Assembly processing is an option if you use the SAP Project System (PS) to plan products or services that are produced or carried out several times with similar constellations. Although the individual projects are carried out for different customers, for example, they are made up of similar activities. Details, such as quantities or the required amount of work, can differ, although the structure of the projects remains the same. To handle different product alternatives, you can also combine assembly processing with variant configuration. In assembly processing, networks are created in the Project System directly from a sales document (request for quotation, quotation, or sales order). When the sales document is saved, a project definition and a work breakdown structure (WBS) are also generated if required. Assembly processing generates an assignment between the sales document and the project. This means that the same information is available to the employees in the sales department and to project management. If changes are made in the sales document, the system automatically updates the network, and vice versa. This helps to reduce delays and disagreements between the sales department and the project team executing the project.
If you create a sales order for a material to which a strategy group for assembly processing has been assigned, the system automatically creates a so-called assembly order in the background, and starts assembly processing. In this case, assembly processing omits the MRP planning stage and generates an operative order directly from the sales order. The following assembly orders can be generated: network, production order, planned order, process order, maintenance order, or service order.
The order type used in the SAP Project System is the network. Assembly processing is carried out statically in SAP Project System, so that only one network is generated for each sales document item. When you create a network by copying a standard network, data (requirements quantity and date, if applicable, configuration data) are copied from the sales order item to the network. Backward scheduling is carried out for the network, starting from the customer's requirements date, and an availability
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check is done for the required material components. This enables you to inform the customer without delay whether or not you can fulfill the order for the required date.
If it is not possible, the system proposes a date on which the project can be completed.
In addition, the system costs the network and transfers the costs to the sales document.
When you save the sales order, a project definition and a work breakdown structure can also be generated, which can be identified using the sales order number.
Figure 48: Process Flow for Assembly Processing
You can enter quantities greater than one in the sales order for assembly processing with networks. All activities in the network for which an execution factor has been defined are then multiplied by the factor in question. In the case of activity elements, the execution factor of the higher-level activity applies. In the activity or activity element, the following planned data is multiplied equally, according to the execution factor and the quantity in the sales order item:
• Duration
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Assembly processing can be expanded to include several sales document items.
An individual network will be assigned to each item in this case. The individual networks can be assigned to a work breakdown structure. However, you can only generate one project definition for the sales document. This means that the standard networks used must have assignments to the same standard work breakdown structure.
The individual networks can be scheduled from the sales order. If the networks are connected by cross-network relationships, you will be able to schedule the entire network. The finish date of a network is proposed as the confirmed delivery date.
If you also create a work breakdown structure during assembly processing, the system automatically generates a project number, which contains the number of the sales document. This makes it easy to identify to which sales document the sales project belongs. The way the system determines the project number from the sales document depends on whether a single structure or several substructures are to be created when the operative work breakdown structure is generated. The SD/PS assignment indicator determines whether, during assembly processing, a hierarchy is created in the operative WBS for each sales document item, or whether a hierarchy is created for the entire sales document in the operative WBS. You find the SD/PS assignment indicator in the control data of the project definition of the standard WBS.
If you work with a single structure in the operative project and with editing masks, the area between the first and second special characters in the standard WBS element numbers is replaced with the matching number of characters from the sales document number. If there is not enough space, the sales order number is shortened accordingly (the numbers at the start of the sales order number are left out). To ensure that the project number and the sales document number correspond, the area between the first and the second special character of the number must be the appropriate length.
For an operative project with several substructures, the sales document item is used in addition to the sales document number to differentiate between the WBS elements in the different substructures. In addition, the area between the second and third special characters in the standard WBS element number is replaced by the corresponding sales document item. Requirements for this scenario are that the SD/PS assignment indicator is set in the project definition, a project edition has been maintained for the work breakdown structure in Customizing for the Project System, and the Only one root indicator is not set in the project profile.
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Figure 49: SD/PS Assignment
There are different requirements for using assembly processing. To use assembly processing (with networks), you need a suitable standard network as a template for the network that is to be created. If you also want a work breakdown structure to be generated when the sales document is saved, you must have first created a standard work breakdown structure. A material must be entered in the sales document. So that the system can determine a requirements type and thereby a requirements class, which triggers assembly processing, the corresponding material master must also be set up accordingly. In requirement type determination, the system determines a requirements type and requirements class that enable assembly processing. The Network parameters from sales order table forms a link between the material and standard network.
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Figure 50: Prerequisites for Assembly Processing
The creation of standard networks and standard work breakdown structures is dealt with in the corresponding lessons. If you want assembly processing to be executed automatically with networks, you must make other settings in addition to creating the corresponding standard structures. The requirements class, and thereby whether and how assembly processing is executed, is defined by a combination of the material in a sales document item and the data from the sales document. The correct settings must therefore be made in the material master. You need at least the sales views of a material for assembly processing. You only require the MRP views (specifically, the strategy group, MRP group, and MRP type) if you want to determine the requirements type and requirements class from the material master. In the standard system, Customizing already contains requirements types and classes that make it possible to use assembly processing.
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Figure 51: Settings in the Material Master
During assembly processing, there must be an assignment between the material that you enter in the sales document item and a standard network, which is then used as the template for the network. You can define this assignment in advance in table Network parameters from sales order. However, you do not have to maintain this table. If the table contains entries, then a standard network can be determined automatically in the sales order. If the entries are missing, you must enter them manually in the sales order.
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Figure 52: Assignment of Material to Standard Networks
The requirements class defines how assembly processing is carried out. Various indicators in the requirements class are crucial for assembly processing:
• The assembly type determines which type of orders the system can create during assembly processing. In the SAP Project System, assembly type 2 production order, network, or service (stat. processing) should always be set up.
• The Order type corresponds to the network type in the SAP Project System that is used for the operative network.
• The Account assignment category determines how the system treats stock quantities and values (see appendix).
• If you want to use the availability check, the Requirements transfer indicator must be set in the requirements class.
• So that no requirements are generated in MRP, you must set one of these indicators: 1 Requirements neither planned or displayed or 2 Requirements not planned, but displayed in the requirements class, or for the MRP type in the material master ND No planning.
In the standard system, you can use requirements class 212 as a template.
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Figure 53: Requirements Class
The requirements class controls the account assignment category, the relevance to MRP, the availability check in sales and distribution, and other procedures in assembly processing. The account assignment category contains information about, among others, consumption posting and inventory management of the material. The account assignment category you use for assembly processing depends on your business processes. The graphic “SD/PS Processes” gives you an overview of the processes and account assignment categories possible.
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Figure 54: SD/PS Processes
About 1): In assembly processing, you can generate a (header-assigned) network without a project when you create a sales order. In this case, the sales document item is a cost object in its own right.
About 2): In assembly processing, you can generate a network when you create a sales order. When you save your data, the system creates a WBS and assigns the sales order item to a WBS element in this WBS. In this case, the sales order depicts the sales view, the project is the controlling instrument, and logistical processing is reproduced by the network. Alternatively, you can create work breakdown structures and networks, and assign the sales document item manually.
About 3): You can assign a sales document item to a WBS element in a project.
Controlling takes place in the project. You can assign orders or documents to the project.
About 4): You can use assembly processing or material requirements planning (MRP) to create a production order, and then assign the sales document item to a WBS element in the project. You then assign the production order manually to a WBS element in the project. The sales document item must be controlled by an account assignment category with a special stock indicator E, Q or blank.
For example 1 above, the best choice would be account assignment category E; in case 2, the best choice would be Q or D, in cases 3 and 4, account assignment category G would also be possible.
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The requirements class is determined via the requirement types. Requirements type determination, however, is carried out automatically by the system as follows:
1. The admissible planning strategies are assigned to the material via the planning strategy group in the material master. This assignment is needed to find the correct requirements type in independent requirements management and sales order management.
2. The default requirements type is determined by the main strategy of the planning strategy group. You can define substrategies (and consequently alternative requirements types) manually in the sales order.
3. Finally, the individual requirements types are assigned to requirements classes.
If the system cannot determine a requirements type because of missing data, it tries to determine the requirements type for the sales order using the item category of the sales order item. This method can be used explicitly for special sales orders.
A default item category is proposed when the order is entered in the system, but users can change it as required (possible item categories are defined in Customizing). The system determines the item categories for the sales order using the item category group (sales view in the material master) and the MRP type. The sales department obtains its central control keys from three different sources: the material master (which item is purchased?), customer master (which customer is buying/what conditions have been defined for this customer?) and the sales document (what kind of contract applies, which sales area is responsible?).
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Figure 55: Determining the Requirements Class
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Appendix 2
Project Profile
A project profile must be entered when a work breakdown structure is created. It contains the following fields:
Figure 56: Project Profile (1)
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The Project Type indicator can be used as a selection criterion in the Information System. The Field Key identifies the short texts for user fields. The Version Profile determines whether status-dependent project versions are written and with which data.
The Simulation Profile determines which texts are copied to and from simulation versions. The Display Options field determines whether WBS elements are mainly displayed according to key, short ID, or description in tabular overviews. The Level of Detail field specifies the number of hiearchy levels that the system displays when a project is opened in a particular processing transaction. A PartnDet. Prc. (partner determination procedure) can be used to assign partner roles to a project. The All Acct Asst Elem indicator sets the account assignment indicator for all WBS elements.
Using the Only One Root indicator, you define that there can only be one top WBS element. The Trsfr to Proj. Def. is only relevant for transaction Create single WBS element. Setting the Change Documents indicator ensures that documents for master data changes are written automatically on saving. The Proj. Summ. MastDa indicator activates summarization via master data characteristics instead of via classification. If you activate the indicator iPPE Proj. Desc., the tab page iPPE PS is displayed in the Project Builder in the detail screen for the WBS element.
Entries under Validation/Substitution in the Project Definition/WBS Element fields ensure that no selection screen appears when validation/substitution is triggered. By setting the Automatic Validation/Substitution indicators, validation/substitution can also be executed automatically on saving.
You can use the project stock indicator to define for material requirements planning whether a project can manage its own stock. The Automatic requirements grouping indicator automates the grouping of project stocks assigned to individual WBS elements to the top WBS element.
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Figure 57: Project Profile (2)
In the Status Management detail screen, you can enter default values for status profiles for the project definition and WBS elements. If the respective indicator was set in the project profile, status changes can be recorded automatically by the system with change documents.
The profiles and indicator for Graphic control how the work breakdown structure is displayed in the hierarchy graphic. You can use the Vertical from level field, for example, to control from which hierarchy level WBS elements are to be displayed vertically, instead of horizontally.
Using the default Project Summarization indicators, you can set default values for the Project Summarization indicator for all WBS elements or all billing elements and/or all account assignment elements.
From SAP R/3 4.6C on, you can carry out sales pricing in the Project Builder, based on Easy Cost Planning data, for a project that does not have a customer inquiry. Under Sales pricing, you can enter default values for the necessary organizational data and the DIP profile.
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Figure 58: Project Profile (3)
On the Organization tab page in the project profile, you enter default values for the organizational assignment of the individual WBS elements and the entire project, as well as a default value for the project currency.
WBS sched. prof. on the Plg board/dates tab page controls which characteristics scheduling has when you trigger WBS scheduling. You can also select one of two scheduling scenarios as a default value. The With activities indicator controls whether assigned activities can also be read when a project is opened in particular transactions.
The Factory calendar, which is entered in every WBS element and can be entered as a default value in the project profile, specifies the work days and public holidays.
The Time unit refers to the duration of WBS elements.
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Figure 59: Project Profile (4)
When new activities are created in a project, the indicators under Network specify to which network these new activities are assigned or with which network profile a new network is created. For certain transactions, the new network header can be displayed automatically.
The planning board profile (Plan board prof) entered in the project profile is used as the default profile when the project planning board is called up. It determines how the table and graphic areas of the planning board are displayed.
You can call up various capacity planning reports from the project planning board and structure planning. In the project profile, you enter the relevant overall profiles, taken from capacity planning.
The profiles for the hierarchy graphic specify how the hierarchy graphic is to be displayed when it is called up from date planning for WBS elements.
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Figure 60: Project Profile (5)
The Object Class that can be entered here as the default value specifies the cost flow in Controlling from a business point of view. The Statistical indicator determines whether costs can be debited from a WBS element or whether statistical costs can only be posted for it. The Integrated planning indicator activates the update of planned activity inputs from WBS elements to the sending cost center.
The Planning/budgeting profiles determine how cost planning and budgeting are carried out for the work breakdown structure and whether the availability check is activated.
The Costing Sheet specifies how overhead costs are determined. The Overhead key is used to determine an overhead percentage rate and templates for process cost allocation. The Interest calc. profile specifies how interest is calculated for the project. The Investment profile specifies how the project is integrated with Investment