ANTE User ManualOrder Fulfillment
Order Fulfillment manages the full life of a customer order from a single screen — from the first quotation, through the sales order, purchasing, delivery, and finally invoicing. Each order follows a fulfillment template (a workflow of steps), and the dashboard shows you where every order stands. In ANTE, Order Fulfillment lives inside the Assets module.
Overview
An order in this module is a workflow rather than a single form. When you start an order you pick a fulfillment template, and ANTE runs that order through the template's steps one at a time. As each step is completed, the order advances and its progress bar fills up.
The Order Fulfillment screen brings three things together in one place:
- Orders — the live list of orders with their current step, progress, status, and total.
- Sales Report — sales analytics built from completed orders (revenue, top clients, monthly trend).
- Templates — the workflow templates that define the steps an order goes through.
The page header shows summary counter cards — Active Orders, Completed, Active Templates, and Pipeline Value — and a + New Order button.
Finding Order Fulfillment
- Open the Assets menu in the sidebar.
- Click Order Fulfillment.
The screen opens on the Orders tab by default.
Tabs
| Tab | Contents |
|---|---|
| Orders | The live list of orders, with summary counters and filters |
| Sales Report | Sales analytics derived from completed orders |
| Templates | The fulfillment workflow templates |
The Orders Tab
Summary Counters
Four counter cards sit at the top of the Orders tab. Three of them are clickable shortcuts:
| Counter | Meaning | Click action |
|---|---|---|
| Active Orders | Orders currently running | Filters the list to Active orders |
| Completed | Orders that have finished all steps | Filters the list to Completed orders |
| Active Templates | Number of active fulfillment templates | Opens the Templates tab |
| Pipeline Value | Total sales value across orders | — (display only) |
Status Filter Tabs
Below the counters, a row of filter tabs narrows the list by order status:
- All — every order
- Active — orders still in progress
- Completed — orders that have finished
- Cancelled — orders that were cancelled
Filter Bar
You can further narrow the list with the filter bar:
- Search — type an order code or client name to find a matching order.
- All Months — filter by the month the order started.
- All Clients — filter by client.
- All Templates — filter by the template the order is using.
- All Assignees — filter by the person assigned to a step.
When any filter is active, a Clear Filters button appears to reset them all at once.
Orders Table
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Order | The order code and the client name |
| Current Step | The step the order is on right now, with the assigned person (if any) |
| Progress | A progress bar showing completed steps out of total (e.g. 3/5) |
| Status | The order status — In Progress, Completed, or Cancelled |
| Total | The order's grand total amount |
Click any row to open the order's tracking view, where you can follow the timeline of steps and act on the current step.
Order Status
An order moves through three overall states:
- In Progress — the order is still running through its steps.
- Completed — every step has been finished.
- Cancelled — the order was cancelled before completing.
How Orders Flow Through Steps
Each fulfillment template defines a sequence of steps. A typical end-to-end order covers quotation → sales order → purchasing → delivery → invoicing, though the exact steps depend on the template you choose.
- The first step is a quotation. When you start an order, step 1 opens automatically so you can choose the client and fill in the items and terms.
- You pick the client on the quotation — not when first creating the order. Once the quotation is locked in, the client carries through to the later steps (sales order, purchase order, delivery, invoice).
- Each step's status is shown as you progress — for example a quotation can be Draft, Sent, Accepted, Rejected, or Expired; a delivery can be Scheduled, In Transit, Delivered, or Failed; an invoice can be Partially Paid, Paid, or Overdue.
- While the quotation is open, an Export PDF button in the dialog's header lets you download a branded PDF copy at any time — you don't need to finish or lock in the quotation first.
Create Sales Order, Create Purchase Order, Create Invoice, and Record Payment Steps
Several steps generate real records elsewhere in ANTE:
- Create Sales Order — locking in this step creates a confirmed Sales Order, using the items carried over from the quotation plus the Expected Delivery date and Notes you enter here. You can find it afterward in Assets → Sales Order. The total shown on this step is net only — there's no Tax Type field here anymore; a note reads "VAT is applied on the invoice", since tax is decided at the next step, not this one.
- Create Purchase Order — locking in this step raises a Purchase Order to a supplier, using the items and quantities carried over from the Sales Order. The customer-facing Sales Order price is never copied as the supplier cost — instead, each line's Cost is pre-filled from that item's buying price on file in the item catalog, so procurement starts from a real number instead of zero; it stays fully editable before submitting.
- Create Invoice — locking in this step raises a real invoice in Treasury → Receivables → Collection by Invoice, using the Description, Tax Mode (VAT Inclusive/Exclusive), Currency, and per-line Discount and Tax Type (VATable, Zero-Rated, VAT-Exempt, or Non-VAT) you set on this step. Once the invoice is created, ANTE automatically marks the linked Sales Order Completed and shows that invoice's VAT and tax-inclusive total back on the Sales Order. When the template has no Sales Order step before this one (for example, Quick Direct Sale), the invoice instead pre-fills its line items straight from the quotation, and defaults Tax Mode to VAT Exclusive so VAT is still added on top — matching the price the client already approved.
- Record Payment — some templates (for example, Quick Direct Sale, which has no purchasing or delivery legs) end with this step instead. Locking it in records a collection receipt in Treasury against the invoice raised by the Create Invoice step. The step pre-fills the invoice number and its Outstanding balance (read-only) — a View Invoice button opens a read-only quick view of the full invoice (client, dates, tax mode, VAT rate, project, and description; line items with discount and tax type; the payment summary; and any collection receipts already recorded against it) if you want to double-check it before collecting. You then enter the Amount to collect (defaults to the full outstanding balance), an EWT rate, the Fund account the cash is deposited into, the Payment date, and an optional Memo. Submitting settles that fund account and updates the invoice — Paid once the full balance is collected, or Partially Paid if you record less than the full balance. If the invoice is still Draft, submitting this step automatically issues it (moves it to Sent) before recording the payment — you don't need to send it manually first, unlike collecting from the invoice directly in Treasury.
Common Tasks
Starting a New Order
- On the Order Fulfillment screen, click + New Order (top right).
- In the New Order dialog, select a Fulfillment Template (required) from the dropdown. Templates are grouped into Pre-built and Custom Templates.
- When you select a template, a Workflow Preview appears showing how many steps it has. Click View flow to see the full numbered list of steps.
- Click Start Order.
- The order is created and the first step (the quotation) opens automatically, assigned to you. Fill in the client, items, and terms there to move the order forward.
You choose the client while filling out the quotation, not in the New Order dialog. The New Order dialog only asks for the template — the order itself is the workflow shell, and the price and customer details live on the quotation and the steps that follow.
Tracking and Working an Order
- On the Orders tab, click the order's row.
- The order's tracking view opens, showing the timeline of steps and the current step.
- Work the current step to advance the order. When you finish a step, the order's progress bar and status update.
Exporting a Quotation to PDF
- Open the order's quotation step (either while filling it in, or while reviewing it later).
- Click Export PDF at the top of the quotation dialog, next to the close button.
- ANTE renders the quotation exactly as it currently stands — company header and logo, bill-to client, line items, subtotal, VAT (if the quotation is taxed), grand total, payment terms, notes, and signature lines — and downloads it as a PDF.
- If no items have been entered yet, ANTE asks you to add at least one item before it will export.
Because the PDF always reflects the current form contents, you can use it to share a preview with the client before the quotation is finalized — it works whether you're still editing the quotation or just reviewing it.
Exporting Any Completed Step's Document
Beyond the quotation's own Export PDF button, the order's tracking view has an Exportable tab that gathers every completed step's document in one place:
- Open the order's tracking view (click its row on the Orders tab).
- Click Exportable next to Timeline at the top right of the Process Timeline section — this toggle only appears once at least one step's form has been submitted.
- The Exportable view lists each completed document (Quotation, Sales Order, Purchase Order, Invoice, Payment, and so on) with the step it came from.
- Click Export <Name> on the document you want. ANTE downloads a branded PDF copy.
Cancelling an Order
While viewing an order that is still running (not already Completed or Cancelled), you can cancel it from the tracking view and optionally record a reason. Once cancelled, the order moves to the Cancelled status.
The Sales Report Tab
The Sales Report turns your completed orders into sales analytics. Each completed order is treated as a closed sale, and its grand total counts as revenue.
Filters
- Period — choose All time, Year to date, Quarter to date, or Month to date. The period narrows results by when each order was completed.
- Currency — choose All or a specific currency that appears in your orders.
What the Report Shows
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
| Total revenue | The combined grand total of completed orders in the range |
| Orders completed | How many orders completed in the range |
| Avg order value | Average revenue per completed order |
| Pipeline snapshot | A point-in-time count of Running, Completed, and Cancelled orders |
| Sales by month | A bar chart of revenue over the last 12 months |
| Top clients | Your highest-revenue clients in the range, with order counts |
If completed orders show no revenue, it usually means those orders have no Sales Order linked (so there is no amount to total). The report will note this where the figures would otherwise appear.
The Templates Tab
Templates define the steps an order goes through. Customize templates per client type by duplicating and modifying them.
Working with Templates
- The Templates tab lists each template with its Name, Status, Steps count, Runs (number of orders started from it), and Last Updated date. You can switch between Grid view and List view and search templates by name.
- Pre-built templates are marked with a badge. They can't be edited directly — when you Start an order from a pre-built template, ANTE automatically makes your own copy and runs that. To change a pre-built template, duplicate it and edit the copy.
- Start — begins a new order from that template.
- Edit — opens the template in the process builder so you can change its steps.
Editing a Template
- On the Templates tab, click Edit on the template you want to change (pre-built templates must be duplicated first).
- The Process Builder opens, where you can adjust the template's steps.
- You can also click Open Process Builder at the top of the Templates tab to manage process templates directly.
Tips
- Pick the template that matches the order — the steps you'll work through are decided by the template, so choose one whose workflow fits the order.
- The quotation comes first — expect the quotation step to open right after you start an order; that's where the client and items are set.
- Export a quotation PDF anytime — the Export PDF button in the quotation dialog works even on an unfinished quotation, so you can send a preview to the client before locking anything in.
- Check the Exportable tab for everything else — once other steps are done (Sales Order, Purchase Order, Invoice, Payment), switch the tracking view to Exportable to download each one as a branded PDF instead of hunting through the timeline.
- Use the filters to find orders fast — search by order code or client, or narrow by month, client, template, or assignee, then Clear Filters to reset.
- Watch the progress bar — it shows completed steps out of total, so you can see at a glance how close an order is to done.
- Completed orders feed the Sales Report — only completed orders count as revenue, so finishing the final steps keeps your sales analytics accurate.
Related Pages
- Sales Order — the confirmed order register created by the Create Sales Order step
- Sales Invoice — invoices raised by the Create Invoice step
- Purchase Orders — the purchasing step orders flow into
- Deliveries — track deliveries tied to fulfillment