# Quick Start Guide
placta Vendor Management — for any new user
Version 1.0 · September 2025
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## Change log
| Version | Date | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Sep 2025 | First release of the role-based guide set. |
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## Where do I…? (quick reference)
| If you are a… | Read this guide | Then go to |
|---|---|---|
| New user (any role) | ✅ this one | your role-specific guide below |
| Purchase Department | Quick Start | [Purchase User Guide](./02-purchase-user-guide.md) |
| Accounts Department | Quick Start | [Accounts User Guide](./03-accounts-user-guide.md) |
| Initiator | Quick Start | [Initiator Guide](./07-initiator-guide.md) |
| Qualification Coordinator | Quick Start | [Qualification Coordinator Guide](./05-qualification-coordinator-guide.md) |
| Approver (any level) | Quick Start | [Approver User Guide](./04-approver-user-guide.md) |
| System Admin | Quick Start | [Admin Settings Reference](./08-admin-settings-reference.md) |
| Reports user / Analyst | Quick Start | [Reports Guide](./09-reports-guide.md) |
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## 1. What is placta Vendor Management?
placta Vendor Management is the module of the placta platform that handles the end-to-end vendor lifecycle: registering a vendor, activating them, qualifying them, monitoring them, and retiring them. Every other vendor process (audits, reports, approvals) runs on top of this lifecycle.
The lifecycle has three logical blocks:
1. Onboarding and Activation — Purchase creates the vendor, Accounts enters payment details, the Activation Approver approves.
2. Qualification Lifecycle — Initiator starts the qualification, Coordinator assigns forms inside each section, Reviewer / Approver chain gives the final verdict.
3. Post-Qualification States — Monitor, Re-qualify, Suspend, Delete.
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## 2. Logging in
1. Open your placta URL (provided by your Admin).
2. Enter your username and password.
3. If your org uses two-factor authentication, complete the second step.
4. You'll land on your role-specific dashboard. From there, navigate to Vendor Management in the left-hand menu.
> First-time login? Your password may need to be set via the secure link emailed to you. Contact your Admin if you don't receive it.
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## 3. Finding your dashboard
placta has a role-aware landing page. After login:
- Purchase / Accounts → Vendor Dashboard → Manage Vendors
- Initiator / Coordinator / Approver → the same Vendor Dashboard, but you land in the Qualifications view
- System Admin → Admin Settings menu
- Reports / Analysts → Reports module
If you don't see the menu you expect, your role may not have the required permission. Contact your Admin.
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## 4. The Reports module entry point
If you only need to read a report, you don't need a role-specific guide. The Reports module is a centralized view across every management module in placta.
- Reports Dashboard — filter by type, category, status, manufacturer, vendor, date range.
- Custom / Dynamic Reports — authored reports with their own approval workflow.
- Summary & Charts — pre-built dashboards per module (Task Mgmt, Compliance Mgmt, Vendor Mgmt, Audit Mgmt, DocsVault).
See the [Reports Guide](./09-reports-guide.md) for the full picture.
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## 5. Common UI elements
| Element | What it does |
|---|---|
| Hamburger menu (≡) | Top-left corner; opens the full navigation panel |
| Module cards on the dashboard | Each card is a major placta module — click to enter |
| Audit Logs tab | Available in every record; shows the full history of actions on that record |
| Attachments tab | Upload supporting documents to any form / qualification |
| Status badge | Color-coded chip showing where a record is in its lifecycle |
| "..." menu | Per-record kebab menu; contains record-specific actions (Suspend, Delete, etc.) |
| Search bar | Available in most list views; searches by name, ID, or relevant field |
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## 6. Where to get help
- This guide — for navigation and orientation
- Your role-specific guide — for tasks you perform day-to-day
- Audit Logs tab — for "who did what when" questions on any record
- Admin — for permission, access, or configuration issues
- placta support — for product-level issues (contact your Admin for the support email)
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## See also
- All role-based guides in this folder:
- [#2 Purchase User Guide](./02-purchase-user-guide.md)
- [#3 Accounts User Guide](./03-accounts-user-guide.md)
- [#4 Approver User Guide](./04-approver-user-guide.md)
- [#5 Qualification Coordinator Guide](./05-qualification-coordinator-guide.md) ✅ done
- [#6 Initiator Guide](./07-initiator-guide.md)
- [#7 Admin Settings Reference](./08-admin-settings-reference.md)
- [#8 Reports Guide](./09-reports-guide.md)
- [Master End-to-End Lifecycle](../../vendor-management/00-overview.md) — the big-picture flowchart