Sales Order Management
Confirm, track and process sales orders from confirmation to completion
A Sales Order is a confirmed quotation, marking the official commitment between business and customer. After confirmation, the order triggers subsequent processes such as delivery, invoicing and payment tracking.
Confirming Sales Order
When customer agrees with quotation, you need to confirm to convert to sales order:
Steps
1. Open completed quotation
2. Review all information: customer, products, prices, addresses
3. Click "Confirm" button on toolbar
4. System changes status from "Quotation" to "Sales Order"
5. Order number generated automatically by sequence (e.g., SO001, SO002)
6. Subsequent processes triggered (delivery, invoice)
Automatic Confirmation from Portal
Customers can self-confirm orders via Customer Portal if configured:
Key points
• Online Signature: Customer must sign electronically before confirmation
• Online Payment: Customer must pay before confirmation
• Both: Require both signature and payment
• None: Customer can confirm directly
Steps
1. Configure: Settings → Sales → Quotations & Orders
2. Select requirement: Signature, Payment, or both
3. Customer accesses portal and fulfills requirements
4. Order automatically confirmed when conditions met
Order Status
Sales Order Statuses
| Status | Meaning | Available Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation | Unconfirmed quotation | Edit, send, confirm, cancel |
| Quotation Sent | Quotation sent to customer | Edit, confirm, cancel |
| Sales Order | Confirmed order | Create invoice, deliver, lock, cancel |
| Locked | Locked order | Unlock (if authorized) |
| Cancelled | Cancelled order | Set back to quotation |
Invoice Status
Each order has separate invoice status to track invoicing:
Invoice Status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nothing to Invoice | Nothing to invoice (policy based on delivered quantities) |
| To Invoice | Waiting for invoice - has quantity to invoice |
| Fully Invoiced | Fully invoiced for entire order |
Quantity Tracking on Order
Each product line on order tracks multiple quantity types:
Quantity Types
| Field | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity | Ordered quantity | Quantity customer ordered |
| Delivered Qty | Delivered quantity | Actual quantity delivered to customer |
| Invoiced Qty | Invoiced quantity | Quantity already invoiced |
| Qty to Invoice | Quantity to invoice | Remaining quantity to invoice |
Editing Confirmed Order
After confirmation, order can be edited depending on configuration:
Key points
• Allow editing: Can add/edit/delete product lines
• Lock order: Prevent editing to ensure consistency
• Require unlock: Need special permission to unlock and edit
Steps
1. Configure: Settings → Sales → Quotations & Orders → Lock Confirmed Sales
2. If enabled: Order automatically locked after confirmation
3. To edit: Click "Unlock" (requires Sales Manager permission)
4. After editing: Click "Lock" to lock again
Cancelling Order
In some cases, you need to cancel confirmed order:
Steps
1. Open order to cancel
2. Check no invoices or deliveries processed
3. Click "Cancel" button on toolbar
4. Confirm order cancellation
5. Status changes to "Cancelled"
6. Can set back to quotation using "Set to Quotation"
Notes on Cancelling Order
Key points
• If invoice exists: Need to cancel or create credit note for invoice first
• If delivery exists: Need to cancel or return delivery first
• If payment made: Need to process refund
• Cancelled orders remain in system for history tracking
Creating Invoice from Order
After confirming order, you can create invoice:
Steps
1. Open confirmed sales order
2. Click "Create Invoice" button
3. Select appropriate invoicing method
4. Confirm invoice creation
5. Invoice created and linked to order
Invoicing Methods
Invoice Methods
| Method | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Regular Invoice | Invoice for entire or partial order |
| Down Payment (Percentage) | Prepayment by percentage of order |
| Down Payment (Fixed Amount) | Prepayment by fixed amount |
Invoicing Policy
Odoo supports two main invoicing policies:
Key points
• Based on Ordered Quantities: Invoice based on ordered quantity
• Based on Delivered Quantities: Invoice based on delivered quantity
Steps
1. Default configuration: Settings → Sales → Invoicing → Invoicing Policy
2. Per-product configuration: Product → Sales tab → Invoicing Policy
3. Product policy takes precedence over general configuration
Delivery Management
If using Inventory module, order automatically creates delivery order:
Steps
1. After confirming order, delivery order created automatically
2. Click "Delivery" button on order to view delivery
3. Process delivery in Inventory module
4. Delivered quantity automatically updated on order
5. Invoice status changes based on delivered quantity (if policy based on delivery)
Searching and Filtering Orders
Use filters to manage orders effectively:
Key points
• By status: Quotation, Sales Order, Cancelled
• By invoice status: To Invoice, Fully Invoiced
• By customer: Find all orders of a customer
• By salesperson: Track orders per salesperson
• By sales team: Analyze by team
• By date: Orders in time period
• By product: Find orders with specific product
Additional Information on Order
Orders can contain additional information:
Key points
• Customer Reference: Customer reference code
• Tags: Categorize orders by tags
• Notes: Internal notes not visible to customer
• Terms and Conditions: Terms and conditions
• Fiscal Position: Tax position (for international orders)
• Analytic Account: Cost analysis account
• Source Document: Source document (from CRM, Website...)
Best Practices
Steps
1. Confirm order immediately upon customer confirmation
2. Carefully review information before confirming
3. Use tags to categorize orders (urgent, wholesale, retail...)
4. Track "To Invoice" orders to avoid missing invoicing
5. Set up approval process for high-value orders
6. Use Customer Reference for easy reconciliation with customer
7. Regularly review incomplete orders
8. Update delivery status promptly
Order Reporting
Access Reporting to analyze orders:
Key points
• Sales over time: Sales trends
• Sales by salesperson: Individual performance
• Sales by product: Best-selling products
• Sales by customer: Major customers
• Conversion rate: From quotation to order
• Average order value: Average Order Value
• Processing time: From quotation to confirmation
Integration with Inventory
When using Inventory module, orders integrate closely with warehouse management:
Steps
1. Check stock when creating order
2. Automatically create delivery order when confirming
3. Reserve stock for order (reservation)
4. Track delivery status
5. Automatically update delivered quantity
6. Process backorder if stock insufficient
Handling Special Situations
Situations and Solutions
| Situation | Solution |
|---|---|
| Customer requests change after confirmation | Unlock order, edit, lock again |
| Stock shortage cannot deliver fully | Partial delivery, create backorder for remainder |
| Customer wants to cancel order | Check invoice/delivery, process return, cancel order |
| Need to invoice before delivery | Use "Based on Ordered Quantities" policy |
| Order locked cannot edit | Request Sales Manager to unlock |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Key points
• What triggers automatic invoice creation? There is no fully automatic invoice creation, you must click "Create Invoice" on the order, but the system will automatically calculate quantity to invoice based on policy.
• How do I handle partial deliveries? In Inventory module, process delivery order with actual delivered quantity, system automatically creates backorder for remainder.
• Can I edit an order after confirmation? Yes, if Lock Confirmed Sales is not enabled, or click "Unlock" if order is locked (requires Sales Manager permission).
• What's the difference between "Lock" and "Cancel"? Lock only prevents editing but order remains active, Cancel completely cancels order and stops all related processes.
• How do I handle customer order changes? Unlock order, edit products/quantities, lock again and notify customer about changes.
• Can I split an order into multiple deliveries? Yes, in Inventory module, process delivery orders partially, system automatically creates backorders for subsequent deliveries.
• What happens if I cancel an order with existing invoice? You must handle invoice first (create credit note or cancel), then you can cancel the order.
• How do I track order fulfillment status? Check Delivery Status and Invoice Status fields on order, or click Delivery/Invoice buttons to view details.
• Can I set up approval workflow for large orders? Yes, use Automated Actions or Studio to create approval workflow based on order value.
• What's the difference between invoicing policies? "Ordered Quantities" invoices immediately after confirmation, "Delivered Quantities" waits for delivery completion before invoicing.