How to Set Up a Purchase Orders Board with Line Items as Subitems and Connect to Your Projects

Managing projects and their associated purchase orders can be a daunting task, especially for small businesses looking to streamline their operations. Fortunately, with Monday.com, you can create a seamless workflow that connects purchase orders to projects, using line items as subitems. In this post, we'll take you through a step-by-step guide to setting up a purchase order board, leveraging templates, and ensuring everything connects smoothly to your projects.

Overview of the Process

In this tutorial, we will:

• Set up a Projects Board to manage all your project details.

• Create a Purchase Orders Board where each order is linked to a project.

• Use Line Items as Subitems for each purchase order to track details like units and quantities.

• Implement formulas to automatically calculate the total value of each purchase order.

Let's dive in!

Step 1: Setting Up Your Boards

To begin, you'll need to harness the powerful templates offered by Monday.com. For this setup, we’re using the Customer Projects template, which essentially creates two connected boards: Projects and Contacts.

"We're going to use a template to achieve this. And the one we're going to use is called customer projects."

Removing Unnecessary Components

The Customer Projects template comes with some predefined items that might not be necessary for our current setup. It's essential to declutter these components to avoid distractions.

1. Delete Learning Center Dashboard: This is included in the template for guidance purposes but is not needed for our functioning.

2. Renaming and Deleting Groups: We rename the Contacts board to Purchase Orders for clearer navigation.

// Example Markdown for tasks- **Rename Contacts to Purchase Orders**- **Delete unnecessary items and groups**

Step 2: Configuring the Purchase Orders Board

Once the template basics are in place, it's time to tailor the Purchase Orders Board to meet our needs.

Adding Line Items as Subitems

In the purchase orders board, to effectively manage details of each order, line items are added as subitems. This allows for a granular approach where you can list and track individual product details under the purchase order.

1. Hide Unnecessary Columns: To maintain focus, hide columns that aren't essential to your summary or calculations.

2. Add Subitems: Each purchase order entry will contain line items as subitems. This entry should detail all relevant unit and pricing information.

// Example of adding subitems```markdown- **Add Subitems for Line Items**:- Line Item 1: [Details]- Line Item 2: [Details]- ...

Integrating Columns for Calculation

To ensure an efficient calculation of the total value of purchase orders, numeric columns are vital.

• Units Column: Track the number of units in this column.

• Unit Price Column: Input the price per unit in this column.

• Formula Column: This column will automatically calculate the total for each line item by multiplying the units by the unit price.

Here's how you can set it up:

// Code Example for formula calculation```formula= Units * Unit Price

## Step 3: Connecting to the Projects BoardWith the purchase orders structured and their values calculated, linking these orders to your projects is crucial.### Using Mirror ColumnsThe mirror column helps display information from one board onto another. Here, it’s used to show the summary of totals calculated in the **Purchase Orders Board** on the **Projects Board**.1. **Add a Mirror Column**: This pulls the summary from the formula column to show the total value of connected purchase orders directly in the project board.```markdown// Code Example for setting up a mirror column```mirrorSummary: Formula Total

## Troubleshooting Common IssuesDuring the configuration, some users have reported issues where adding multiple purchase orders did not update the total correctly. If you encounter this, consider:- **Refreshing the Board**: Sometimes moving away and returning refreshes the board view and solves temporary glitches.- **Verify Entries**: Ensure you've selected the correct items and columns during the configuration.> "The issue the user had was when they added more than one, sometimes the pop-up won't disappear."## ConclusionBy establishing a well-structured purchase orders board that's linked to your projects, you simplify tracking and enhance your project management capabilities. This setup not only saves time but also minimizes errors in order management.Remember, overlooking small details like proper column settings or thorough testing can lead to larger hurdles later. But with this guide, managing purchase orders within your projects can become a breeze.Explore more ways to harness the full potential of Monday.com to optimize and expand your business processes. Happy projecting!