📝 How To: Create a Manual Order
While Optiply excels at generating automated, data-driven purchase advice, we know that supply chain management sometimes requires a human touch! In addition to automatic suggestions, Optiply gives you the flexibility to create purchase orders entirely manually.
This feature gives you the freedom to place orders based on your unique, immediate needs—even if they fall outside of Optiply’s automated calculation rhythms. Here is exactly how to build a manual order from scratch.
🏢 Step 1: Generate the Empty Order
To start building your custom order, you first need to select the vendor.
Navigate to the main Purchase page in your Optiply dashboard.
Look at the top-right corner of the screen for the supplier search bar.
Use the dropdown menu to search for and select the specific supplier you want to order from.
Click the Create manual order button.
This will instantly generate a brand-new, completely empty purchase order for that specific supplier and open the order editor.
📦 Step 2: Add Your Products
Now that you have a blank order, it is time to fill it with inventory.
Inside the new purchase order editor, navigate to the Available products tab. This tab displays the entire catalogue of items linked to this specific supplier.
Browse or search for the specific products you want to include in your order.
Add them to the active order by manually inputting your desired quantities.
💾 Step 3: Save and Process
Once you have added all your necessary products and quantities:
Click Save to store your changes.
The order will now be securely saved as a Draft.
Because it is saved as a draft, you do not have to send it to the supplier immediately! You can safely leave the page and return later to edit the quantities, add more products, or finalise and place the order when you are ready.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I combine manual additions with automated advice?
Yes! If Optiply has already generated automated purchase advice for a supplier, you do not need to click "Create manual order." You can simply open the existing proposed order and use the "Available products" tab to manually add extra items to that existing order. The manual order button is best used when there is currently no automated advice pending for that supplier.
Where do I find my saved manual draft?
Once saved, your manual order will sit safely on the main Purchase page under the Draft orders tab, alongside any other pending orders you are actively working on.