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Implementation Methodology

Odoo audit and scoping: the phase that safeguards your ERP project

An Odoo project doesn't start with configuration. It starts with the audit and scoping. ERP projects rarely fail because of the software: they fail because of a poorly defined scope, unrealistic expectations, custom requests nobody challenged, or a lack of alignment between teams. The goal of this initial phase is to turn a vague intention into a realistic, costed action plan you can actually steer.

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1. The SPoC: the person steering the Odoo project

What is a SPoC?

The SPoC, or Single Point of Contact, is the main contact on the client side. For an ERP project to move forward without losing focus, you have to avoid several people giving orders that contradict each other. The SPoC centralizes internal requests, consolidates the company's vision and is the single link with our team.

Why is this role so important?

Without a SPoC, information gets scattered, decisions drag on and meetings run longer than they need to. The right SPoC isn't necessarily the business owner, but someone with a clear mandate. They need to:
  • Have a cross-functional view: understand how sales, accounting, inventory, production and support interact.
  • Have decision-making authority: be able to settle issues without sending everything back to a committee.
  • Be available: this role takes real project time, it is not a side task.

2. Key users: testing the project against day-to-day reality

Who are the key users?

Key users are the go-to people on the ground in each function: logistics, sales, accounting, administration, production, support. Management often has the big picture; key users know the day-to-day reality, the exceptions, the side Excel files and the real pain points.

What is their role during the audit and scoping?

An Odoo project decided without consulting the people on the ground is often rejected once it's in use. Key users take part in the workshops to show us how teams actually work. Their role is twofold:
  • Describe current flows: tools, constraints, re-keying, friction points.
  • Validate future choices: they are the first to test the Odoo flows and confirm they work for the business.

3. Pace and commitment: an Odoo project is not a passive purchase

What pace do we work at?

During the audit and scoping phase, we usually work in sprints, with one or two workshops of 2 to 4 hours per week. This pace keeps the momentum going, avoids long stretches with no visibility and keeps teams engaged.

The client's work between workshops

This is often underestimated: an ERP project is not a service you simply receive. Between meetings, the client has work to do internally.

Our workshops are there to scope, make decisions and advise, but on your side you also need to:
  • Prepare the data: extract, sort and clean up your current databases.
  • Clarify business rules: discounts, approvals, decision flows, commissions, etc.
  • Review and test: validate the mockups, scenarios and choices we present.
Simple rule: for every hour of workshop with us, you should often plan 1 to 2 hours of internal work to prepare, decide or consolidate things on your side.

4. The kick-off: aligning the whole company from the start

What is the kick-off meeting really for?

The kick-off isn't just a launch meeting. It's when the ground rules of the project are set. It brings together management, the SPoC, the key users and our team. Its purpose is to get everyone aligned before touching a single Odoo module.

Why does management need to be there?

If management doesn't clearly state that the ERP project is a strategic priority, teams won't follow. At the kick-off, management's role is to:
  • Give the SPoC a mandate: publicly confirm their role and authority.
  • Explain the ROI: remind everyone why the company is changing tools.
  • Set the framework: endorse the principle of favoring standard Odoo whenever it makes sense.

Agree on how we communicate

The kick-off is also when we set the communication channels, the project pace, responsibilities and next steps. This prevents isolated requests and lost information.

5. Gap analysis: testing your needs against standard Odoo

Understanding your business flows

For each flow (sales, purchasing, logistics, after-sales service, accounting), we try to understand how it starts, who is involved, which tools are used, what is still manual and what really slows the company down.

The real work of gap analysis

Once the needs are clear, we compare them with standard Odoo. Each topic falls into one of the following categories:
  • Standard: Odoo already does it out of the box.
  • Configuration: you only need to adjust the software settings.
  • Organizational change: it is better to adapt the way you work than the code.
  • Custom development: only if the need is truly differentiating and strategic.

6. Make trade-offs and know when to say no

Protecting the budget and the schedule

Audit and scoping are not about saying yes to every request. Too many ERP projects go off the rails because they try to reproduce the flaws of the old system in the new one.

Our role is to challenge requests: are they really necessary? Are they useful before go-live? Can we get the same result another way?

🔗 Learn more: During scoping, our role is to protect you from technical debt. To understand how we make these trade-offs, read how to customize Odoo (and when to avoid it).

The Phase 1 / Phase 2 approach

Trying to deploy the perfect ERP on day one is a classic mistake. We separate what is:

Essential to running the business for phase 1, and what is desirable but not blocking for a phase 2. This approach keeps the budget in check, limits project fatigue and delivers value sooner.

7. Identify risks and prepare for change

Change management starts here

An Odoo project doesn't just change software. It also changes habits, responsibilities, approvals and sometimes the internal balance of power. During scoping, we look for areas of resistance, the people who will drive the change, and upcoming training needs.

Address the real problems from the start

Good scoping doesn't sell a frictionless project. If the data is of poor quality, if the client doesn't have enough time available, or if some expectations are unrealistic, we say so from the start. The goal is to build a realistic path forward and a relationship based on trust.

8. Deliverables: what you get at the end of scoping

What you actually have in hand

At the end of the audit and scoping phase, you don't walk away with a few notes. You get a usable project baseline that serves as the reference for everything that follows.
  • The scope: what will be done, and what is excluded or postponed.
  • The process map: how Odoo will handle your key processes.
  • The schedule: the main milestones up to go-live.
  • The budget: a consistent estimate based on the gaps actually validated.
In short: audit and scoping don't slow the project down. Above all, they keep it from going off the rails later.

🔗 Learn more: Scoping is approved, the deliverables are signed... What happens next? Dive into the execution phase with our guide explaining how to run an Odoo implementation in short cycles.

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Billy Felicie, founder of Hors du Commun

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Billy Felicie

Founder of Hors du Commun, Odoo integrator in Lyon

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Hors du Commun • Odoo integrator in Lyon

ERP methodology • Odoo audit and scoping • SPoC, key users and gap analysis