Release strategy
A release strategy in MM is the approval workflow for purchasing documents, requisitions and purchase orders, ensuring that spend is authorised by the right people before it proceeds. It is a key procurement control.
Release strategies are a core financial control, they prevent unauthorised or excessive spend and provide an audit trail of approvals.
- A release strategy defines who must approve a PR or PO, and under what conditions (e.
- Release conditions: when a strategy applies (value, org, group).
- Release codes & levels: the approvers and sequence.
- Watch out: Misconfigured conditions, wrong docs caught or missed.
What a release strategy does
A release strategy defines who must approve a PR or PO, and under what conditions (e.g. based on value, plant, material group). The document is blocked until the required approvers "release" it, at which point it can be ordered or issued. It enforces spend authority and segregation of duties in procurement.
Key concepts
- Release conditions: when a strategy applies (value, org, group).
- Release codes & levels: the approvers and sequence.
- Release indicators: what is allowed at each step.
- Blocked until fully released.
Why it matters
Release strategies are a core financial control, they prevent unauthorised or excessive spend and provide an audit trail of approvals. They are configured to mirror the organisation’s approval hierarchy and thresholds. Misconfiguration either blocks legitimate purchasing or lets spend through unapproved.
Common pitfalls
- Misconfigured conditions, wrong docs caught or missed.
- Approval bottlenecks from over-complex strategies.
- No release strategy, uncontrolled spend.