Lesson 6 of 6
Testing purchasing scenarios
9 min
Purchasing tests prove that Contoso can get from a need to a correctly sent PO, and that the PO leads to the right receipt and invoice. Two scenarios cover most of the risk: a stock PO for production components and a consumable PO charged to a cost center. Around those, add approvals, automatic conversion, changes and output.
| Scenario | Covers | Key evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Stock PO from MRP requisition, automatic conversion | MRP, source assignment, auto PO, output, GR into stock, invoice | PR, conversion job log, PO, output PDF, PO history, journal entries |
| Consumable PO from self-service requisition with approval | Self-service cart, account assignment K, flexible workflow, output, GR to expense | PR, workflow log, PO, output, PO history, cost center line items |
| Asset PO | Account assignment A, approval above threshold | PO, approval, GR journal entry on asset |
| PO change after output | Change documents, change output, re-approval | Change log, change output PDF |
| Negative: unapproved requisition | Conversion is refused | Job log or error message |
| Negative: blocked supplier or source | PO creation is refused | Error message |
Contoso's purchasing test set.
Walking a stock PO end to end
- MRP creates PRShortage of CMC-RTR-200 in plant 1710; source Lakeside assigned
- Automatic conversionNightly job converts the PR; log shows the new PO number
- Approval (if any)Value below threshold, auto-approved
- OutputPO emailed to the test mailbox; PDF checked
- Goods receipt500 rotors received into 171A with movement type 101
- InvoiceInvoice matched; GR/IR clears
- PO historyShows receipt and invoice; item fully delivered and invoiced
The PO history is the single best piece of evidence at the end, because it lists every follow-on document. But evidence also belongs at the front: the requisition (with its MRP origin), the conversion log and the output. A test that starts at ME21N skips the steps where automation most often breaks.
Walking a consumable PO
The consumable scenario starts with an employee in the Create Purchase Requisition app ordering safety gloves worth $1,500 for the Detroit assembly cost center. The flexible workflow sends it to the manager. After approval the buyer converts it, the PO is output, the goods receipt posts to expense on the cost center, and the invoice clears GR/IR. The cost center line items report proves the cost landed where it should.
- MondayRequisitionEmployee orders gloves, $1,500, cost center Detroit assembly
- MondayApprovalWorkflow routes to manager; approved in My Inbox
- TuesdayPOBuyer converts; output emailed
- FridayGoods receiptExpense posted to the cost center
- Next weekInvoiceMatched; GR/IR cleared
Roles, not super users
Run each step with a test user that has the business role of the real person: requester, approver, buyer, warehouse clerk, accounts payable. A super user hides missing authorizations and missing apps on launchpad pages, which are among the most common go-live issues in purchasing.
What would you do?
Priya's team ran all purchasing tests with one super user. Everything passed. Two days before sign-off, what is the best next step?
Plan test data deliberately. Each scenario needs a supplier, products, cost centers and approvers that are set up in client 100 with the right roles and limits. Reusing one supplier for every test is convenient, but it hides supplier-specific defects such as a missing email address or a different payment term. Contoso uses three suppliers in its purchasing tests: Lakeside Components for direct materials, an office supplies vendor for consumables and an equipment vendor for assets.
- Cover a stock PO and a consumable PO end to end, plus approvals, changes, output and negatives.
- Start tests at the requisition, not at ME21N, to cover automation.
- Use PO history plus requisition, workflow, output and journal entries as evidence.
- Run tests with real business roles, not super users.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. What is the best end-of-test evidence that a PO was received and invoiced?
2. Why start a stock PO test at the MRP requisition rather than at ME21N?
3. Why run purchasing tests with real business roles?
4. Which is a valid negative test in purchasing?