Transaction Workflow

Transactions follow a structured workflow from creation to completion. Understanding this workflow helps you manage orders efficiently and keep your supply chain running smoothly.

Workflow Overview

All transactions follow a similar lifecycle:

Creation → Draft → Submit → In Progress → Completed → Archived

There is no “Cancelled” status at the transaction level. Individual steps within a transaction can be cancelled, but the transaction itself moves through Draft → In Progress → Completed → Archived.

Workflow Stages

Stage 1: Creation

What Happens:

Transaction is initiated
Basic information entered
Line items added

Sources:

Source	Description
Manual	User creates from scratch
Supply Planning	Convert from an accepted planning recommendation
Copy	Duplicate existing transaction

Stage 2: Draft

What Happens:

Transaction saved but not active
Can be freely edited
No inventory impact
No external communication

Available Actions:

Edit all fields
Add/remove line items
Change supplier/warehouse
Submit
Delete

Stage 3: Submission

What Happens:

Validation runs
Status changes to “In Progress”
Inventory effects begin
Workflow steps created

Validation Checks:

Check	Failure Action
Required fields	Block submission
Quantity validation	Show error
Availability (transfers)	Block submission
Component availability (production)	Block or warn

Stage 4: In Progress

What Happens:

Transaction is active
Steps are tracked
Inventory committed/reserved
Documents can be added

Status Updates:

Action	Trigger
Step completion	Manual update
Partial receipt	Receiving action
Issues	Notes and flags

Stage 5: Completion

What Happens:

All steps are completed
Inventory fully updated
Transaction status moves to “Completed”

Completion Types:

Type	Description
Full	All items received/completed as expected
Partial	Some items completed, remainder steps cancelled

Stage 6: Archived

What Happens:

Transaction is moved to the “Archived” terminal state
Becomes fully read-only
Preserved for historical records and audit
No further status changes are possible

Workflow by Transaction Type

Tether uses three step types—Purchase, Shipment, and Production—to model all transaction workflows. Each step has its own status (Draft → In Progress → Completed, or Cancelled) and tracks inventory through specific inventory state types.

Purchase Order Workflow

Draft
  ↓
Submitted → Purchase Step created (In Process)
  ↓
Purchase Report submitted → Purchase Step completed (Completed Purchase)
  ↓
Shipping Plan submitted → Shipment Step created (In Transit)
  ↓
Shipment Receipt submitted → Shipment Step completed (Completed Shipment)
  ↓
Completed

PO Steps & Inventory States

Step Type	Inventory State	Description
Purchase (In Progress)	In Process	Order is being processed by supplier
Purchase (Completed)	Completed Purchase	Supplier has fulfilled the order
Shipment (In Progress)	In Transit	Goods are in transit to destination
Shipment (Completed)	Completed Shipment	Goods received at destination warehouse; sellable inventory added

Transfer Order Workflow

Draft
  ↓
Submitted → Shipping Plan auto-created → Shipment Step created (In Transit)
  ↓
Shipment Receipt submitted → Shipment Step completed (Completed Shipment)
  ↓
Completed

Transfer Steps & Inventory States

Step Type	Inventory State	Description
Shipment (In Progress)	In Transit	Goods deducted from source sellable, in transit to destination
Shipment (Completed)	Completed Shipment	Goods received at destination; sellable inventory added

For split shipments with multiple destinations, Tether creates separate Shipment steps and artifacts for each destination warehouse.

Production Order Workflow

Draft
  ↓
Submitted → Production Step created (In Production, components Committed)
  ↓
Production Report submitted → Production Step completed (Completed Production, components Consumed)
  ↓
Completed

Production Steps & Inventory States

Step Type	Inventory State	Description
Production (In Progress)	In Production	Finished goods are being produced
Production (In Progress)	Committed	Components reserved from sellable inventory
Production (In Progress)	Backordered	Components that couldn’t be committed due to insufficient inventory
Production (Completed)	Completed Production	Finished goods added to sellable inventory
Production (Completed)	Consumed	Components fully deducted from inventory

Step Management

Step Statuses

Each step within a transaction has its own status:

Status	Description
Draft	Step created but not yet active
In Progress	Step is actively being worked on
Completed	Step finished successfully
Cancelled	Step was cancelled (does not block transaction completion)

Updating Steps via Artifacts

Steps are advanced by submitting the appropriate artifact:

Navigate to Transaction

Open the transaction detail view

Go to Steps & Inventory Tab

Click on the Steps & Inventory tab (visible for non-draft transactions)

Select the Step

Find the step you want to update

Submit the Appropriate Artifact

Submit the matching artifact to advance the step:

Production Report → advances a Production step
Purchase Report → advances a Purchase step
Shipment Receipt → advances a Shipment step
Shipping Plan → creates a new Shipment step

Review

Step status updates and inventory states change accordingly

Step Details

Each step tracks:

Field	Description
Step Type	Production, Purchase, or Shipment
Status	Draft, In Progress, Completed, or Cancelled
Inventory States	Current inventory impact of this step
Source	Where goods come from
Destination	Where goods are going

Handling Issues

Delays

When steps take longer than expected:

Add notes explaining delay
Update expected completion dates
Communicate with stakeholders
Consider impact on inventory

Partial Fulfillment

When not all quantities are received:

Option	When to Use
Wait	More expected to arrive
Backorder	Order remainder separately
Close Short	Accept partial, close transaction

Cancelling Steps

Individual steps can be cancelled without cancelling the entire transaction:

Review Impact

Understand what inventory effects will be reversed for this step

Cancel the Step

Mark the step as Cancelled

Inventory Adjusts

Committed or in-transit inventory associated with that step is released

What Gets Reversed When a Step Is Cancelled:

Committed components are released back to sellable
In-transit quantities are reversed
The step moves to Cancelled status

The transaction itself does not have a “Cancelled” status. If all steps are cancelled or completed, the transaction moves to Completed and can then be Archived.

Inventory Effects by Step Type

Inventory changes are tracked through StepInventoryStateType values on each step:

Purchase Steps

State	Effect
In Process	Order is being processed; no inventory change yet
Completed Purchase	Purchase fulfilled; goods ready for shipment to warehouse

Shipment Steps

State	Source Warehouse	Destination Warehouse
In Transit	Sellable reduced	In-transit quantity shown
Completed Shipment	—	Sellable inventory added

Production Steps

State	Components	Finished Goods
Committed	Reserved from sellable	—
Backordered	Insufficient inventory flagged	—
In Production	—	Being produced
Consumed	Fully deducted	—
Completed Production	—	Added to sellable

Best Practices

Update Steps Promptly

Keep workflow current:

Update as events happen
Don’t batch updates
Accuracy helps planning

Document Issues

When problems occur:

Add notes immediately
Attach evidence if available
Flag for follow-up

Complete Transactions

Don’t leave transactions hanging:

Complete when done
Close partial as needed
Cancel if not proceeding

Use Workflow for Communication

Steps create visibility:

Team sees progress
Reduces status inquiries
Provides audit trail

Workflow Reporting

Lead Time Analysis

Track actual vs. expected:

Step durations
Total order time
Supplier performance
Transit times

Bottleneck Identification

Find where delays occur:

Which steps take longest?
Which suppliers are slow?
Which warehouses are slow to receive?

Next Steps

Transaction Details

Navigate detail pages

Creating Transactions

Create new transactions

Supply Planning

See how recommendations are generated

Inventory Dashboard

Monitor inventory impact

​Transaction Workflow

​Workflow Overview

​Workflow Stages

​Stage 1: Creation

​Stage 2: Draft

​Stage 3: Submission

​Stage 4: In Progress

​Stage 5: Completion

​Stage 6: Archived

​Workflow by Transaction Type

​Purchase Order Workflow

​PO Steps & Inventory States

​Transfer Order Workflow

​Transfer Steps & Inventory States

​Production Order Workflow

​Production Steps & Inventory States

​Step Management

​Step Statuses

​Updating Steps via Artifacts

​Step Details

​Handling Issues

​Delays

​Partial Fulfillment

​Cancelling Steps

​Inventory Effects by Step Type

​Purchase Steps

​Shipment Steps

​Production Steps

​Best Practices

​Workflow Reporting

​Lead Time Analysis

​Bottleneck Identification

​Next Steps

Transaction Details

Creating Transactions

Supply Planning

Inventory Dashboard

Transaction Workflow

Workflow Overview

Workflow Stages

Stage 1: Creation

Stage 2: Draft

Stage 3: Submission

Stage 4: In Progress

Stage 5: Completion

Stage 6: Archived

Workflow by Transaction Type

Purchase Order Workflow

PO Steps & Inventory States

Transfer Order Workflow

Transfer Steps & Inventory States

Production Order Workflow

Production Steps & Inventory States

Step Management

Step Statuses

Updating Steps via Artifacts

Step Details

Handling Issues

Delays

Partial Fulfillment

Cancelling Steps

Inventory Effects by Step Type

Purchase Steps

Shipment Steps

Production Steps

Best Practices

Workflow Reporting

Lead Time Analysis

Bottleneck Identification

Next Steps