What's New in Odoo 17 for Project Management and Planning?

In today’s fast-paced world, staying ahead of the curve is essential for success. For that, businesses have to do a lot of planning and project management. It involves tasks like resource management, asset management, shift management, task management, and so on.

Odoo, the versatile business management software simplifies these processes for you. It has once again raised the bar with its latest release, Odoo 17.

Packed with innovative features and enhancements, this update promises to revolutionize the way businesses handle project management and planning. Whether you’re a seasoned project manager or just embarking on your planning journey, Odoo 17 has something in store for everyone.

Join us as we delve into the exciting world of new features for Odoo Project Management and Planning, and discover how these advancements can streamline your workflows, boost productivity, and help you achieve your project goals with greater precision and efficiency.

You can further seek assistance from an Odoo development company for implementation or migration to Odoo 17 and get started!

New Odoo 17 Features for Efficient Project Management and Planning

• Switching Shifts
  In some Organizations where employees work in certain shifts, there may arise situations where they may get unwanted shifts. For such situations, the Switching Shift feature present in Odoo 17 will be quite useful.It’s an official and legitimate way for employees to switch shifts with their colleagues. The person who wants to switch shifts can initiate a request within the Odoo system. They have to specify the shift they currently have and the shift they want to switch to.The request is then sent to the colleague whose shift the employee wants to exchange. That colleague can review the request and decide whether to accept or decline the proposed shift switch.After the recipient responds, both employees receive notifications about the status of the shift switch request. If the request is accepted, the system updates the schedule accordingly.

  It is useful in workplaces where employees have to work in shifts. For instance, hospitals, manufacturing units, retail, etc. Thus, employees have more flexibility, can meet their commitments better, and have a transparent process.

  A company may include additional rules like permission from the reporting manager, the number of times an employee can switch in a month, and so on based on their needs.

• Additional Task Statuses
  With Odoo for project management, you will be able to see more options for task statuses. Besides the standard “To Do” and “Done” statuses, employees can now mark task status as “In Progress” for ongoing tasks, “Cancelled” for tasks that are no longer relevant or needed, “Changes Required” for tasks that need editing or modification, and “Approved” for tasks that have been reviewed and meets the requirements or expectations.It allows for better project tracking, collaboration, and communication among team members. It also helps project managers and stakeholders have a clearer understanding of the overall project status.
• Recurring Tasks: Generate New on Completion
  For tasks that are repeated frequently, you can leverage of Odoo project management module and generate tasks automatically once the assigned task is completed. You can set rules and automate the process of task generation for recurring tasks.Once the pending task is marked as ‘Completed’, another task is auto-generated and the task list is updated. By automating the generation of new tasks upon completion of recurring ones, Odoo simplifies the management of repetitive work, reduces the manual effort required to create new tasks, and ensures that important tasks are consistently addressed on time.
• Sub-Tasks and Dependency Warning on Kanban Cards
  When tasks have sub-tasks associated with them, the feature allows you to view these sub-tasks directly from the parent task’s Kanban card.This new Odoo 17 feature provides a warning or indicator on the Kanban card if the task is blocked by another task. In project management, tasks often have dependencies on other tasks, meaning that one task cannot start until another is completed. This warning visually alerts users to the fact that a task may be waiting for another task’s completion before it can proceed.It helps improve visibility, efficiency, and communication; and elevates dependency management within the project.
• Task Scheduling With No Allocated Time
  This feature provides business users with greater flexibility and efficiency as they can schedule tasks with no time limit. Thus, allocating tasks that have flexible, variable, or uncertain timelines gets much easier.Moreover, managers can allocate multiple tasks in batches even when they don’t have any predefined time frame. It is especially useful when you are using the Gantt View as managers can easily see the sequence and overlap of tasks and make scheduling decisions accordingly.
• Task Configuration Shortcuts
  The introduction of new shortcuts for task configuration in Odoo 17 simplifies and accelerates the process of task creation and configuration when working in a Kanban view. It allows users to quickly set various task attributes and parameters without the need to open a separate form view.Using the shortcuts, you can assign users, set tags, allocate hours, and even set the task’s priority level, such as high, medium, or low. It is a productivity-enhancing feature that simplifies and expedites task management.
• Auto Plan Open Shifts
  Vacant shifts within a schedule that needs to be staffed are called open shifts. These can arise due to various reasons, including employee absence, increased workload, or temporary staffing needs. The auto plan open shift feature in Odoo 17 planning management software automatically assigns open shifts to employees based on predefined criteria.These criteria include working hours, roles and responsibilities, availability, and scheduled time off. It ensures that the right employees are assigned to shifts based on their qualifications, availability, and other relevant factors, ultimately contributing to smoother workforce management and improved operational performance.
• Split Shifts From the Gantt View
  In Odoo, the Gantt view is a visual representation of tasks, shifts, or projects displayed along a timeline. It allows users to see the duration, schedule, and allocation of resources at a glance. The planning management software enables you to split long shifts into multiple segments from the Gantt View itself.Each newly created segment retains the details of the original shift, such as the employee assigned, start time, end time, and any specific task or description associated with that segment. It enhances visibility, flexibility, and organization in industries where shift management is a critical component of operations.The Odoo HR management software has advanced features and functionalities that simplify the task of resource management for you.
• Create Project From Sales Order
  The manual creation of a project from a sales order simplifies the process of project initiation. It enhances coordination, visibility, and efficiency in managing projects that originate from customer sales requests, ensuring a smoother workflow from sales to project execution.
• Sales Order Generation from Projects
  This Odoo agile project management feature simplifies the process of creating sales orders (SO) when projects or tasks lead to customer orders. It streamlines the workflow, improves efficiency, and ensures that project-related revenue is captured accurately and seamlessly within the system.This feature is especially valuable for businesses that operate in project-centric industries where project deliverables often result in sales.
• Down Payment for Project Profitability
  This is one of the most needed Odoo project management features that is included in this Odoo 17 update. It provides businesses with a more accurate assessment of the profitability of their projects by accounting for down payments received from customers.This feature contributes to financial accuracy, transparency, and informed decision-making, ensuring that businesses have a clear understanding of their project’s financial health throughout the project lifecycle.
• Project Access in Multi-Company Environment
  In a multi-company environment, it is often difficult to share access to a project with other branches while maintaining complete confidentiality and compliance. However, this feature allows projects and tasks to be shared and made accessible to all companies within an organization.It means that users from various companies can access and collaborate on the same projects and tasks. It enhances efficiency, promotes collaboration, and facilitates a centralized approach to project management, all while maintaining control over data access and security.This feature is particularly valuable for businesses with complex structures that require seamless collaboration between distinct companies.

  These are a few most recent additions you should find in the Odoo 17 module for project management and planning. Are you eager to learn what more exciting features are to come in the latest Odoo 17 upgrade, then keep an eye out on this space!

  While you do that, you can also check our other updates on Odoo Payroll management, eCommerce module, Manufacturing, and more.

  In case you need help with your Odoo ERP needs, be it implementation, project management software development, customization, migration, or any other, we can help you out with that. As an Odoo partner, we are equipped with the right tools and knowledge to assist you in this venture and help your business scale.

Parting Thoughts

Odoo 17’s exciting new features and improvements can elevate project management and planning capabilities like any other. From the ability to switch shifts and mark additional task statuses to generating sales orders from projects and facilitating multi-company project access, Odoo 17 empowers businesses to streamline their project-related processes and enhance collaboration.

With these innovative features, Odoo continues to solidify its position as a leading platform for businesses seeking to optimize their project management and planning processes in a dynamic and competitive landscape.

As organizations continue to adapt to dynamic business environments, Odoo 17 equips them with the tools they need to efficiently plan, execute, and monitor projects, ultimately leading to improved project outcomes and enhanced overall productivity. Whether you operate in a single-company or multi-company environment, Odoo 17 offers versatile solutions to meet your project management needs.