Outside service processing setup checklist

Outside processing in Oracle Work in Process allows users to substitute vendor labor for inhouse labor on a routing. The setup is long and complex. This paper provides a checklist of how
to define OSP resources in Oracle to help users avoid some of the more common problems.

Overview
The Outside Processing process comes into play in Oracle Work in Process whenever all or part
of the labor on a routing is performed by a third party vendor. More than one step on a routing
can be performed by third parties. In Oracle, a link has been defined between Oracle Work in
Process and Oracle Purchasing to automate the process of creating a purchase order to the vendor
who will perform the OSP labor.
Because what is being purchased is LABOR, one requirement to using this process is to define a
resource for each type of labor to be purchased. An item in the Item Master must also be defined
for each type of labor to be purchased, and linked to the resource when it is defined. The item
must be classified as an outside processing item.
Although this resource item is purchasable and transactable, it will never be received into or
issued from a subinventory. Instead, receiving this item from the purchase order will cause a
move transaction to occur on the WIP routing so that the outside operation step is completed
when the items are received back from the vendor. It is important to note that the item must not
only be received, but must also be delivered before the outside operation is deemed complete by
the system.
When a routing operation uses an outside processing resource, movement into that operation step
causes a purchase requisition to be generated for the labor resource to be purchased from the
vendor. Note that you are not purchasing the item (as you would a buy item), but instead you
are purchasing the vendors labor as a substitute for using your own in-house resources to
perform the labor. This is a subtle distinction, but it is necessary to understand this distinction in
order to understand the Oracle process.
This purchase requisition is then imported from WIP into Purchasing. At this point, the
requisition is available (if approved, but that is another issue) to be autocreated into a purchase
order. Or, if the buyer so chooses, the buyer may set up sourcing rules such that importing an
approved requisition automatically creates a release against a blanket purchase order.
When the vendor returns the item, a receipt must be entered against the PO or release. The
item is delivered not to a subinventory, but back to the shop floor for continued processing on
the routing. If the outside processing step is the only step or the last step on the routing, the
finished assembly will be available to be received into inventory using a WIP completion
transaction.

Setup Steps
Inventory
1. REQUIRED. Define an item representing the outside processing vendor labor for
Purchasing to place on the vendor PO. In the Item Master Purchasing Attributes region,
make sure the following attributes are set correctly:
o Purchased = Yes (required).
o Purchasable = Yes (required).
o Outside Processing Item = Yes (required)
o Outside Processing Unit Type = Assembly or Resource (Assembly is
recommended if a tangible item) If the item has an Outside Processing Unit Type
of Assembly and the outside resource has a basis of Item, you receive one outside
processing item for each assembly you receive. If the outside resource has a basis
of Lot, you receive one outside processing item for each job or repetitive
schedule. If the outside processing item has an Outside Processing Unit Type of
Resource and the outside resource has a basis of Item, you receive the extended
quantity (using the outside resource usage rate or amount) of the outside
processing item for each assembly you receive. For example, if you purchase 3
hours of plating service for each assembly, (usage rate or amount is 3), then you
receive a quantity of 3 hours for each assembly you receive from the supplier. If
the outside resource has a basis of Lot, you receive 1 outside processing item
extended by the outside resource usage rate or amount for each job or repetitive
schedule.
o Optionally enter a list price greater than zero this will be used as a default in the
PO (you could also set up a blanket PO with prices.)
Note: the item with the above attributes must be defined in the org which is the
Purchasing item validation organization as well as the actual production organization.
Check Purchasing > Setup > Organization > Purchasing Options to determine which org
has been defined as the validation organization.
2. OPTIONAL. In the Item Master Lead Times attributes region, enter appropriate lead
times. These will be used to automatically calculate the need by date for the requisition
generated for the OSP item. (This step is not required, but is nice to have.) The need-by
date will be automatically entered into the requisition generated by this process, and
hence into the PO.

Bill of Material Module

1. REQUIRED. Define an Outside Processing Department. Enter the location where the
outside processed item is to be delivered (example: Shop Floor or Assembly) as you
define the Outside Processing Department. Note: the location must have been previously
defined under Purchasing > Setup > Organizations > Locations.

2. REQUIRED. Define a separate outside processing resource for EACH labor item.

Enter the item number defined above in the Item Master for the labor item.
Make sure the variance account defined for the labor resource is the same as the
Purchase price variance account defined in Parameters under Inventory setup. If
you check the Costed box and the Standard Costing box, you can enter a standard
value for this resource by clicking on the Rates button. Any difference between
this standard value and the actual purchase price (in a standard cost organization)
will be recorded in the Purchase Price Variance Account.
o Make sure that the autocharge attribute is set to PO MOVE, not PO Receipt. If
you set this attribute to PO MOVE, then the PO receipt automatically generates
the WIP Move transaction from the outside processing operation to the next
operation on the routing. If you use PO RECEIPT, you must manually perform
the WIP Move transaction. The quantity of outside processing items you receive
can relate to the assembly quantity on the job or repetitive schedule in several
ways depending on the outside processing items Outside Processing Unit Type
and the outside resources basis. In all cases, Purchasing charges the job or
repetitive schedule using the extended quantity of the associated outside resource.
3. REQUIRED. Add the outside processing resource to a step on the routing. If it is added
to the last step, then the item can be received into inventory as soon as the PO receipt is
entered and the transaction managers run.
o
o

Purchasing
1. OPTIONAL. Create a blanket, and be certain to enter the line as an outside processing
line type. If your item is not set up correctly, the system will not allow you to complete
entry of the PO. Optionally, in the terms region of the PO, check the Supply Agreement
box. In Purchasing-Supply Base-AutoSource Rules, link the item with the blanket PO
document. Or if you are using enhanced sourcing rules in Release 10.7, use the menu
path Supplier Scheduling-Supply Base-Approved Supplier List to link the approved
supplier for the item with the blanket PO in the Attributes region. (Note: Enhanced
Sourcing Rules in 10.7 is controlled production and your client may not have been
approved for using it).
2. OPTIONAL BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. In the PO line, set the over receipt
tolerance for the item to zero so that no one can receive a quantity greater than on the PO.
If a quantity greater than that in the work order is received, it will cause problems with
the WIP move transaction to the next operation. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. There
will be problems if more is received than is on the work order outside processing
operation step. This is another reason to use a blanket PO.
3. If you are using Supply Chain Planning, there is another little gotcha. Your item could
have been set up with a make sourcing rule or bill of distribution in the default
assignment set. You can create another assignment set with a buy sourcing rule for the

outside processing items and link it to the responsibility of the person who will do the
requisition import.
4. REQUIRED. The person who initiates the move transaction in WIP must be defined as
an employee (in Purchasing or HR, depending on whether or not the HR Module is fully
installed) and linked to the persons user logon in the System Administration module.
WIP includes an employee name on the requisition it creates through this process, and the
employee name is linked to the move transactions that initiated the requisition. Hence the
name of the person who initiated the move transaction will become the name of the
requestor for the purchased vendor service.

Process
1. REQUIRED. Create a discrete job for the assembly. If the outside processing step is on
the first step on the routing, releasing the job will trigger creation of the requisition. If the
outside processing step is NOT the first step, then a move transaction must be performed
using the Move Transaction window. Move the quantity to be processed by the outside
vendor into the Queue step of the outside processing operation step. This triggers creation
of the requisition.
2. REQUIRED. Run the Requisition Import process (Purchasing > Reports > Run >
Requisition Import).
3. REQUIRED. Create a purchase order from the routing. Or, if using blanket POs, run the
Create Release process (Purchasing > Reports > Run > Create Releases).
4. REQUIRED. Receive the purchase order (note: it must be DELIVERED as well as
received. Until the item has been delivered the next step will not happen.) You might
want to consider setting the receipt routing to Direct Delivery for such items in the
Purchasing section of the Item Master unless you require inspection of the item from the
vendor first.
5. Once the PO has been received and delivered, and the Move transaction manager has run,
you can see that the discrete job has been updated and the item is now in the To Move
intraoperation step of the outside processing operation step. Go to WIP > Job/Schedule
Details > Operations and select the Quantity alternative region. You should see the
received quantity in the To Move intraoperation step of the outside processing operation
step. If the Move transaction has failed or has not yet run, you will see it in WIP > Move
Transactions > Pending Transactions.
6. If the step is the last step on the routing, do a WIP completion transaction into inventory.
Otherwise, continue with the routing steps until complete.

MRP Process
MRP will generate a planned order for the make assembly. MRP does not directly generate a
requisition for the vendor labor to make the assembly. When the planned order is released as a

WIP job, normal processing of the WIP job will result in generation of the purchase requisition
for the vendor labor as per the process described above.

One Time WIP Setup for OSP

There is a setup step which should be performed in WIP to prevent users from entering a manual
move transaction to the next step on the routing prior to entry of a PO receipt for the OSP item.
This need be done only one time and should be part of your WIP setup.

1. WIP > Move Transactions > Shop Floor Status > Shop Floor Status
Define a status called OSP - description Outside Processing and UNCHECK the
Allow Moves box.
2. WIP > Setup > Parameters > Move Transactions Tab

Enter the status created in Step 1 in the Shop Floor Status for PO Moves box.