Purchase Order quantities should reset when linked bills are deleted or corrected
The new billing interface has created a synchronisation issue between Purchase Orders and Bills.
If a bill is created from a PO and lines are accidentally billed before the goods are delivered, deleting the draft bill does not reset the PO quantities. Xero continues to treat those lines as billed, and when the goods eventually arrive, the system flags them as duplicate or over-billing.
The issue is not inventory. Draft bills do not update stock. The problem is that the PO no longer reflects reality.
Partial deliveries, back orders and simple human errors happen every day. Accounting software should allow users to correct mistakes cleanly.
I understand the argument for locking Purchase Orders to prevent inappropriate changes by staff. However, locking should protect against unauthorised changes, not preserve incorrect data. Permissions and audit history already provide control.
Suggested solution: If a bill created from a Purchase Order is edited, voided or deleted, Xero should automatically recalculate the billed quantities and release those lines back to an unbilled status.
A Purchase Order should always reflect the true purchasing position.
Monica Rossi
shared this idea
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Robert Dark
commented
The current set-up is very poor functionality - a black mark against Xero. Because - it contradicts the logic which should apply to all software. Logic says if you make a change (raise a bill) and then delete that action, then deleting the change should return the situation back to what it was before you made the change (raised the bill). Yet Xero doesn't apply this logic. You delete the change (delete the bill) but the change remains in place on the PO. That's not just poor. It's illogical.
This shouldn't be classed as an 'idea'. It should be classed as a 'correction' to poorly written software.