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What this page is for

A Purchase Order (PO) is an order you place with a supplier to buy product into a destination warehouse. It carries header fields that describe the deal, one or more line items (each a product and a quantity), and optional extra costs such as freight or duty. This page explains how to read a PO — especially the quantity breakdown on each line, which tells you at a glance how much of the order has landed, how much is on the water, and how much is still outstanding.

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The header fields

FieldWhat it means
PO numberThe order’s identifier. An optional secondary tag can group POs together — for example by collection or program.
SupplierWho you are buying from.
DestinationThe warehouse the goods are bought into.
PlacedThe date the order was placed.
Original ETAThe arrival date first expected. (ETA = Estimated Time of Arrival.)
Confirmed ETAThe arrival date the supplier has confirmed.
IncotermThe shipping terms that set where responsibility passes between you and the supplier.
CurrencyThe currency the PO is priced in.
NotesFree-text notes for your team.
Work order linkAn optional link to a work order this PO supplies (for example, buying a component a build needs).

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Quantities explained

Every line item’s quantity splits into three buckets that always add back up to what you ordered:
Ordered = Open + In-shipping + Received
TermWhat it means
Ordered (Quantity)The quantity you ordered on that line.
ReceivedThe quantity that has already arrived at the destination.
In shippingDispatched but not yet received — in transit.
OpenThe remainder not yet in shipping or received — still outstanding with the supplier.
ClosedSet on a line when no more inbound is expected, even if some quantity never arrived.
So a line moves left to right over its life: quantity starts as Open, becomes In shipping when the supplier dispatches it, and lands as Received. When everything has arrived (or the rest is closed), the line is done. Each line also carries pricing: a unit price, a total price (= quantity × unit price), and VAT. At the PO level you see rolled-up totals: product cost, additional costs (freight, duty, and the like), and cost with VAT.

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Statuses

Before a PO is written to your ERP it carries a Spherecast-only status; after it is placed it takes on a real status from your ERP. (An ERP is your company’s system of record. The status names below are NetSuite-style examples — the exact wording varies by company.)
StatusWhat it means
RecommendedAn engine-proposed reorder. Not a real order yet.
DraftYou started a PO but haven’t submitted it. Still Spherecast-only.
Pending ApprovalWaiting for a supervisor’s sign-off.
Pending ReceiptApproved and placed with the supplier; awaiting goods.
Partially ReceivedSome of the order has arrived; the rest is still open or in shipping.
Pending BillFully received; awaiting the supplier’s invoice.
Fully BilledReceived and invoiced.
ClosedSettled; no further activity expected.
Rejected by SupervisorThe approver turned the order down.
Every PO also belongs to a scenario — the live plan or a what-if copy — and shows a warning if its last write to the ERP failed.

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From recommendation to real PO

Spherecast proposes reorders as Recommended POs. You turn one into a real order like this:
  1. Review the recommended reorders in the recommendations view.
  2. Optionally route one through approval — Ask for approval, then Accept — so a supervisor signs off.
  3. Sync to ERP promotes it from Recommended / Draft to a real placed status (such as Pending Receipt). This is the point where the order becomes real. See Writing to your ERP.
A few more actions help you manage POs already in flight:
  • Expedite / Defer move an existing PO line’s ETA earlier or later.
  • Consolidate merges POs together to save cost.
  • A PO can have dependent POs — raw-material POs that support it.
  1. Open the recommendations view and find the Recommended PO you want to place.
  2. Confirm the supplier, destination, quantity, and ETA look right.
  3. If your team requires it, Ask for approval, then Accept once signed off.
  4. Click Sync to ERP and confirm. The status moves to a real placed status like Pending Receipt.
  5. As goods move, track the line: Open shrinks, In shipping rises, then Received grows until the order is complete.

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Example

You place a PO line for 500 units. Over the next few weeks:
  • 200 arrive at the warehouse → Received = 200.
  • 100 are dispatched and on the water → In shipping = 100.
  • The rest is still outstanding with the supplier → Open = 200.
Check the identity: Received 200 + In shipping 100 + Open 200 = 500 Ordered. The line reads Partially Received until the remaining 300 land (or the rest is closed).
Tip: If a line lands too late for your plan, use Expedite to pull the ETA earlier; if it lands too early, Defer it. And watch Open — that is the quantity still under your control before it ships. See Finished-good planning, Cash Requirements, and Suppliers & co-manufacturers.