Lesson 4 of 6
Monitoring coverage
9 min
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Running MRP is the easy part. Acting on the result is the planner's job. In SAP S/4HANA, planners work exception-first in SAP Fiori apps: find the materials with problems, understand them, and fix them, without opening every material one by one.
- MRP CockpitOverview of the planning situation with KPIs and alerts
- Monitor Material CoverageList of materials in your area with shortages and coverage information
- Manage Material CoverageOne material in detail: supply against demand, solution proposals, simulation
- ActChange, reschedule, create or convert proposals; ask a supplier for a change
- Stock/requirements listConfirm the result line by line
What counts as a shortage
SAP Learning defines a shortage as total requirements (sales orders, stock transfer requirements, production and forecast requirements) exceeding total receipts (stock, production orders, purchase orders, schedule lines, firmed planned orders and firmed requisitions) up to a point in time. Note what is missing from receipts: non-firm proposals. A material can have a shortage in the coverage app even though MRP created a requisition, because the requisition is not yet firm.
Monitor, then manage
Monitor Material Coverage lists materials with their availability, filtered by your area of responsibility, with color coding for shortages. From there you open Manage Material Coverage for one material: a compressed view of supply and demand over time with KPIs and alerts. SAP Learning notes that the successor app Manage Material Coverage (F02510) does not yet cover every aspect of its predecessor, so check the feature comparison for your release. A separate variant monitors net and individual segments, which matters for make-to-order.
| Situation in the app | Typical solution | Who else is involved |
|---|---|---|
| Requirement uncovered, proposal too late | Reschedule or expedite the proposal; convert early | Purchasing or production supervisor |
| Firm purchase order too late | Request an earlier date from the supplier (change request) | Buyer and Lakeside Components |
| No proposal at all | Create a proposal; check master data (MRP type, version) | Master data team |
| Excess supply | Postpone or cancel a receipt | Purchasing or production |
Common coverage situations and how planners resolve them.
Manage Material Coverage offers solution proposals and lets you simulate a change before saving it. SAP Learning describes "what if" simulation in real time and color guidance to the best options. When a fix needs a supplier to agree, for example to deliver Lakeside rotors three days earlier, the app can create a change request that purchasing follows up, rather than the planner editing the purchase order behind the buyer's back.
The apps also make the planner's decisions visible. A shortage the planner deliberately accepts (for example, because Maria agreed a later date with the customer) can be marked as accepted, and that acceptance can be reversed later. That turns a hallway conversation into a recorded decision that the next planner, and an auditor, can see. Check which of these functions your release offers in the app documentation before you design the routine around them.
What would you do?
Manage Material Coverage shows a rotor shortage on 20 October, though MRP created a purchase requisition for 500 due on 19 October. Why does the app still show a shortage?
- Planners work exception-first: MRP Cockpit, Monitor Material Coverage, Manage Material Coverage, then the stock/requirements list.
- Shortage = requirements above firm receipts and stock up to a date; non-firm proposals are not counted.
- Manage Material Coverage offers solution proposals and simulation; supplier changes go through change requests.
- Set your area of responsibility so apps show the right plants and MRP controllers.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Which app lists materials in your area with their coverage situation?
2. Which receipts count in SAP's shortage definition?
3. A planner needs Lakeside to deliver earlier. What does the app support?
4. What does the simulation in Manage Material Coverage let you do?