Order-to-Cash: Where Do Distributors Lose Control?

Begin with order rules for price, credit, and availability. Accepting an order that cannot be fulfilled only moves the problem to warehouse or collections and distorts the forecast.

After approval, separate reservation, picking, and delivery. Every stage needs an owner, visible state, and exception handling for shortages, partial delivery, or schedule changes.

The invoice should follow what was delivered under the agreed rule, then receivables should move into prioritised follow-up with recorded payment promises.

A useful management view goes beyond sales. It exposes blocked orders, fulfilment time, delivered-not-invoiced value, due debt, and the gap between promise and collection.