference point for all activities, documents, and communications related to a specific procurement transaction.

In process mining, this ID is crucial for grouping all related events, such as creation, approval, goods receipt, and invoicing, into a single end-to-end process instance or 'case'. Analyzing processes by this identifier allows for the reconstruction and visualization of the entire lifecycle of each purchase order, from its inception to its final closure.

It is the fundamental attribute that connects all related events into a single process case, making end-to-end analysis of the purchase order lifecycle possible.

This is typically a primary key field found in the purchase order header table or document.

This attribute records the date and time of the most recent data load or refresh from the source system. It is a metadata field that applies to the entire dataset rather than a single event.

This information is critical for users to understand the freshness of the data they are analyzing. It helps them gauge the relevance of the insights and ensures that decisions are based on data that is as current as required for their analysis.

It informs users about the timeliness of the data, ensuring they understand the period covered by the analysis and the relevance of the findings.

This timestamp is typically generated and stored by the data extraction and transformation (ETL) tool or process.

The Source System attribute identifies the originating information system for the event data, such as an ERP, procurement platform, or a legacy system. This is particularly important in environments where the purchase-to-pay process spans multiple integrated applications.

Knowing the source system helps in data validation, troubleshooting, and understanding process variations that may be system-dependent. For example, POs originating from an e-procurement system might follow a different, more automated path than those created manually in the core ERP.

It provides context for the data's origin, which is crucial for data governance, validation, and analyzing process variations across different systems.

This can be a static value added during data extraction or a field within the source tables that indicates the system of entry.

The Department attribute specifies the organizational unit responsible for the purchase. This is often the department that initiated the request or the one whose budget will cover the expense, such as 'IT', 'Marketing', or 'Operations'.

This attribute is essential for segmenting and comparing process performance across different parts of the business. Analysis by department can reveal which areas have the longest cycle times, highest change rates, or greatest maverick buying. These insights help tailor improvement initiatives to the specific needs and behaviors of each department.

It allows for process analysis to be segmented by business unit, helping to compare performance and identify department-specific issues or best practices.

This information is usually available in the purchase order header or line item details, often linked as a 'Cost Center' or 'Department' field.

The Item Category, also known as Material Group or Purchase Category, classifies the type of product or service being procured. This structured classification helps in organizing and understanding procurement spend and process behavior.

Analyzing the process by item category can uncover significant variations. For instance, the procurement process for complex services may have longer approval cycles and more changes than the process for standard office supplies. This segmentation allows for category-specific process optimization and strategy development.

It enables analysis of process performance and spend by category, revealing how different types of purchases impact process efficiency.

This information is typically stored at the purchase order line item level.

The Purchase Order Amount represents the total financial commitment of the order. It can be analyzed at the overall document level or at the individual line item level.

This attribute is fundamental for financial analysis and prioritization. It allows for filtering processes based on value, for example, to focus on high-value POs which may have more complex approval workflows or greater business impact. Correlating PO amount with cycle times or rework rates can reveal if high-value orders are handled less efficiently than low-value ones.

It provides a financial dimension to the process, enabling value-based analysis to prioritize improvements and understand cost drivers.

This value is located in the purchase order header data, often calculated as the sum of all line item amounts.

The Purchase Order Status indicates the stage of the PO within its lifecycle at a given point in time or its final disposition. Common statuses include 'In Approval', 'Approved', 'Sent to Vendor', 'Partially Received', 'Closed', or 'Canceled'.

This attribute is useful for filtering and analyzing subsets of purchase orders. For example, analysis can focus exclusively on open orders to identify current bottlenecks, or on canceled orders to understand the reasons for cancellation. Tracking the sequence of status changes can also serve as the basis for defining the activities in the process model.

It allows for filtering cases based on their lifecycle stage, enabling focused analysis on open, closed, or problematic orders.

This is a standard status field found in the purchase order header data.

The Requested Delivery Date is the date specified on the purchase order by which the organization expects to receive the items or services from the vendor. This date serves as a baseline for measuring vendor delivery performance.

This attribute is essential for calculating the 'On-Time Delivery Rate' KPI. By comparing the requested delivery date with the actual goods receipt date, businesses can assess vendor reliability. Analyzing deviations can help identify chronic issues with certain vendors, items, or shipping locations, providing data for performance discussions.

It is the benchmark for measuring vendor delivery performance and is crucial for calculating the On-Time Delivery Rate KPI.

This date is typically a standard field in the purchase order header or line item details.

The User Name identifies the individual responsible for executing an event within the process. This could be the person who created the requisition, approved the purchase order, or posted the goods receipt. It provides accountability and a human dimension to the process flow.

Analyzing activities by user helps in understanding workload distribution, identifying training needs, and detecting potential compliance issues. For example, it can be used to see if certain users are associated with high rates of rework or delays, or to check for segregation of duties violations.

It links process activities to specific individuals, enabling analysis of workload, performance, and compliance at the user level.

Typically found in 'Created By', 'Changed By', or 'User ID' fields in transaction logs and document headers.

The Vendor Name identifies the external party that is contracted to provide the goods or services specified in the purchase order. It is a key piece of master data linked to the transactional PO data.

Analyzing the process by vendor is critical for supplier performance management. It allows for the comparison of vendors based on metrics like on-time delivery rates, goods return rates, and the frequency of PO changes. These insights can inform sourcing strategies, vendor negotiations, and relationship management.

It enables vendor performance analysis, allowing comparison of delivery times, quality, and process friction across different suppliers.

This is sourced from vendor master data and linked to the purchase order, typically in the document header.

The Currency attribute specifies the unit of money used for the Purchase Order Amount and other financial fields. It is essential for correctly interpreting and aggregating financial data, especially in multinational organizations that operate with multiple currencies.

In analysis, this attribute ensures that financial metrics are compared on a like-for-like basis. It is a prerequisite for any dashboard or KPI that involves monetary values, allowing for proper currency conversion and reporting to provide an accurate financial view of the procurement process.

It provides the necessary context for all monetary values, ensuring accurate financial reporting and comparison, especially in global operations.

This code is typically stored in the purchase order header alongside the total amount.

The End Time attribute records the completion time of an activity. While many process events are atomic and have the same start and end time, some activities, especially manual ones or those with a measurable duration, may have distinct start and end timestamps.

Having an end time allows for precise calculation of the processing time of individual activities. This is invaluable for identifying which specific steps are time-consuming and for differentiating between processing time (when work is actively being done) and waiting time (the idle time between activities).

It enables the precise calculation of activity processing times, helping to distinguish active work time from idle waiting time in the process.

Found in event logs or transaction data, sometimes as a separate 'End Time' or 'Completion Date' field. If unavailable, it can be set to the same value as the Event Time.

The Purchase Requisition ID is the identifier for the internal document that initiated the procurement process. The requisition is the formal request made by a department to the purchasing department to procure goods or services.

Having this ID allows for the connection of the purchase order process to the upstream requisitioning process. This enables a broader, 'Requisition-to-Order' analysis, measuring the time taken from request to the creation of the PO. It helps identify delays in the handoff between requesters and the purchasing team.

It links the purchase order to its originating request, enabling analysis of the upstream requisition-to-order cycle time.

This is typically stored as a reference field in the purchase order header or line item data.

The Requester is the person within the organization who initiated the need for a purchase, often by creating the preceding purchase requisition. This is distinct from the user who may have created the purchase order document in the system, who is typically part of the purchasing department.

Analyzing by requester can help identify patterns in purchasing behavior. For example, certain requesters might consistently have urgent orders or orders that require frequent changes. This information can be used to provide targeted training on procurement policies or to improve requirement specifications at the source.

It identifies the business user who initiated the purchase, helping to analyze purchasing behaviors and improve the requirement specification process.

This information is usually sourced from the associated purchase requisition or stored as a 'Requester' field on the purchase order itself.