Independent IFS Cloud practice · Order supply design
Decide where an order gets its supply before the system decides for you
IFS Cloud sourcing rules describe where supply for an order line may come from and how the system chooses between the alternatives. An order line needs supply, and the source is picked by a rule that someone set up and nobody revisits. When the rule is missing or mis-set, the order is supplied from the wrong place, at the wrong cost or lead time, and the buyer learns about it afterwards. Delivery performance and purchase cost then depend on a configuration object that sits outside everyone’s daily screens.
Key takeaways
- A sourcing rule is made of a source set, which holds the supply alternatives, and sourcing objectives, a sequence of criteria for choosing between them.
- Four kinds of alternative can sit in the source set: external supplier, internal supplier, in-house manufacturing and company inventory.
- When more than one alternative can deliver, the objectives narrow the choice in their written order. If alternatives still remain, the first one is picked, and without objectives the priority decides.
- Three decisions belong to the business: the priority of alternatives, cost against lead time, and internal against external supply.
- Test with one order per alternative plus one tie, and record the expected source, the owner and the evidence for each.
1.What is a sourcing rule in IFS Cloud, and what decision does it make?
A sourcing rule decides which supply alternative serves a customer order line. The IFS documentation on sourcing sits in the Sales area, because the question it answers belongs to the order: where will the goods for this line come from?
The alternatives are an external supplier, an internal supplier (another site of the company), in-house manufacturing and company inventory. The page on defining a sourcing rule describes how the rule is built.
The rule is configuration, so it does not appear on a screen the buyer or planner opens each day. That is the reason it needs an owner and a test: a decision nobody sees is a decision nobody checks.
2.How does the system choose when more than one alternative qualifies?
When more than one alternative in the source set qualifies, the sourcing objectives narrow the choice as a sequence of criteria, and if more than one alternative still remains, the first alternative is picked. Where no sourcing objectives are set up, the priority is used instead, and among equal priorities the first alternative is picked.
The documentation names five objectives that a rule can put in sequence:
- Highest priority: the alternative with the highest priority is selected.
- Shortest distance
- Least expected additional cost
- Shortest total shipping time
- Ignore supply code Inventory Order when not on time
The reason to write the order down is that every tie gets resolved one way or the other. If nobody decided how, the business has not chosen the result. Naming the objectives and their sequence turns that outcome into a documented rule that a planner can read and challenge.
3.How do supplier agreements and multi-supplier splits relate to sourcing?
Supplier agreements and multi-supplier ordering are separate mechanisms on the purchasing side. On a supplier agreement, a lower value in the priority field means a higher priority, as described in the documentation on supplier agreements. With multi-supplier ordering, a requisition line created from MRP, MS, NLD or Order Point is split by the suppliers’ split percentages, and a new purchase requisition line is created for each supplier, as the documentation on multi-supplier ordering describes.
These mechanisms belong to the purchasing set-up, which is covered in mastering centralized purchasing in IFS Cloud and in new purchasing functionality in IFS Cloud 25R2. Keep the two layers apart in the design: the sourcing rule answers where supply comes from, and the purchasing settings answer how an external supplier is chosen and how a requirement is split.
4.What happens at customer order release for externally supplied lines?
For an external supplier, releasing the customer order creates a purchase requisition automatically, both when the goods are delivered via the order-taking site (Purchase Order Transit) and when they go directly to the customer (Purchase Order Direct). The page on releasing a customer order describes the step. A line sourced externally therefore leads to work for a buyer, so settle who sees it: a buyer who is not told that orders now generate purchasing work finds out from a late delivery.
Where the source is in-house manufacturing, the supply is a planning and production matter, which links the rule to the planning set-up discussed in dynamic structures in MRP. The order types and flows that surround this step are covered in customer order types and order flow in IFS Cloud.
5.Which sourcing decisions belong to the business, not the consultant?
Three sourcing decisions carry a business trade-off, and a consultant can configure them only after the business has made them.
| Decision | The trade-off | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Priority of alternatives | Which source is preferred when more than one can deliver | Supply chain lead |
| Cost against lead time | Whether a cheaper source with a longer lead time wins over a faster one | Supply chain lead with sales and finance |
| Internal against external supply | Whether a part is made or bought, or moved between own sites | Operations lead with purchasing |
Record each decision with its owner and date. Two neighbouring topics have their own articles: configure-to-order purchasing, and distribution orders for supply that moves between own sites. The related supply chain functions are surveyed in IFS Cloud SCM features.
6.How do you test a sourcing rule before go-live?
Test a sourcing rule with one order per alternative and one order where two alternatives tie, then compare the source the system picked with the source the business expected.
| Scenario | Expected source | Owner | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order line for a bought part | External supplier | Buyer | Purchasing record created at release |
| Order line for a part held at another site | Internal supplier | Supply chain lead | Supply record against the other site |
| Order line for a made part | In-house manufacturing | Planner | Production or planning record |
| Order line for a part on hand | Company inventory | Warehouse lead | Reservation on stock |
| Order line where two sources tie | The source ranked first by the written objectives | Supply chain lead | Chosen source matches the written order |
7.What does a sourcing design checklist contain?
A sourcing design is ready for go-live when each of the eight checks below has a document behind it.
- Every supply alternative of the business is listed.
- The order in which objectives apply is written down.
- The three business decisions have an owner and a date.
- Supplier agreement priorities are reviewed against the sourcing order.
- Multi-supplier split percentages, where used, are reviewed with purchasing.
- What release creates for an external source has been tested.
- One test order per alternative and one tie are recorded with evidence.
- The rule has a named owner and a review date.
8.Frequently asked questions
What is a sourcing rule in IFS Cloud?
A sourcing rule in IFS Cloud consists of a source set and sourcing objectives. Automatic sourcing uses it to select the best supply alternative for a customer order line from external suppliers, internal suppliers, in-house manufacturing or company inventory. The IFS documentation on sourcing describes the rule in the Sales area.
What decides the source when two alternatives can both deliver?
When two alternatives can both deliver, the sourcing objectives of the rule decide in IFS Cloud, applied in sequence, for example Highest priority, Shortest distance or Least expected additional cost. If both alternatives still remain after the objectives, the first alternative is picked. Without objectives, the priority decides.
Does a sourcing rule apply to purchase requisitions from planning?
The IFS Cloud documentation places sourcing in the Sales area, where it governs the supply of customer order lines. Whether a requisition raised by planning follows the same rule is not stated in the page this article cites. Test it in your configuration with one planned requisition and one customer order line before you rely on it.
How do supplier agreement priorities fit with sourcing?
Supplier agreements in IFS Cloud belong to the purchasing side, and a lower value in their priority field means a higher priority. Sourcing decides where supply comes from, and supplier agreements belong to the separate question of which agreement serves a purchase.
How do I test that an order is supplied from the intended source?
Place one test order per supply alternative in IFS Cloud, plus one where two alternatives tie, and compare the source the system chose with the source written down in advance. Record the expected source, the owner and the evidence for each scenario. Every difference is a defect in the rule or in the expectation.
9.About the author
Dariusz Myśliwiec: 18 years hands-on with IFS, including IFS Cloud. Based in Kraków, delivering remotely across Europe and globally through an independent practice. You talk to the consultant who does the work, not a sales layer.
IFS is a registered trademark of IFS AB; this practice is not affiliated with IFS AB.
Do you know why the system sourced that order from there?
If nobody can say, a review of your sourcing rules against the real supply alternatives of the business shows which decisions were never made. It needs the supply chain lead and a buyer in the room.
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