Overview

This is an extension to the Arena workflow service. It will monitor the Ad-Hoc Stock Requests tables and identify:-

1. New Transfer Requests: These will be broadcast to the initial subset of branches.
2. Transfer Requests not fulfilled within a defined period of time: These will be escalated to a larger subset of branches, or an email will be sent to a nominated head office person if the request has not been fulfilled within a nominated time period. 

Request Broadcasting and Escalation Rules

Inter-Store Stock Requests are a two step process:-

Step 1: A branch requests stock using Request Stock. An automated process identifies the most appropriate branches to request stock from:-

1. Branches with the least sales of the style have a higher chance of selection.
2. Branches with the lowest potential transfer cost have a higher chance of selection. This is determined on two criteria: -
   
   • Based on geographical location i.e. actual cost of transfer.
   • If a branch already has an un-processed ad-hoc transfer request, the cost of adding a second item is considered to be zero.
3. Branches with multiple units in the item have a higher chance of selection than a branch with a single item.

An initial subset of branches is initially targeted. If the first subset of branches does not respond or fulfil the order within a specified time (refer parameters), the request is escalated to a bigger subset of branches. Note when a request is escalated, it still remains requested from the prior branch subset. This process is repeated until the “Number of Escalations” threshold has been reached. If the request is not fulfilled within a nominated time it escalates to a head office person through an email.

The rules for determining which branches to request from are based on weighting of measures. Each weight is converted to a value from 0 to 100 with a value 0 being the highest chance of this branch being selected and 100 being the lowest chance. The value of the weights is summed and the branches with the lowest weight are selected:-

 

 

Measure	Weight Calculation
Transfer Cost Weight (The higher the cost of transfer the lower the chance of selection)	Cost of Transfer  * 100/Total Maximum Transfer Cost Total Maximum Transfer Cost is the total maximum cost of sending a single item between branches. If for example the maximum cost is $5.73 calculated as the cost of sending a single pair from Auckland to Invercargill, and the cost of sending a pair from Queen Street to Howick $1.72, the weight is calculated as 1.72 / 5.73 * 100 = 30.02
Branch Stock Weight (The greater the quantity of the unit in stock the higher the chance of selection)	1 – Branch Qty In Stock * 100 /  Max Qty In Stock Across All Branches Max Qty In Stock Across All Branches is the quantity in stock of the branch with the most stock of this item. If for example stock for an item is in the following branches:- Branch    Qty In Stock      Calc                Weight Branch A       5                   1 – 5/5 * 100            0 Branch B       3                   1 – 3/5 * 100          40 Branch C       1                   1 – 1/5 * 100          80
Sale Quantity Weight (The greater the sales of the Style / Colour, the lower the chance of selection)	Life To Date Sales of the Style / Colour * 100 / Total Available Stock of the Style / Colour If for example a branch has sold 3 items and has had 12 items transferred to them in the particular style / colour the weight is calculated as 3 / 12 * 100 = 25

 

Step 2: When a store accepts the request, the request is updated as Accepted. At a nominated time in the day (refer to the parameters) the request is transferred to aTransfer Request.