Use this workflow to update an existing Draft or Issued Purchase Order.
When to use this workflow
Use this workflow when a PO needs a correction before or during purchasing activity.
Do not edit a PO just to force AP, receiving, or inventory reports to look right. If the PO has been received or invoiced, review the receiving and vendor invoice records before changing quantities or costs.
Before you start
Confirm:
- The PO is the correct record.
- The vendor, required date, payment terms, currency, and exchange rate changes are valid.
- Line quantity and cost changes are still appropriate based on receiving and invoice status.
- Work order links or allocations are known when the PO cost belongs to work orders.
Steps
- Go to
Dashboard > Purchasing > Purchase Orders. - Select
Open Purchase Orders. - Search for the PO.
- Select
Edit. - Review the current PO status.
- Update eligible header fields, addresses, notes, or line fields.
- Use
Add LineorDeleteline only when the PO should actually change. - Add or edit work order links if the PO cost belongs to work orders.
- Select
Save Changes.
Status actions
The edit screen shows status buttons for Draft, Issued, and Closed, plus Cancel PO.
| Action | Notes |
|---|---|
Issued |
Issuing a Draft PO saves immediately and adds inventory quantity on order for eligible inventory lines. |
Closed |
Select when the PO should be closed, then save the PO. If open quantities remain, PAX asks for confirmation before closing. Closing removes remaining open inventory quantity from quantity on order. |
Cancel PO |
Cancels an eligible PO and removes it from open purchasing workflows. POs with received quantities, active vendor invoices, or linked vendor payments cannot be cancelled. |
PAX prevents changing an Issued PO back to Draft from the UI.
The Issued action saves immediately when issuing a Draft PO. Closing and most other edits are applied when Save Changes is selected.
Closed POs can be reopened from PO Dashboard when correction is allowed.
Work order links and allocations
When a PO is Issued, the edit screen can show Work Order Linking.
Use Link to Work Orders or Edit Links for percentage-based allocation of the whole PO to one or more work orders. Percentage allocations must total 100 percent unless using split evenly.
When a line should be allocated across work orders, use Allocate to WO. Line allocations also must total 100 percent. Lines with work order allocation are forced to WIP account 1210 and treated as non-inventory for normal inventory tracking.
Direct work-order-linked PO lines, percentage-based links, and line allocation splits are intentionally distinct. Do not mix methods unless the screen allows it and the cost allocation is correct.
What happens behind the scenes
Saving a PO updates header fields, addresses, status, notes, active lines, and line allocations.
PAX soft-deletes removed lines rather than erasing them. Deleted active inventory line quantities reduce quantity on order when the PO is Issued.
PAX adjusts quantity on order when issued inventory lines are added, removed, changed, closed, or cancelled.
Work-order-linked lines and allocations set the GL account to WIP 1210. PAX recalculates affected work order outside-service cost from active linked PO records and received quantities.
If a PO is closed with open quantities, PAX removes the remaining open inventory quantities from quantity on order. Closing an outside-service PO can also reconcile outside-service scrap records.
Troubleshooting
Cannot change status back to Draft
Likely cause: The PO is already Issued.
Safe fix: Continue with the appropriate Issued, Closed, Cancel, or correction workflow.
Contact support if: A status correction is required and no safe workflow is available.
Cannot cancel PO
Likely cause: The PO has received quantities, a vendor invoice, a linked vendor payment, or is closed.
Safe fix: Review receiving, vendor invoices, and vendor payments before making corrections.
Contact support if: A PO should be cancellable but PAX blocks it.
GL account is locked to WIP
Likely cause: The PO or line is linked to a work order.
Safe fix: Review the work order link or allocation. Remove the link only if the PO cost should not belong to work order WIP.
Contact support if: The link cannot be corrected.
A line cannot be edited
Likely cause: The line is fully received or protected by work order allocation behavior.
Safe fix: Review receiving and invoice records before changing the PO.
Contact support if: A correction is required on a protected line.