Lesson 4 of 5
Stock postings and quality notifications
9 min
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For a stock-relevant lot, the usage decision is also an inventory transaction. Stock in quality inspection can be used by nobody: MRP may count it as coming, but production cannot issue it and sales cannot deliver it. The UD stock posting moves it to where it belongs.
| UD stock posting | Movement type | Contoso example |
|---|---|---|
| To unrestricted use | 321 | 497 accepted rotors released to production |
| To blocked stock | 350 | 3 defective rotors held for Lakeside |
| To scrap | 553 | Rotors damaged beyond use scrapped from inspection stock |
| To sample usage | 331 | Sample rotors consumed by destructive testing |
| Return to supplier | 122 | Defective rotors sent back to Lakeside with a return delivery |
Common stock postings from a usage decision. Movement types shown are standard; your system may use copies.
- Goods receipt (101)500 rotors into quality inspection stock, plant 1710, storage location 171S
- Usage decisionCode R1 (rejected) with split posting
- 321497 to unrestricted use in 171S, ready to stage to 171L
- 3503 to blocked stock: not usable, awaiting supplier decision
- Lot statusUsage decision made; stock posting completed
If a posting is required but cannot be made, the lot shows that stock still needs posting (for example status SPRQ, stock posting required) rather than "posting completed" (SPCO). An open SPRQ is a classic test finding: the decision was made, but the stock is still stuck in inspection.
Quality notifications
An inspection lot answers "is this lot OK?". A quality notification answers "what went wrong, why, and who fixes it?". It records a problem, its defects, causes, the immediate activities taken (for example blocking the stock) and the tasks assigned to people with due dates. SAP S/4HANA provides a notification type for each problem area; standard examples are customer complaint (Q1), complaint against a supplier (Q2) and internal problem report (Q3).
- CreateProblem recordedQ2 against Lakeside: 3 rotors with slip ring scoring, PO item and material document referenced
- ContainImmediate activitiesStock moved to blocked; Lakeside informed
- AnalyzeDefects and causesDefect code, location and cause recorded; root cause requested from supplier
- ActTasksReturn delivery, replacement shipment, supplier corrective action; each with processor and due date
- CloseCompletionAll tasks completed, root cause documented, notification closed
A notification can be created on its own (QM01 in SAP GUI, or the Fiori quality notification apps) or directly from defects recorded on an inspection lot, which carries the material, supplier and purchase order reference over. A notification with open tasks cannot be closed, which is exactly the control a process owner wants.
For recurring or serious problems, a notification can also host a structured problem-solving method such as 8D, with containment, root cause and corrective and preventive actions as tasks. SAP Learning covers an internal problem processed with the 8D method; the important point for a basics course is that the notification is the system record of who did what, when, and why the problem is closed. Quality engineers and analysts later read notifications by defect code, material and supplier in the nonconformance analytics apps, so consistent defect coding matters as much as the free text.
What would you do?
After the UD, 3 rejected rotors sit in blocked stock. Nobody has told Lakeside, and nobody owns the follow-up. What should happen next?
- UD stock postings move stock out of quality inspection: 321 unrestricted, 350 blocked, 553 scrap, 331 sample, 122 return.
- SPRQ means a posting is still required; SPCO means stock posting is complete.
- Quality notifications record problems, activities and tasks; standard types include Q1, Q2 and Q3.
- Notifications can be created from inspection lot defects and cannot close with open tasks.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Which movement type moves stock from quality inspection to unrestricted use?
2. What does the standard notification type Q2 represent?
3. Why can a notification with open tasks not be closed?
4. A lot shows status SPRQ after the usage decision. What does that mean?