Quote Creation Flow that Refers to Customer Master Data

"Workflow systems" of nowadays have responded very well to the needs of Quote creation.

• A. Requirement of "Approval" by the supervisor who is in the headquarter
• B. Requirement of "Paper" document for submitting to "Client" 

That is, not only responding to work on Smartphones, many of Workflow systems are capable of so-called "Document output function". However, furthermore devising will be needed for even such Workflow systems if you want;

• X. to aggregate by "Salespersons"
• Y. to aggregate by "Customers"

In short, you cannot expect smooth aggregation if, for example, a site where "fluctuation" would frequently occur upon inputting customer's name. Thus, the following three viewpoints shall be pre-considered.

• o. Group management on "Quote"
• x. Group management and ID management on "Salespersons"
• y. Group management and ID management on "Clients"

In the following workflow, "Customer Master Interlocking Form" is utilized for inputting customer's name. (Search combo-box)

[Quote Creation flow]

In this example, a "Sales activity that begins with Lead handling" is divided into three stages.

• 1st stage: [Sales Lead] - Confirmation if it goes Progress - [Submission of Estimate]
• 2nd stage: - Progress extension (Estimate resubmission) - [Quote]
• 3rd stage: - Negotiation - (Quote resubmission) - [Contract / Lost-contract]

That is, an Issue in which "Estimate PDF" has been registered is the Issue that has finished the 1st stage, and an Issue in which "Quote PDF" has been registered is the Issue that has finished the 2nd stage.

In addition, the information of the customer is specified by referring to "Customer Master data". Please refer to previous articles about Maintenance Operations on Customer Master.

• Management of Client Master Using Corporation Number
• Management of Customer Master Data Using Corporation Number (Updating for addition)
• Management of Customer Master Data Using Corporation Number (Collective updating

Note that here, it has not been defined jobs of "Indirect departments", such as print-out, signature and mailing. You would be better to connect to these Workflows if they have been defined separately. (Process model connection API)

[Quote Creation flow:"1. Issue Registration - Provisional Quote" screen]

[Data Items list]

[Free Download]

• Business Template : Quote Creation flow

<Similar Models>

• Management of Client Master Using Corporation Number (2015-09-07)
• Management of Customer Master Data Using Corporation Number (Updating for addition (2015-09-14)
• Management of Customer Master Data Using Corporation Number (Collective updating (2015-09-21)

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[Japanese Entry (和文記事)]

Management of Customer Master Data Using Corporation Number (Collective updating)

A supplier changed their "Name" (trade name). It is a common story.

You changed the priority of your customer. It is as well.

The following is a Business flow to maintain "Customer Master data" collectively. "Monthly Reviewing" of regular basis and "Extraordinary Reviewing" will be performed by the Sales administrative assistant team.

By updating "Customer Master data" on this special Workflow, you can switch "List of Customers" which is shown on many of Workflows on your Workflow platform (Drop-down list of Options, list in a combo-box, etc.) all together. In other words, each Process-owner who is designing and operating respective Business Processes such as "Quote Approval flow" or "Billing Process" or "Repair Request Response" Process, will be freed from maintaining data of "Customer list".

* Please see the previous article for "Separative addition" to Customer Master data.

[Customer Master Data Maintenance]

Management of Customer Master Data Using Corporation Number (Updating for addition)

If the Workflow platform possesses "Customer Master data", it will be convenient in various ways.

However, if everybody enters in "text form of free input", the names will be ambiguous such as;

• "NTT", or "Nippon Telephone and Telegraph", or "enu-ti-ti (in Japanese characters)"
• "Apple Inc." or "Apple, Inc." or even "Apple computer, Inc."

Anyway, input of corporate name would diverge... The work so called "Name identification" is so worthless to do.


The following is a "Trade Account Opening" Workflow.

At first glance, It's almost the same flow as the previous article (Credit Management flow), but it also has a mechanism which automatically updating "Customer Master data" (Business-Connections.xml), at the time of registering a new customer.

You can call this "Customer Master" into "Drop down list" or "Combo box which filters the list as you type" on other Workflows. That is, in any of the Workflow of "Quote approval flow", or "Invoicing flow", or "Inquiry correspondence flow", the corporate names to be input will always be "formal name" for it is selected from the "Customer Master data".

[Trade Account Opening]

Management of Client Master Using Corporation Number

"Goods and cash are exchanged at the same time"... it is not always. After all, in the business-to-business transactions, either one is required to "trust" the other party.

1. To pass the goods and invoices, and get remittance by the end of next month (Accounts receivable)
2. Transfer cash, and get the Goods shipped later (Advance payment)

So many companies, to set the "credit limit" for all the counter-parties. The procedure when setting for the first time is also especially referred to as "procedure for trading account opening". (Incidentally, to decide which side will be the creditor, it depends on whether "products first" or "cash first". It is the same structure as the "ransom exchange scene" you see in the dramas and movies.)


The following Workflow is a very simple Business flow of "Credit management". It is to set the "credit limit" for a particular customer. Specifically, a supervisor determines it with information such as "financial statements that obtained directly from the customer" or "information from a credit research company", or "past trading performance" or "priority on the business strategy". Eventually, CFO will grant an approval to it. (And day-to-day "accounts receivable" will be controlled within the limit that has been set there.)

The notable point of this Workflow definition is the utilization of "Corporation Number" which Japanese government is going to begin operation since October 2015. You will be possible to prevent failure in the "name identification" (the multiple setting of limits)...

[Credit Management flow]