Introduction
The proposal is to move from existing systems for websites, accounting, purchasing and other business workflows to be defined into Odoo ERP. The Operations Hub would work with Fraser to provide an end to end project to migrate existing data and configure and customise the Odoo platform to individual requirements. We would also provide training for the parts of the system that need to be used on a daily basis alongside the comprehensive online training provided by Odoo. As part of this proposal we would also provide ongoing user support for the use of Odoo via our dedicated helpdesk in Chester.
Project Approach
Key to the succesful implementation of Odoo will be the import of existing data from the various systems into Odoo, and to gain an in depth understanding of the processes undertaken in the relevant business areas. We would initially carry out the build of a test environment and import data to allow testing to take place. Odoo provides multi company functionality and this is something that we would need to utilise from the beginning to avoid future headaches. I feel that the best approach to implementing Odoo would be to first concentrate on Manchester, where I believe it would be easier to work with the existing team to develop the solution to fit, as well as being more straight forward to implement in terms of the users adopting new ways of doing things.
Moving on from an initial assessment, we would then complete the configuration of the individual apps based on the workflows within the business as detailed in the sections below. The remainder of this proposal is focussed on Manchester. A seperate plan for Liverpool will be written in due course.
Websites to Odoo
Recreating the current RJW website within Odoo would be highly recommended to leverage the full capacity of the system. This spans accross features available through multiple apps within Odoo. Specifically I believe there would be great benefit to the business in having visibility of website interactions in particular with the current marketing activity in mind. The process of moving the website into Odoo would in no way effect the external work being carried out, but it would give us the immediate ability to be able to see what the results of the marketing activity are in terms of web traffic. The reporting within Odoo provides excellent insight into traffic, realtime information, link tracking and much more. Having some baseline information at this point would be really useful in terms of RJW's ability to compare the results of external marketing activity, rather than that being presented to RJW via an external marketing agency (which tends to be made to look very positive!). Carrying out this process at the stage would also provide the opportunity for some website changes to be made as per Lee's requirements.
We have completed a short SEO survey on the current domain to provide some insight into where we are today. Click below to view this report.
Time estimate to complete this stage - 4 days.
Purchasing to Odoo Purchase
Fraser and I have begun to build the Purchase app within Odoo with a view to moving from the existing RJW Purchase Tracking System. This is in progress and will be available for testing in the coming days.
Sage Accounting to Odoo Accounting
One of the largest parts of the project would be the migration from Sage Accounts to the Odoo accounting app, which is one of the bigger parts of the Odoo platform. Whilst this is complex and will require careful planning and implementation, I believe it is one of the areas most significant benefit to RJW, and particularly in Manchester due to the current reliance on accessing Sage Accounts in Liverpool. Whilst there are many other dependancies on multiple applications running in Liverpool outside of Sage Accounts, I am sure that some of the day to day problems experienced by Sam would reduce as a result of completion of this stage.
We would need to spend some time initially assessing current activity within Sage Accounts from Manchester as well as looking at the the current data before configuring Odoo accounting ready for testing. The import of data would incluude all customer and supplier records aswell as the complete chart of accounts and opening balances. I would recommend the start of a new VAT quarter would be the best time to complete the change. We would also need to engage with external accountants to understand the format in which they will need accounting data at year end and how to provide that two them from both Sage and Odoo. This is something that we would complete as part of the process.
Time estimate to complete this stage - 10 days.
Summary
I appreciate that making significant changes to the systems in use within RJW is a huge consideration and needs very careful planning and implementation. What I can say from first hand experience of having implementing Odoo for both ourselves and a number of other businesses is that it has been game changing for us. This isn't just about having a system that manages the workflows in the business, it has also had a reallly positive impact on the way we work. Working in a system where the same data set is available throughout all apps makes life so much easier, and the navigation between apps along with the consistent interface provides a good user experience, increasing efficiency and organisation as a result.