This page is a work in progress to define and build the an OFBiz End User Guide.

Proposed Table of Contents

• About this Guide
• Introduction
• Standard or Common Business Processes (Order to Cash, Procure to Payment, Demand to Replenish, Returns - Supplier and Customer, Period Closing - Monthend/Yearend, Fixed Assets, Account Reconciliation, Inventory Reconciliation - stocktake, Work Plan to Cash - service oriented, Reporting, CRM - Quote to Order?, Banking - Statement Reconciliation)
  • Name each process
  • Add a diagram for each process (
  • Small text about what it is and where it is supported in OFBiz
• Basic Installation (Do we talk about installing a demo version or not? / What about Hans's app to create company, first customer, supplier and product??????)
• OFBiz Modules / Applications
• • Data Setup (This I think should be seed data - what is the minimum anyone needs. What are the seed data tables / entities and what do they contain.)
  • Accounting Manager 
    • Refer to processes / possible key data - maybe use some seed data table reference???
    • Could we add link the Use Cases here and then show how to accomplish use case within OFBiz?
    • Could do an example End to End Accounting Process (this could be quite detailed so will need to split up into various pages)
  • Sales Order Management
  • Manufacturing and MRP
  • CRM - Sales Force Automation (SFA)
  • Marketing Management
  • Project Management (Is that Services too?)
  • E-Commerce
  • Facility, Warehousing and Inventory Management
  • Human Resources Management
• Appendices
  • Glossary
  • FAQs

About this Guide

This guide is aimed is end user oriented with a focus on getting you familiar with OFBiz and how it works from a user perspective.

Introduction

Apache OFBiz is a suite of enterprise applications built on a common architecture using common data, logic and process components. This means it can be used as an ERP, CRM, E-Business/E-Commerce, SCM, MRP, MMS/EAM, POS or just as a framework to build applications.

You may have already heard of OFBiz because of its e-commerce and order management applications and many companies around the world are using OFBiz as a key tool for managing their business. Apache OFBIz includes tools for Customer Relationship Management, Manufacturing and Material Requirements Planning, Inventory Management, Supply Chain Management, Asset Maintenance Management, Human Resources, Content Management, Project Management and Point of Sale. In fact OFBiz includes a set of core functions that any business can pick up an use.

Key Business Processes

In any organisation there are a range of business processes. These are the steps and tasks that are performed within a business to make it function. Apache OFBiz has been created with a focus on this so being able to understand your own processes will help in becoming familiar with how OFBiz works.

See the list below for a common list of business processes

• Quotation to Order - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in the quotation process and starts with the requests a quotation all the way through to the creation of the order. (NOTE: This can be both customer or supplier based)
• Order to Cash - This process manages the cycle of the tasks involved the sales process and starts with the creation of a customer order all the way through to delivery and payment of the invoice.
• Procure to Pay - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in the procurement process and starts with the creation of the supplier order all the way through to the reception of the goods and the payment of the supplier invoice
• Returns Management - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in the return of goods and starts with the request for return all the way through to replacement or credit. (NOTE: This can be both customer or supplier based)
• Inventory Management - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in tracking inventory and the movement of goods within their storage locations, and also includes management of the stock value and physical inventory
• Manufacturing and MRP - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in the making of products and ensuring that the material necessary for production is forecast to be available at the right time
• Project and Services Management - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in the delivery of projects or services
• Payables and Receivables Management - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in the collection of money from customers and also the payment of money to suppliers
• Bank Statement Reconciliation - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in the entering and reconciliation of bank statements with the transactions (accounts receivable and accounts payable) and the balances within the General Ledger
• Acquisition to Disposal - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in managing an asset and starts with its purchase all the way through to its disposal
• Asset Maintenance - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in maintaining an asset and includes how to plan maintenance for assets or equipment
• Request to Resolution - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in customer or user support and starts with the creation of a help desk ticket all the way through to ticket resolution
• Hire to Retire - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in employee and human resources, and starts with the recruitment of staff all the way through to the retirement
• Financial Reconciliation and Period Closing - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in daily accounting activities all the way through to the closing of an accounting period.
• Budget Management - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in managing budgets and starts with the creation of a budget all the way through to the reporting of actuals
• Budget Analysis - This process manages the cycle of the tasks involved in reviewing and analysing budget expenditure
• Reporting - This process manages the cycle of tasks involved in both internal and external reporting