Module 3 · SAP hands-on + audit readiness

MRP, PR Creation & Auto PR in SAP

Material requirements planning, manual purchase requisition creation, auto PR setup, release strategy and document tracking for audit readiness.

Course reading

Understand the process

Part 1

Why the system proposes a purchase

MRP compares demand with available stock and scheduled receipts. If projected stock falls below the requirement or reorder point, it suggests replenishment. A purchase requisition (PR) is an internal request to buy; it is not an order sent to a supplier. A purchase order (PO) is the later commercial commitment.

For example, if 200 units are needed next week, 60 are in stock and 40 are confirmed to arrive, there is a 100-unit gap before considering safety stock. An automatic PR may cover that gap. Its quantity and date will still be wrong if the system has an outdated supplier lead time, a missing open receipt or an unsuitable minimum lot size.

Part 2

Review before releasing

Check the material master: MRP method, reorder point, lot size, planned delivery time and purchasing group. Run MRP, inspect exception messages and confirm whether existing orders already cover the need. Convert valid proposals into PRs, then apply the approval or release strategy based on the organisation's authority limits.

An auto PR saves typing, not judgement. A buyer should be able to trace its requirement back to a customer order, forecast, reservation or reorder rule. If the list is flooded with unnecessary PRs, correct the underlying parameters instead of teaching the team to ignore the list.

What you must take away

Auto PRs are only as sensible as the MRP type, lot size and planned delivery time.
A release strategy is a control, not an obstacle — it must match the real approval authority.
Exception messages are the planner's actual work list.

In the SAP process

Check MRP type, reorder point, lot size and planned delivery time in the material master.
Run MRP, review exception messages, then convert proposals into purchase requisitions.
Confirm the release strategy triggered by value and purchasing group, then release.

Case study

Two thousand requisitions nobody could read

Setting. A store team that inherited an MRP run with default settings after a system upgrade.

Problem. The weekly MRP created a flood of small requisitions, including for items already on order. Buyers began ignoring the list and buying from memory.

How it was investigated

Sampled 50 requisitions and traced each back to its driver: reorder point, forecast or manual reservation.
Found planned delivery times still holding pre-upgrade values.
Found lot sizes set to exact requirement for low-value consumables.

What was changed

Corrected planned delivery times from the last twelve months of actual receipts.
Moved fast-moving consumables to a reorder-point method with a sensible fixed lot size.
Set a value threshold so small items are grouped into one weekly requisition.

Outcome. The requisition list became short enough to be read and challenged every week.

Lesson: If planners ignore the system output, fix the parameters — do not add another spreadsheet.

Illustrative composite of common shop-floor situations — no client names or confidential figures.

Practical template

MRP parameter review sheet

Audit the settings that generate your requisitions.

Material	MRP type	Lot size	Planned delivery (days)	Actual avg lead time	Reorder point	Action
MAT-1042	VB	Fixed 500	21	34	800	Raise PDT to 34, recalc ROP

How to use it

Fill actual average lead time from real goods receipts, not from the contract.
Any row where actual exceeds planned delivery time is a guaranteed future stockout.
Review the top 100 consumption-value materials first.

Download workbook & KPI template (PDF)

Quick quiz — check your understanding

1. MRP stands for:
2. A purchase requisition (PR) is:
3. What is the common SAP transaction to create a PR manually?
4. Lot size in MRP decides:
5. After a PR is approved, it is usually converted into a:

Earn your certificate