The chain
Quotation -> Order -> Goods delivery note -> Invoice -> ReturnAn order can also be invoiced without a delivery note, and an invoice can be raised with no earlier document.
Every step is optional. A shop that sells over the counter raises an invoice and nothing else. A business that quotes, takes orders and delivers in batches uses the whole chain. Each step can be started from the one before it, so nothing is typed twice (see From quotation to order, delivery note and invoice).
| Step | Screen | What it is for | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote | Sales quotation | A price offered to a customer, valid to an expiry date | Give a customer a quotation |
| Order | Sales order | What the customer has asked for; may need approval | Take a sales order |
| Cancel an order | Sales order cancellation | Take quantities off an order that will not be delivered | Cancel an order or part of it |
| Deliver | Goods delivery note (GDN, menu Delivery Notes) | The goods leave the warehouse | Deliver goods with a goods delivery note |
| Bill | Sales Invoice | The sale is booked; the customer owes | Raise a sales invoice |
| Correct | Sales return, Sales return (Provisional) | Goods come back, the sale is reversed | Take goods back with a sales return |
Which status means what
The Status column of each list tells you how far a document has gone.
| Document | Status values | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation | Not used, Used on order, Expired | Expired when its expiry date is before today |
| Order | Not used, Used on gdn, Used on bill, Expired, Cancelled | Used as soon as one delivery note or invoice line takes part of it |
| Delivery note | Not used, Used on bill | Used when an invoice was made from it |
| Invoice | Unpaid, Partial, Paid, Paid With Return, Partial Return, Returned, Reversed | How much of it is paid, returned or cancelled |