We are in the process of switching our accounting to QB Enterprise Manufacturing with Advanced Inventory. I'm a long-time, experienced QB user, but not with Serial Numbers.
Our company hand-assembles archery bows, and we build to order - we don't generally keep stock on hand. Each bow has a unique serial number. In our current accounting system, we enter a sale as a Sales Order, print the Sales Order, a Picking List, and a Delivery Docket - this paperwork is sent to the plant for assembly. Once the bow is shipped, I get the paperwork back, assign the serial number on the Sales Order, then convert the Sales Order to an invoice.
I have started to set up a similar process in Enterprise, but have encountered problems related to when I can enter the serial number without negatively affecting other financial indicators.
Problem: When I use our current paperwork process, I get the Negative Quantity Notice when I enter an order because I haven't done the Build Assembly (because I don't have the serial number yet). I can't add a serial number in the Sales Order itself - I can only choose from existing serial numbers from completed Build Assemblies.
I can't do the Build Assembly first because I don't have the serial number for the bow until after it's built.
I can't create a Sales Order to start the process because I get Negative Quantity notices that my COGS and other cost-related reporting will be affected.
I'm hoping that someone can help outline a process for me that will work with our manufacturing system. I don't know if I can use a Pending Build - I'm just not familiar enough with how serial numbers are processed in the underlying database tables, and I want to do this right the first time.
Thanks for your help and suggestions!
