The scoping phase is essential to the success of an ERP project. It is at this stage that the objectives are defined, the processes analysed, and the deployment strategy adapted to the company's maturity.

Smile's experts can help you launch your Odoo project so that you can lay solid foundations for a successful ERP project. In this article, discover the essential questions to ask and the challenges to anticipate before integrating the Odoo solution, as well as the major benefits that your company can gain from it.

The importance of the scoping phase

The four key questions to ask yourself before launching your ERP project

1. Are the business processes sufficiently developed and formalised to be integrated into the ERP, or do they need to be clarified before starting the project?
2. Should you standardise practices and comply with Odoo solution standards or customise Odoo to suit your specific needs? 
3. Are your staff ready to adapt existing business processes and ready for this change of tool? 
4. How do you bring stakeholders together around the ERP project?

Meeting the challenges of successfully integrating Odoo

Whether it's a mature company that has mastered its business processes and wants to keep them, or a less structured company that still needs to define and improve its processes, integrating Odoo depends on finding the right balance between customised processes and the standard processes offered by Odoo. 

Adapting Odoo to existing processes may require specific developments. Smile's expert consultants will work with you to reconcile these specific needs with the possibilities offered by the standard, with the aim of optimising the project, always giving priority to standard modules. When custom developments are required, the team ensures that deadlines are met while guaranteeing the quality of the deliverables.

Through the integration of Odoo, Smile provides a comparative business approach thanks to its extensive catalogue of completed projects. The scoping phase will enable an in-depth analysis of the company's business processes to identify relevant process simplifications and encourage the adoption of native Odoo solutions, thus offering more sustainable options and optimising the total cost of ownership (TCO) in the long term.

The success of an ERP project also depends on collaboration between the key stakeholders (IT, accounting, production, etc.). Each stakeholder has different priorities: the IT department wants to stay within budget (OPEX and CAPEX), while the other business lines want to maximise the benefits for their respective departments. Smile's consulting teams work to reconcile these divergent objectives in a proactive and coherent approach. They will facilitate collaboration between your various internal teams, clarify the expectations of each business line and prevent potential conflicts between stakeholders by refocusing discussions on the overall objectives of the company and the project. 

The benefits of integrating an Odoo project for your business 

Simplification of internal business processes
When deploying an Odoo ERP project, a company automatically finds itself in the position of having to analyse its internal business processes. Led by our consultants, experienced in this exercise, they can identify and propose simplifications. As a result, your organisation benefits from a number of advantages:

• Acceleration of time-to-market: Streamlined processes mean faster implementation of the ERP project.
• Reduced development costs: Limiting specific developments reduces initial costs and the resources required.
• Easier maintenance and updates: Adopting standardised processes reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO) over the long term, by making maintenance and upgrades simpler and more affordable.

Focusing the project on Odoo's native functionalities
Rather than opting for costly and complex specific developments, integration is based on the use of Odoo's standard modules, making implementation faster, cheaper and more scalable.

Reducing internal silos
Odoo integration promotes better communication and collaboration between departments, improving synergy between different teams thanks to unified workflows and data. No more double entries and the resulting errors.

Long-term financial optimisation of the project
The reduction in specific developments not only helps to reduce initial costs, but also simplifies future annual version upgrades and maintenance operations, thereby reducing long-term expenditure and optimising TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).

Why choose Smile for your Odoo project?

Whatever the company's level of maturity, Smile's experts are there to guarantee the success of an ERP project by implementing a strategy tailored to the specific needs of each organisation. Their experience and know-how ensure an effective and proven deployment method, guaranteeing that the project lands on time and on budget, while optimising long-term costs and facilitating the day-to-day management of the business.

With over 17 years' expertise in Odoo integration, Smile is an Odoo Gold Partner. Our team of over 80 experts (business analysts, technical experts, developers and consultants) supports our customers at every stage of their ERP project, from the design phase through to implementation, as well as for major version upgrades. 

Would you like to find out more about making your ERP project a success with Odoo? 

In the Odoo Solution CRM white paper, we've taken it to heart to explain the benefits of such a tool. Find out how to turn Odoo into a force by optimising your sales time and tracking the customer journey from start to finish.

Do you have a question or a project? Just get in touch!