When a product is released, several controls are executed by Quality Assurance to ensure that:
Analytical results are in specs.
The batch documentation is correct and complete.
Any issue that might impact the batch has been investigated and successfully solved.
The Certificate of Analysis meets the customer’s specifications.
Since many companies use the same items for different customers that might have slightly different specifications, the Quality Assurance/Qualified Person verifies that each batch portion associated with a customer in a sales order meets the customer’s specifications. Life Sciences Supply Chain Management allows users to perform this control at the sales order level via the shipment approval process: users can specify if selected sales order lines require shipment approval from an authorized person and prevent the shipping of material before this is executed.
Shipment approval for sales orders can be activated by enabling the Shipment approval > Sales order parameter in the Item model groups form (Inventory management > Setup > Inventory > Item model groups).
The shipment approval requirement defined in the item model group can be overridden for a specific sales order line by enabling the Shipment approval parameter in the Line details tab of the Sales order form (Sales and marketing > Sales orders > All sales order > Sales order).
Steps
The shipment approval process for a sales order can be executed by performing the following steps:
Select a sales order, switch to the Pick and pack tab and click Generate > Shipment approval.
The list of inventory dimensions to be shipped is displayed in the Shipment approval form. Select the lines for which the shipment is approved and click Approve > Update selected. To quickly approve all the lines, click Approve > Update all. The Approval status is automatically set to Approved for the selected lines.
Ship the sales order by generating the packing slip by clicking Generate > Post packing slip. A shipment approval journal is automatically generated, and it can be opened by clicking the Journals > Shipment approval journal button in the Pick and pack form.
Users can specify if the shipment approval process should be secured via electronic signature by enabling the Signature required parameter for the Shipment approval requirement in the Electronic signature requirements form (Organization administration > Setup > Electronic signature > Electronic signature requirements).