Purchase Order Tracking Log
Why keep a tracking log?
Without a clear tracking system, companies often hit the same problems:
- Forgotten orders: POs left open with no follow-up
- Late delivery: No visibility on expected arrival
- Duplicate buying: Ordering the same materials twice
- Budget overruns: No consolidated view of spend
- Late payments: Vendor invoices missed
Sample tracking log
Core columns
| PO # | Date | Vendor | Dept | Description | Amount | Status | Expected delivery | Actual delivery | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO-001 | 01/04 | Al-Anwar Co. | Operations | Cement & building materials | 45,000 | ✅ Received | 10/04 | 09/04 | Early receipt |
| PO-002 | 03/04 | Tech Foundation | IT | Computers | 28,000 | ⏳ In transit | 15/04 | — | Confirmed |
| PO-003 | 05/04 | Cleaning Co. | Admin | Monthly cleaning | 8,500 | 🔄 Pending approval | — | — | Awaiting dept. head |
| PO-004 | 07/04 | Furniture Co. | HR | Office furniture | 62,000 | ❌ Rejected | — | — | Over budget |
| PO-005 | 08/04 | Electrical Co. | Maintenance | Electrical spares | 12,300 | ✅ Paid | 12/04 | 11/04 | Invoice paid |
Optional extra columns
- Invoice number: Vendor invoice reference
- Payment date: When payment was made
- Payment method: Bank transfer / check
- Owner: Employee responsible for follow-up
- Project code: Link PO to a project
PO status definitions
| Status | Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | 📝 | Created, not yet submitted for approval |
| Pending approval | 🔄 | With approver |
| Approved | ✅ | Approved and sent to vendor |
| In transit | ⏳ | Vendor fulfilling the order |
| Partially received | 📦 | Part of the order received |
| Fully received | ✅ | All lines received |
| Paid | 💰 | Invoice paid |
| Rejected | ❌ | Request rejected |
| Cancelled | 🚫 | PO cancelled |
Tracking KPIs
Track monthly:
| KPI | Target | How to calculate |
|---|---|---|
| Average approval time | Under 2 days | Submit date → approval date |
| On-time delivery rate | Above 90% | On-time orders ÷ total orders |
| Rejection rate | Below 15% | Rejected ÷ total requests |
| Average payment cycle | Under 30 days | Receipt date → payment date |
Tips for effective tracking
- Update daily: Spend ~10 minutes each day updating the log.
- Sort by priority: Urgent orders first.
- Contact vendors: If delivery is more than two days late, follow up.
- Weekly review: Meet weekly to review open POs.
- Archive completed: Move finished rows to a separate archive log.
Common Excel pain points
If you track POs in Excel, you may see:
- One file, many editors: Version conflicts and lost changes
- No alerts: No notification when an order is late
- No approval workflow: Approvals by email or WhatsApp
- Manual reporting: Hours to build a monthly report
- Siloed files: Each tracker disconnected from budgets and projects
The alternative: Waqti
Waqti addresses these issues in one system:
| Problem | Waqti approach |
|---|---|
| File conflicts | Central system, any device |
| No alerts | Email and in-app notifications |
| Manual approvals | Built-in electronic approval paths |
| Manual reports | One-click, near real-time reports |
| Disconnected data | POs linked to budgets and projects |
Key Waqti capabilities
- Live dashboard: Full visibility across POs
- Smart approval paths: By amount and department
- Budget alerts: Warnings before overspend
- Full Arabic UI: RTL-first experience
- ZATCA-ready: Supports e-invoicing workflows