Actions

Use this function to match or link business processes with specific types of business transactions, or entities. The resulting matched, or linked business process plus transaction, or entity is given the general term "Action". Each "action" should reflect a "process" commonly carried out within your organization.

Actions are used with the Sage X3 Quality management functionality:

  • The Change Control functionality uses "actions" in the preparation and delivery of controlled and audited design and production "changes".
  • The Non-conformances functionality uses "actions" in the preparation and delivery of controlled and audited corrective or preventive actions against "deviations".

"Actions" effectively become the "what" and "how" of quality management planning schedules guiding implementation of a design or production "change", or corrective, or preventive actions. They’re the tasks carried out by specialist teams or key personnel on specific types of transactions or entities. The "what" are the transaction types to be delivered. The "how" are the tasks or actions to be accomplished.

For example, your company returns faulty purchased components. A business process associated with returns could be "Return to supplier" and "Purchase order" a type of business transaction or entity. To manage a change request, you need an action that links "Return to supplier" (business process / description) and "Purchase order" (transaction type / entity). A unique code identifies each linked action. Other examples associated with the faulty components could be to link "Modify" (description) with "BOM" (entity), "Close" (description) with "Sales quote" (entity), and "Consult" (description) with "Customer" (entity).

Your system is supplied with a predefined list of actions or business processes commonly used by businesses in the distribution and manufacturing sectors. Review and change these to reflect your particular business processes. Planners or project managers will append individual action codes to their action plans or planning schedules to deliver a requested change.

The following are some of the actions provided:

  • The Purchase order entity or transaction type is matched with the Return to supplier description or process.
  • The Purchase order entity is also matched with the Cancel description.
  • The Routing entity is matched with the Add operations description.
  • The Routing entity is also matched with the Modify operations description.
  • The Work order entity is matched with the Block description.
  • The Work order entity is also matched with the Delay description.
  • The Stock entity is matched with the Move to spares description.
You can add to the list of predefined descriptions and entities to suit your organization.

Every linked action, the combination of entity or transaction type plus description or process, has an Action ID as a unique identification reference. It’s the Action ID that's used in the planning schedules. To link multiple descriptions or processes with a single entity or transaction type, you simply assign a unique Action ID to each linked entity plus description.

Example

Your organization frequently sends products through the postal system. It’s imperative, therefore, that any product packaging is strong and secure. Your customers, however, regularly return goods damaged as a result of defective packaging.

Your warehouse manager examines some of the returned defective packages. If they conclude the design of the packaging is at fault, they would create a change request to review the design used. In the event that your company’s change board approve a redesigned format, an action plan will need to be put together to deliver the change. If they conclude that the adhesive, for example, has not been applied correctly, they would initiate an incidence of non-conformance. If Quality assurance confirms the inadequate application of adhesive, a corrective and preventive action plan will need to be put together to correct the issue.

For this scenario, you might consider creating an action that links a task or process such as "Delay" with the "Demand forecast" entity. This would enable the planner or project manager to include an action in the plan to hold or delay shipments until the new strengthened packaging is available. If your company returns faulty components to the supplier, the predefined action code A501 (Purchase orders entity plus Return to supplier description) might be sufficient.

You could consider creating "catch-all" or "include-all" actions using the predefined entity value ALL. For example, you could match a Block description with the ALL entity. These associations would give project managers unlimited or unrestricted scope in terms of your business setup or your business activities for their planning schedules.

Refer to the documentation on Change control management planning (Change Control > Plan).

Prerequisites

Refer to the documentation on Implementation.

Screen management

The Actions function displays existing actions in a grid, or a table.

Each line of the table represents a business process that's matched or linked with a business transaction or entity. The unique identification reference, the Action ID is used in Change Control action plans.

Action ID (ACTIONID)

The action code.

"Action" is the general term given to a business process that's matched, or linked with a specific type of business transaction. Planners or project managers append individual action codes to their planning schedules to deliver a design and production change.

Enter a value. It needs to be unique.
Description (TRANACTION)

The standard business process that's commonly carried out in your organization for a specific type of transaction or entity.

For example, if your company disassembles faulty products to reuse the component parts, select the Disassemble description.

To create the action, an entity or transaction type plus description, you could match or link Disassemble with the Work order entity.

The resulting action needs to be a process carried out in your organization when processing the specific type of transaction.

The list of descriptions is defined in the 2032 local menu.
Entity (TRANTYPE)

The type of business transaction, the entity that's commonly carried out in your organization.

For example, if your company returns faulty goods to the supplier, select the Purchase orders entity.

To create the action, an entity or transaction type plus description, you could match or link Purchase orders with a "returns" description such as Return to supplier.

The resulting action needs to be a process carried out in your organization when processing this specific type of transaction.

The list of entities is defined in the 2039 local menu.

Action panel

Create

Select the Create action to create or add a new action that matches or links a business process with a specific type of business transaction.

Select the quick Edit icon on an individual line in the table to change an existing value to suit your organization.

Error messages

In addition to the generic error messages, the following messages can appear during the entry:

The Entity field must contain a value

The Entity field is blank. You need to enter a business transaction.

The Description field must contain a value

The Description field is blank. You need to enter a business process.

Tables used

Refer to the documentation on Implementation.