Implementing Odoo the OBS way - Part 2
After introducing our blog series "Successful Odoo Implementation with OBS" in the first part, in the second part we will introduce the different roles and their responsibilities that should make up a project team to ensure a successful Odoo implementation.
Traditional ERP vendors often define a long list of project owners - from project managers, junior and senior business analysts, to product specialists, testers and trainers - to analyze their customers' business and propose an implementation solution. But too many cooks spoil the broth!
Getting the implementation right also means often making trade-offs between specific business requirements and existing product features. By considering the needs of too many stakeholders in the process, decision-making quickly becomes inefficient - and expensive.
The solution? An OBS-style Odoo implementation.
Definition of roles in the Odoo project
Odoo as software is much easier to use than traditional ERP systems. A single consultant can easily understand both the business requirements and the features in Odoo - something competitors cannot.
While the goal is to reduce complexity in your organization, it is still important to define certain key roles in any Odoo implementation project.
The following roles are crucial to a successful Odoo implementation for your organization:
OBS Project Lead (PL)
Client Single Point of Contact (SPoC)
OBS Project Director (PD)
Client Project Owner (PO)
The OBS Project Lead (PL) and Client Single Point of Contact (SPoC) are responsible for the operational implementation of the project, while the OBS Project Director (PD) and Client Project Owner (PO) take into account the overall business perspective and set the right framework to ensure the necessary resources for a successful implementation.
OBS Project Lead (PL)
OBS PL is responsible for the operational execution of the Odoo implementation and is the key point of contact for the client. The OBS PL is responsible for:
- Understanding all business requirements
- Challenge Odoo and the customer's requirements
- Propose process solutions in Odoo
- Coordinate functional specialists and developers
- Perform system configuration and data migrations
OBS Project Director (PD)
The OBS PD is responsible for the overall customer relationship and overviews the entire project, as well as for:
- Performing proof of concept or analyses
- Establish frameworks and project plans
- Challenge the project on both sides
- Track efficiency and commercial agreement
Client Single Point of Contact (SPoC)
Client SPoC is the equivalent of the OBS PL on the client side and is responsible for the operational implementation on this including:
- Gathering and assessing project requirements
- Operational decision making
- Being an Odoo ambassador to the business
- Planning end user training
- Ensuring first level support
Client Project Owner (PO)
The PO is the sponsor of the project and ensures that the necessary resources are available for implementation, including:
- Determining project scope, priorities and enhancements
- Maintaining overall budgetary responsibility
- Defining resources for the project and ensuring their availability
- Tracking the success of the project
Depending on the project scope, it may be necessary to consolidate roles or define additional supporting roles in the project. For example, in very small projects, the roles of PL and PD may be consolidated on the OBS side and SpoC and PO on the client side.
Additional OBS Roles
For large projects, sub-project leaders (SPL) are required to support the project leader (PL). These are specialists in the required function and are responsible for a specific work package.
Additional Customer Roles
Work Package Responsible (WPR) are typically lead departments impacted by the Odoo implementation. It is important to involve these roles in the project from the beginning. Together with the SPoC, they decide on the software requirements and the solution that will eventually be implemented.
Key Users (KU) are required on larger projects in addition to the WPR to perform functional testing and support end user training.
Other Stakeholder (OS) may be required to support the project, e.g., external tax consultants, business consultants, or technical specialists. These individuals are typically not part of the project team, but are requested based on individual implementation requirements.
Odoo Project Organization (exemplary)
According to the Odoo methodology, the rule should be "Set up the project organization as simple as possible, but define the roles as precisely as necessary" - depending on the project scope and the maturity of the customer organization. The larger the project and the more mature the customer organization, the more precisely the roles, responsibilities, rules, and formal project organizations must be defined.
For smaller projects, a complex project organization is not required.
Each Odoo implementation project is also monitored by a steering committee, a decision-making body that balances commercial and operational goals and ensures that overall project objectives are met. Both the steering committee and the overall project organization should be set up to be as lean as possible.
Implement Odoo with OBS!
If you are ready to use a leading ERP system with expert implementation, contact us to schedule your free Odoo demo appointment now!
