Methodology · Why configuration first, why senior led
Configuration first.
Senior led. End to end.
How we keep Odoo implementations off the customization treadmill, and how the partners in the scoping call stay on the engagement through go-live. Plain language for finance, ops, and IT — no slogans, no discovery-phase theater.
Technical debt, stated plainly
Configuration first. The cheapest customization is the one you don't write.
Most Odoo engagements accumulate technical debt through custom modules added on top of the framework rather than configured against it. Each module compounds: harder upgrades, higher monthly run cost, and a baseline the next consultant has to re-learn before they can read it. Configuration-first work refuses the compounding. The framework is the spec; the deviation is the smallest one an audit will allow.
Configuration over code
- Default to the Odoo framework, not your fork of it.
- Every customization is the smallest deviation an audit will allow — sized before, not after, the first sprint.
- Custom code is reversible, version-controlled, and tested against your real data, not synthetic fixtures.
- Monthly run cost is a contract we keep long after the engagement closes.
The senior-team contract
The partner on the discovery call is on the daily standup.
Capacity vendors grow an offshore delivery pyramid the moment the contract is signed. The senior who scopes the work sells the engagement — then a junior, sometimes offshore, builds the work. We do the opposite. The same named senior consultant carries discovery, configuration, and go-live; tickets after go-live are answered by the partner who built the work, not a Tier-1 queue reading from a script. Capacity is the constraint, not the budget.
What that looks like after go-liveSenior team on every engagement
- Partners in the room on every call — no rotation to a junior after week two.
- Discovery, configuration, and go-live are staffed by the same named senior consultant.
- Tickets answered by the partner who built the work, not a Tier-1 queue reading from a script.
- Every scoping call is the partner who would scope your engagement — capacity is the constraint, not the budget.
- Capacity vendors grow an offshore delivery pyramid the moment the contract signs. We staff to the account.
Engagement structure
Five phases. One senior team. From discovery to go-live.
Two fixed phases of prep, two weeks of parallel run, and a hypercare window covered by the same seniors who built the baseline. Each phase below has a defined deliverable and a measurable outcome — the outcome is the contract, not the deliverable.
Phase · 01
Discovery & Operating-Model Map
For buyers who want a baseline they can grow on. A signed workflow map at the end of week one turns the baseline from a vendor promise into something finance, ops, and IT can each audit.
Deliverables & outcome — phase 01
- Two on-site or remote working sessions with finance, ops, and IT in the room
- Operating-model workflow map with named owners per process
- Headcount-band sizing against the savings estimator baseline
Outcome: Signed operating-model workflow map owned by a senior consultant — the same map we scope against in phase two.
Phase · 02
Fixed-Fee Quote & Sandbox Provision
Sizing tied to a headcount band, not by the hour. The quote lands with a defined scope — no change order fog after kickoff — and the sandbox is provisioned before the first sprint, so configuration begins against real configuration, not a TODO list.
Deliverables & outcome — phase 02
- Fixed-fee quote sized to your headcount band
- Defined-scope change-order protocol for anything outside scope
- Sandbox environment provisioned, restored, and audited before kickoff
Outcome: Signed scope + sandbox environment provisioned before kickoff — no parallel invoicing to negotiate later.
Phase · 03
Configuration & Workflow Validation
The Odoo framework configured to your operating model — sales, purchasing, inventory, accounting — without piling custom modules on the baseline before go-live. The senior team holds the spec until it survives an audit.
Deliverables & outcome — phase 03
- Configuration baseline signed by ops and finance
- Upgrade-safe deviation spec, version-controlled
- User acceptance testing against your real workflow data, not synthetic fixtures
Outcome: Configuration baseline + upgrade-safe deviation spec, signed by ops and finance before cutover work begins.
Phase · 04
Cutover Rehearsal & Parallel Run
Two dress rehearsals on cloned environments, both run in parallel against the legacy stack. The cutover checklist is owned by a senior consultant end to end — no surprise handoffs to a Tier-1 queue at go-live.
Deliverables & outcome — phase 04
- Two cutover dress-rehearsals on cloned environments
- Open-AR and open-AP reconciliation report with audit log
- Rollback path documented and run once against the parallel environment
Outcome: Cutover checklist owned by a senior consultant, rehearsed twice — and rollback path executed once before go-live.
Phase · 05
Go-Live & Hypercare
Post-go-live hypercare is covered by the same senior team that built the baseline — no rotation to a Tier-1 queue you have not met. A 30/60/90 review closes the engagement against the savings estimator baseline, not a vendor promise.
Deliverables & outcome — phase 05
- Hypercare window covered by the same seniors who built the baseline
- 30/60/90 review against the savings estimator baseline
- Optional handover to internal ownership or Managed Support retainer
Outcome: A working Odoo instance measured against the savings estimator baseline — with a roadmap, not a hand-off.
Next step
Read the five engagements,
or book a 30-minute consultation.
Pick the practice line that matches your baseline, or take the savings estimator first — either way you arrive at the same conviction the discovery call is built on. The number you see is the number we quote.
What the next step looks like
- A 30-minute call with the same partner who would scope your engagement
- One-page scope worksheet emailed to you before the call
- Fixed-fee quote sized to your headcount band within five business days
- A working Odoo instance measured against the savings estimator baseline