A great challenge for any organization is to keep track of batch-managed materials having shelf-life expiration dates. This is especially the case in process-based industries for materials that are slow-moving or have a short shelf-life.  Tracking this information allows an organization to ensure those materials are consumed first in the case of raw materials and sold first in the case of finished goods. This minimizes the material and financial costs associated with the need to destroy and scrap the goods or materials.

I outline all the important master data required to successfully set up recurring inspection. I show how to create an inspection lot manually that triggers the recurring inspection program, and also touch upon an automatic trigger option. Finally, I explain results recording and usage decisions, which are two important working steps in the quality management (QM) module.

QM Master Data

You need the following QM master data set up in the system prior to beginning the recurring inspection process:

• Activation of inspection type Recurring Inspection in the material master
• Master inspection characteristic (MIC), which is the quantitative or qualitative attribute of a material
• Inspection plan

Activation of Inspection Type Recurring Inspection in Material Master

Although the material was already previously created, you still need to activate its QM view. Even if the QM view is activated, you have to activate the new inspection type for recurring inspection at the organizational level (Plant). Use SAP menu path Logistics > Materials Management > Material Master > Material > Create (General) > Immediately or use transaction code MM01 (Figure 1). Enter the material number and click the Select view(s) button. In my example, I use material 1588. Select the Quality Management view and then click the Organizational levels button. Enter 1000 in the Plant field. Press Enter or click the continue icon . This leads to the QM view of the material master (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Recurring Inspection Saves Time and Cost in Procurement and Production Processes

In Figure 1, click the Insp. Setup button to go to Figure 2.

Figure 2

Inspection setup data for recurring inspections

In Figure 2, click the Inspection Types button. Select inspection type 09 for recurring inspections. Then, click the inspection type detail icon  for inspection type 09. This ensures that the Insp. with task list check box is selected as well as the Automatic assignment check box. The inspection plan then is available for recurring inspection. When the relevant inspection plan is found, all MICs must be automatically assigned whenever the system creates a new inspection lot for recurring inspection. Also you must check the Active check box for inspection type 09. Click the continue icon and save the material master by pressing Ctrl+S or clicking the save icon .

MIC

An MIC has its own set of specifications that needs to be defined as important QM master data. To create an MIC, follow menu path Logistics > Quality Management > Quality Planning > Inspection Characteristic > Create or use transaction code QS21 (Figure 3). In my example, I have created a quantitative MIC named QM01 on plant 1000.

Figure 3

The initial screen for the creation of an MIC

After defining the MIC, click the Master inspection characteristic button, which brings up Figure 4. Define the MIC to be quantitative (1), and give it the status of 2 Released (2). Click the Control indicators button (3), which leads to the Edit Characteristic Control Indicators screen (Figure 5).

Figure 4

Overview of a quantitative MIC

Figure 5

Control indicators for the creation of a quantitative MIC

In Figure 5, the control indicators are defined for the MIC QM01 with requirements to define lower and upper limits as well as target values. Some of the other control indicators selected include:

• Single result, which means that each result of a sample needs to be entered individually
• Defects recording, which means that you can record any defects noted in production
• Required characteristic, which indicates the results must be recorded

Click the continue icon to access further control indicators (Figure 6). Here I’ve defined that MIC QM01 does not have a fixed scope, which means you can still change its details later if necessary. I’ve also selected Long-term inspection, which means that in case the results recording of this specific MIC is delayed, the usage decision can still be undertaken. I’ve also chosen the option to print the MIC in an inspection report.

Figure 6

Further control indicators for a quantitative MIC

Click the continue icon. This leads to the screen in Figure 7, in which quantitative data is defined, such as the number of decimal places, the value of upper and lower limits, and the target value.

Figure 7

Specific quantitative data is entered for the MIC

Click the continue icon. To save the MIC, press Ctrl+S or click the save icon.

Inspection Plan

An inspection plan is the task list referred to whenever an inspection lot for recurring inspection is created. An inspection plan can have different uses. For example, it can be a separate inspection plan for material quality checks in which extensive checking and results recording is performed, or a finished goods inspection that may have a different set of specifications (MICs) to check. An inspection plan consists of previously created MICs.

To create an inspection plan, follow menu path Logistics > Quality Management > Quality Planning > Inspection Planning > Inspection Plan > Create or use transaction code QP01 (Figure 8). In my example, I define the material as 1588 and plant as 1000 for the creation of an inspection plan.

Figure 8

The initial screen for an inspection plan

After entering the details for your inspection plan, press Enter or click the continue icon to enter header details (Figure 9). I’ve entered the usage as 9, which is for a material check, and the status of the inspection plan is set to 4, which is released.

Figure 9

Header details of the inspection plan

A usage specifies the purpose for using a specific inspection plan. A material can have different inspection plans for different usages – for example, for goods receipt-specific usage or for a universal usage. A universal usage can be for all the different inspections or for a goods issuance usage that is used in a sales order-related quality check before goods are sent to the customer against a sales order. For recurring inspection, the usage is 9, which is for a material check.

Next, click the Operations button to view the Operation Overview screen (Figure 10). I assign the work center DYNG1 on which the inspection is carried out. A work center is a production line or a laboratory, and an inspection is carried out by taking a sample from the production line or from tests performed in the laboratory.

Figure 10

Operations overview of an inspection plan

Select line item 0010 and click the Inspection characteristics button. This leads to Figure 11. Here I assign the previously created MICs QM01 and QM03. All other details are automatically copied from the MIC, such as the upper and lower limits and the target value. 

You can now save the inspection plan by pressing Ctrl+S or clicking the save icon. A message appears informing you that the inspection plan for material 1588 for plant 1000 has been saved in a group. A group is the internal number given to every inspection plan as identification.

Figure 11

Characteristics overview of an inspection plan

This brings to an end the master data required to implement QM in production processes.

Batch Management

Let’s now look at some of the details about the material’s batch, which is about to expire (when materials are batch managed, it is always the batch – not the individual material – that expires). To change the batch, follow menu path Logistics > Materials Management > Material Master > Batch > Change or use transaction code MSC2N (Figure 12). In my example, I have defined material 1588, plant 1000, the storage location where the batch is stored as 0001 and the material batch number as 0000000385. Press Enter, which leads to Figure 13.

Figure 12

Initial screen for batch change

Figure 13 is the detailed screen for changing a batch. On the basic data 1 tab, the next inspection data is of paramount importance for recurring inspection. Together with the inspection interval defined in Figure 1, the next inspection date is calculated by the system whenever a usage decision of an inspection lot is made. For example, the current inspection date is set as March 13, 2012, in Figure 13, and the inspection interval in the material master is defined as five days. After the usage decision of the recurring inspection lot is made on March 13, 2012, the next inspection date for the batch is updated as March 18, 2012 (March 13 plus five days).

Figure 13

Batch change details with shelf life expiration date and the next inspection date

Recurring Inspection at Work

To set the initial parameters for recurring inspection, follow menu path Logistics > Quality Management > Quality Inspection > Worklist > Inspection Lot Creation > Deadline Monitoring > Trigger Manually or use transaction code QA07 (Figure 14).

In Figure 14, enter the material number as 1588, the plant as 1000, and the batch as 0000000385. Define other parameters as needed. In my example, I define the initial run in days to be 3 and that the material should transfer to quality inspection stock at the time of inspection lot creation by the recurring inspection program. Therefore, all materials whose inspection dates fall in the next three days are considered during the deadline monitoring program run. Once such materials are identified, they system not only creates inspection lots for them, but also moves the stock from unrestricted stock to quality inspection. Refer to Table 1 for information about the various fields and functions, which you eventually map with business processes.

Figure 14

The initial screen for deadline monitoring (recurring inspection)

Table 1

Details of fields and functions in a recurring inspection manual run

After the initial parameters setting in Figure 14, press F8 or click the execute icon to go to Figure 15. Once the recurring inspection program is run, Figure 15 provides a detailed log. An inspection lot was created and the material’s batch was transfer-posted from unrestricted use stock to quality stock. The inspection lot number and transfer posting document from unrestricted to quality inspection stock are displayed.

Figure 15

The log display of deadline monitoring

Record Results for Recurring Inspection

Since the inspection lot for recurring inspection is already created, you can now initiate the results recording. Follow menu path Logistics > Quality Management > Quality Inspection > Worklist > Inspection > Change Data or use transaction code QA32 (Figure 16).

Figure 16

The initial screen for an inspection worklist for inspection lots

Enter the initial parameters on the selection screen and press F8 or click the execute icon . This leads to the worklist of all the inspection lots for which the results recording or usage decision has not been taken (Figure 17).

Figure 17

An inspection worklist for inspection lots

Select the inspection lot and click the Results button. This takes you to the results recording screen, in which the individual specifications of a material and its corresponding MICs are available for reference (Figure 18).

Figure 18

Results recording of inspection lot

Enter the results in Figure 18 and save by pressing Ctrl+S or clicking the save icon. This leads to Figure 19.

Figure 19

Inspection worklist for inspection lots

Record a Usage Decision for Recurring Inspection

Select the inspection lot for which the results recording has already been performed (with the system status updated to RREC). Click the Usage decision (UD) button. This takes you to Figure 20.

In Figure 20, the usage decision is made by providing the UD code A for acceptance. The shelf life of the material’s batch can be updated at this stage.

Figure 20

The usage decision of an inspection lot

Click the Batch status button in Figure 20 and notice that the batch status is set to Unrestr. (for unrestricted) as shown in Figure 21. Click the continue icon to go back to Figure 20.

Figure 21

Batch status management of an inspection lot

In Figure 20, click the Inspection lot stock tab to go to Figure 22. Figure 22 is the inspection stock posting screen, in which the quality inspection stock is transferred or moved to unrestricted use stock when saved. The unrestricted stock is the quality cleared stock. Save the UD by pressing Ctrl+S or by clicking the save icon. Notice that after results recording, the shelf life has been increased to March 25, 2012, as shown in Figure 20, changing the batch status to unrestricted (Figure 21). After that, it makes sense to transfer the stock to unrestricted stock as done in Figure 22.

Figure 22

A transfer posting of quality inspection stock to unrestricted stock

Jawad Akhtar

Jawad Akhtar earned his chemical engineering degree from Missouri University of Science and Technology. He has 17 years of professional experience, of which nine years are in SAP. He has completed eight end-to-end SAP project implementation lifecycles in the areas of PP, QM, MM, PM, and DMS in the steel, automobile, chemical, fertilizer, FMCG, and building products industries. He also has worked as an SAP integration manager and an SAP project manager. He has been proactively involved in a business development and solution architect role for seven years. He is the author of Production Planning and Control with SAP ERP, it's filled with in-depth infomation on discrete, process, and repetitive manufacturing types. His profile on LinkedIn is at https://pk.linkedin.com/in/jawadakhtar. You may follow Jawad on Twitter @jawadahl. Currently, he is associated with AbacusConsulting as Head of SAP Delivery.

You may contact the author at jawad.akhtar@live.com.

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