The Power of PeopleTools: An Example of a Buyer Work Center
In prior posts, we have generically discussed utilizing PeopleTools 8.5x to improve business intelligence within PeopleSoft. Our message is definitely resonating with our customers as they are now looking for unique ways to take advantage of these powerful enhancements.
For example, we worked with a customer to create a buyer homepage dashboard. This dashboard is extremely powerful, taking advantage of query, embeddable pagelets with links to the application components to create a work center designed to provide the buyers the key information and navigation they need to efficiently complete their daily tasks.
These work center pagelets include:
- Comparing the requisition to the purchase order for validation: Allows PO approvers to quickly identify purchase orders that need further research before approving them.
- List purchase orders that have no receipts: Assists buyers with monitoring their shipments against open PO’s and averting match exceptions.
- Identifying past due purchase orders: Assists buyers with monitoring their shipments against open PO’s and expediting, if necessary.
The last two pagelets provide links to allow the buyer to open purchase order for research and maintenance:
- List open requisitions which have not been turned into purchase orders: Creates an automated to-do list to help buyers manage their work schedule. Allows the buyer to track the progress of requisitions through the sourcing and approval steps.
- New items which have been entered but not yet activated: Helps ensure new item entry is completed and the items are available for use. The pagelet includes a link to item add/update page.
- Outlining match exceptions: This pagelet creates an automated to-do list to help buyers manage their work and minimize navigation. Allows the buyer to track match exceptions for their POs and link to the Matching Workbench to see the exceptions, the PO Activity Summary page research the problem and the PO update page to correct the problem.
- Identifying blanket POs by buyer: The Blanket PO Pagelet shows open blanket purchase orders by buyer. The page lists the buyer’s blanket PO and shows the remaining balance of the orders. It also provides a link to the PO.
As you can see, this setup allows a buyer to log into PeopleSoft and have their priorities waiting for them right on their homepage. No longer do you have to run queries, print queries or write information down, navigate to multiple pages to investigate. With these homepage dashboards and drillable links, buyers can link directly to the page and record requiring investigation. In short, this is a very powerful tool that saves time and increases the usability of PeopleSoft — all done by virtue of PeopleTools 8.5x.
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