A purchase-order handover should let the next buyer act without reconstructing the previous buyer’s inbox. The useful record shows what was requested, what the supplier proposed, what the buyer accepted, what physically arrived and which decisions remain open.
This guide is for an owner or buying manager covering a shift change, holiday or departure. Use it to hand over open supplier orders. For the broader product concept, see what a living purchase order is.
Start with unresolved decisions
An order marked “open” does not tell the next manager what to do. The label could mean that nobody has sent it, the supplier has not confirmed it, a delivery is incomplete or finance is waiting for a credit.
For each order, write the next action, its owner and its deadline. Then attach the evidence that makes the action understandable. The original PO remains useful, including as a PDF sent to a supplier; the problem is losing the changes and decisions that follow it.
A worked handover: six cases requested, four received
The following example is fictional. A shop requests six cases of twelve bottles at $30 per case: 72 bottles and $180 before tax and freight.
The supplier offers five cases at $32 per case, with delivery on Thursday. The buyer accepts those five cases for $160. Four cases physically arrive: 48 bottles. The supplier invoices all five accepted cases.
The next manager needs several distinct facts:
| Record | Current evidence | Open decision |
|---|---|---|
| Original request | Six cases, 72 bottles, $180 | Is the unaccepted sixth case still needed? |
| Accepted order | Five cases, 60 bottles, $160 | Preserve the buyer’s price and quantity acceptance |
| Receipt | Four cases, 48 bottles | Confirm whether the missing twelve bottles are still due |
| Invoice | Five cases billed at $32, $160 | Finance reviews the $32 associated with the unreceived case under the agreed terms |
| Next purchase | Current usable stock plus relevant outstanding supply | Avoid ordering again for stock already confirmed and still due |
The accepted order’s lower total is not a saving on the same basket. Five cases would have cost $150 at the original price; they now cost $160, a $10 increase for that quantity. One requested case was never accepted, while a different case remains short against the accepted delivery. Keeping those gaps separate prevents a replacement order from hiding an unresolved supplier balance.
A receipt for four cases must not become a receipt for five because the invoice says five. Similarly, the missing case is not automatically canceled or credited. Record the agreed resolution when it happens.
What to include in an open-order handover
Use the same fields for each order, whether the shared record lives in purchasing software or a controlled handover document:
- Order and destination: PO reference, supplier, location and purchasing contact.
- Latest accepted terms: item, pack size, quantity, price and expected arrival, with a link to the acceptance evidence.
- Physical progress: received, rejected and still-due quantities, with dates and the receiver’s record.
- Unaccepted proposals: price changes, substitutes or revised dates still awaiting a decision.
- Next action: a named owner, deadline and the consequence of waiting.
- Finance context: invoice, credit or adjustment references and the finance reviewer responsible for differences.
Write dates precisely. “Supplier says Friday” could mean dispatch or arrival. Keep the original promise alongside a revised one if the team will later evaluate delivery performance.
Separate a local correction from an external action
Changing a draft note is different from changing an order already sent to the supplier. Canceling an outstanding line in software does not prove the supplier has accepted the cancellation. Editing a receipt also does not automatically reverse a financial posting in another system.
Before the outgoing buyer leaves, identify changes awaiting acknowledgment and updates that failed to reach another system. The handover should say how to retry or correct them and who verifies the result. Do not make the covering manager guess which record is authoritative.
For supplier communication, use the dispatch and acknowledgment guide. For invoice differences, use the invoice-versus-PO guide.
Test the handover with another person
Ask the covering buyer to review one open order without help from its original owner. They should be able to answer:
- What quantity did the supplier agree to provide, and on what terms?
- What arrived, and what remains due or undecided?
- Which source supports the latest promise?
- What must happen next, by when, and who can authorize it?
- Which inventory or finance update still needs verification?
Record missing information rather than treating every pause as a training problem. A useful handover lets the next person find evidence and take the authorized next step; it does not require all exceptions to be resolved before ownership changes.
Where LineNow fits
LineNow brings supplier correspondence, reviewable purchase-order changes and receiving context into the purchasing workflow. Test whether another team member can find the source, accepted terms and outstanding quantities in your configured setup. A living PO supports the handover; the team still assigns responsibility and resolves exceptions.
Agree which purchase, receipt, invoice and correction records move between systems. Finance retains its review and posting responsibilities.
Bring an open order like the example above to a PO tracking demo. Confirm required channels, access and implementation scope in current pricing.