Release strategy for GR?

Question

Hi,
My company has requirement that GR should be subject to approval process before it can be posted. As far as I know there is no standard functionality in SAP for this (at least in ECC, as in SRM there is one).
Has anyone encounter this before? And how you deal with this? I have tried to persuade the user to drop this, but the problem is they already have this functionality in their legacy (which is custom made web based application), so it is pretty hard to argue with them in this area.
Any help will be appreciated.
Best regard

Answer 1

Hi Yosea,
Yes you said is right that there is no Release strategy. And can't imagine the situation in the legacy as well for this approval process thru Release strategy while doing the GR. But there is another way of accepting the goods either partial or full using movement types, you can do so.
My question is why do you (i.e., your client or company) want to control (through the approval process) at Goods receipt level. That makes complex and un logical as well, thats why there is an approval process comes into picture at PO (Purchase order is an external purchase document and is going out to an external party /vendor /supplier) against that they can supply the material /provide the services to the Organization/company and is required to control before issuing this perticular document called PO (i.e., work order and is required to be controlled thru Electronic release strategy in SAP) instead of manual before in legacy since there is money matter involved and needs to control over investment on Inventory /services purchases.
But where as GR, this is an incoming document, what the meaning in controlling it through approval process. That is the way you have to conveincene the client or company.
Ok fine. If still they want this functionality to be implemented (that is to controlling at the GR level for the goods coming in. Then there is another way to control it through receiving the stocks into different stock types using the respective movement types, but not through Release strategy such as Blocking (GR blocking), Quality stock (for checking the quanlity standards thru Quality Inspection) and then later you can move these stocks to Unrestricted use stock, so that this can be allowed to use further.
I dont think there is a functionality in the SRM as well. As I know that you can receive the Goods in SRM through Online Desktop confirmation that too partial or full quantity, that is nothing accepting/approval for the Partial or full quantity that is received against the PO which is created wrto to respective Shopping cart. And that is how you can control the goods that are coming inside / received at Stores/WH inorder to maintain the good quality of Inventory.
Note: Controll always suggested at the time of making agreement  (i.e., Release strategy for the PO) but not at the time of receiving the goods. Here while receiving the goods only thing that a Stores person can see tmainly is needs to check for the Quantity, Quality of the goods that are ordered, Delivery time, Mode of transport, Shipping instructions, etc. This will help them further in evaluating the vendor.
Hence there is no logic is going for that option
Hope it clarifies,
Regards,
Sapsrin