Sales Proforma Invoice (Internal) Applet

Purpose and Overview

The Sales Proforma Invoice (Internal) Applet is designed to streamline the preliminary billing process within an organization. It allows sales teams to generate proforma invoices—often referred to as Internal Job Sheets—which serve as draft or estimated billing documents before a final invoice is issued.

Key Features Overview

Who Benefits from This Applet?

Sales Teams & Agents:

• Quickly create draft invoices for client review
• Track sales leads and CRM contacts directly on the document
• Manage complex line items with multi-UOM support

Finance & Billing Teams:

• Maintain oversight of pending internal billing documents
• Ensure tax compliance through integrated SST and WHT configurations
• Convert proforma documents into final financial records

Operations & Project Managers:

• Link billing to specific projects, profit centers, and segments
• Monitor costing and pricing details at a granular level
• Track delivery instructions and logistics data per line item

What Problems Does This Solve?

The Fragmented Billing Problem:

Drafting invoices often involves manual spreadsheets, leading to:

• Disconnect between sales leads and billing documents
• Difficulty tracking project-specific costs
• Inconsistent tax application and UOM conversions
• Lack of centralized visibility for pending proforma documents

The Sales Proforma Invoice (Internal) Solution:

• Centralized Management - A single source of truth for all internal proforma invoices
• Granular Control - Extensive configuration settings to hide/show fields based on business needs
• Financial Accuracy - Automated tax calculations and multi-currency support
• Dimensional Tracking - Seamlessly link document headers and lines to Projects, Segments, and Profit Centers
• Audit Ready - Full history tracking and attachment support for supporting documents
• Integration Ready - Connects with inventory and sales modules for seamless conversion

Key Features Overview

Key Concepts

Internal Job Sheet (JS) Framework

An “Internal Job Sheet” is the primary document type in this applet. It serves as the foundation for internal sales proforma invoicing.

The “Golden Triangle” of Proformas

To effectively manage the billing flow, it is crucial to understand how Clients, Items, and Dimensions interact.

How they link:

1. You identify the Client from the Entity or Customer.
2. You add Sales Items to the document, drawing from the master inventory or service list.
3. You allocate each item (or the whole header) to a Dimension (Project/Segment).
4. The resulting Internal Job Sheet provides a complete picture for both the client and internal accounting.

Data Hierarchy

The applet follows a standard header-line structure:

Internal Job Sheet (Header)
│
├── Main Details (Client, Date, Currency, Terms)
│   └── Dimensions (Project, Segment, Profit Center)
│
└── Line Items (Specific Goods/Services)
    ├── Pricing & Costing (Unit Price, Tax, Discount)
    ├── Delivery Instructions (Shipping details)
    └── Extended Info (Serial Numbers, Batch Numbers)

Quick Start Guide

Get up and running quickly with these essential workflows.

For Sales Agents: Create Your First Proforma

Goal: Generate a proforma invoice (Internal Job Sheet) in 5 steps.

1. Navigate: Open Sales Proforma Invoice (Internal) from the applet menu.
2. Create New: Click the "+" button to start a new document.
3. Fill Header:
   • Select Company and Branch.
   • Pick a CRM Contact and Sales Agent.
   • Set the Credit Terms and Currency.
4. Add Items:
   • Switch to the Line Items tab.
   • Click “Add Item”.
   • Search for your product/service.
   • Enter Quantity and Unit Price.
5. Save & Finalize: Click Save to keep as draft or Finalize (if enabled) to lock the document.

Pro Tip: Use the “Permit No” and “Member Card” fields if you are handling international shipments or loyalty program members.

For Managers: Review and Process

Goal: Review team proformas and prepare them for final invoicing.

1. Check Listing: Go to the Sales Proforma Invoice (Internal) Listing.
2. Filter by Status: Look for documents in “Draft” or “Pending” status.
3. Review Details:
   • Open the document and verify the Line Items and Pricing.
   • Ensure Dimensions (Projects/Profit Centers) are correctly allocated.
4. Finalize: Click Finalize or Final to signal that the document is ready for conversion to a permanent invoice.

What happens next? Once finalized, the document can be processed by the finance team into a VAT/GST invoice or a Commercial Invoice.

Knock-Off (KO) to Downstream Documents

Finalized proforma invoices can be converted or knocked-off (KO) into downstream operational and financial documents like Sales Orders or Sales Invoices.

This is performed from the target applet (e.g., Sales Order Applet or Sales Invoice Applet):

1. Open the target applet and click Create ("+").
2. Select the client and details, then navigate to the KO For / Doc Link tab or select the import source.
3. Search for the finalized proforma invoice (Internal Job Sheet) using its document number.
4. Select the line items and quantities you wish to import/knock-off, then save/finalize the document.

For Admins: Configuration & Setup

Goal: Tailor the applet interface to your organization’s needs.

1. Field Visibility (Settings > Field Configuration):
   • Toggle on/off fields like Permit No, Member Card, or Tracking ID.
   • Hide entire tabs (e.g., Costing Details, Issue Link) if they aren’t used.
2. Dimension Settings:
   • Enable/Disable Project, Segment, or Profit Center tracking at the header or line level.
3. Printable Formats:
   • Select the default layout for PDF generation.
4. Workflow Configuration:
   • Define status mapping (e.g., Draft -> Pending -> Approved).

Advanced Line Item Tracking

Go beyond simple itemization with powerful line-level controls.

Costing vs. Pricing

The applet allows you to track both the Cost to the company and the Price listed for the client. This is essential for:

• Margin Analysis: Real-time visibility into the profitability of each line.
• Internal Transfers: Managing costs between departments.

Inventory & Logistics

For physical goods, you can track detailed inventory data:

• Batch No & Serial No: Essential for warranty tracking and quality control.
• Bin Number: Know exactly where in the warehouse the item is located.
• UOM Ratios: Handle complex units of measure (e.g., selling by “Box” while tracking stock in “Pieces”).

Dimensional Allocation

Every line item can be uniquely allocated:

• Project Link: Assign specific lines to different client projects.
• Profit Center: Distribute revenue across multiple business units within a single document.

Configuration & Settings

The applet is highly configurable to suit different business models.

Field Configuration

Admins can control nearly every field in the document header and line items.

Workflow & Statuses

Define how documents progress through your internal system.

• Custom Statuses: Up to 5 custom header statuses and 5 line-level statuses can be enabled.
• Labels: Customize names for sales agents or delivery fields.

FAQ

Q: Is “Internal Job Sheet” different from a Proforma Invoice?
A: Technically, they are the same in this applet. “Internal Job Sheet” is the term used for the draft document that tracks the labor, materials, and overhead before a final invoice is generated.

Q: Can I hide sensitive pricing information from certain users?
A: Yes. Using the Field Configuration settings, admins can hide costing tabs and net price fields for specific user roles.

Q: What happens to a proforma invoice after it’s finalized?
A: It serves as the “source of truth” for downstream documents. Finalizing locks the document to prevent further changes, making it ready to be linked/knocked-off.

Q: How can we change the customer name or modify items after a proforma invoice is finalized?
A: Once a proforma invoice is in FINAL posting status, it is locked for modification, and all fields are disabled. Because this applet does not feature a “Revert to Draft” function, if you need to make corrections, you must:

1. Select the finalized proforma invoice and click the VOID button to invalidate it.
2. Create a new proforma invoice with the corrected customer name, details, or items.

Q: Does a proforma invoice deduct stock or post general ledger entries?
A: No. A proforma invoice (Internal Job Sheet) is a draft estimate document. It does not deduct inventory stock and does not generate general ledger financial postings.

Q: How do I link/knock-off (KO) a proforma invoice to a Sales Order or Sales Invoice?
A: The knock-off is performed from the target applet (e.g., Sales Order or Sales Invoice Applet). While creating the Sales Order or Sales Invoice, go to the KO For / Doc Link tab, search for the finalized proforma invoice document number, and import the desired items and quantities.

Q: How do I handle tax-exempt clients?
A: You can disable SST/WHT selection at the header or line level, or select a tax-exempt configuration from the dropdown if the client’s CRM profile permits.

Q: Can I attach supporting documents?
A: Yes, the Attachment tab allows you to upload PDFs, images, or spreadsheets (e.g., signed quotes or site photos) directly to the proforma invoice.

Q: How do I find a proforma invoice from six months ago?
A: Use the Document Listing filters. You can search by date range, client name, or document reference number.