How to Choose the Best Odoo Developer? Top Tips in 2022

Odoo is one of the best open-source ERPs worldwide. It’s a really helpful solution for companies due to its numerous helpful features and the opportunity to  integrate it into an already-existing company’s system and then customize and scale it as needed.

Yet, how to integrate the Odoo system painlessly? What challenges may a developer face when creating a unique Odoo application for very your needs (yeah, that’s also possible)? How to find an Odoo developer for your business requirements? All these questions will be covered in the following article.

Two Different Options to Choose From

Before getting down to the aforementioned questions, it should be noted that the Odoo ERP system currently has two available editions – Odoo Community and Odoo Enterprise. Both can satisfy different business needs such as project management, business analysis, customization without developments, training, and providing minimum-affiliated services. Still, there are some differences between them: the Odoo Enterprise version isn’t a once-in-a-lifetime purchase and it requires a  subscription. That is to say, if you don’t pay annually for the subscription, you won’t be able to use the  Odoo Enterprise.  What are the perks of this version? Developers working with Odoo Enterprise are constantly upgrading its modules, making new editions more adjustable for each field including e-Commerce, Accounting, Sales, etc. 

The Odoo Community version, in its turn,  is absolutely free. And, if the available free modules aren’t enough for your needs, you can buy ready Enterprise modules additionally or order development of necessary modules

Is the team of developers still required for the Community version? Yes, just like with the Odoo Enterprise, developers should be responsible for the modules’ integration into the company system, maintaining them, and correcting data transmission.

Why Is It So Important to Hire a Well-Skilled Odoo Developer?

Needless to say, a software Odoo developer should have creative, technological, and soft skills combined all together, especially if you’re going to hire an Odoo developer for designing exclusive software programs tailored to your specific business needs. Among other responsibilities, you’re also likely to expect that a developer should be able to seamlessly transform your data from one version to another (and/or into the cloud).  

You should take note that the developer’s proficiency level plays a significant role and you need to evaluate the complexity of the work wisely. For instance, a Junior developer won’t be able to implement the same things as a Senior developer, who already understands the design patterns, architecture, automated testing, performance, security, etc. 

To be more precise, developers are basically responsible for the following tasks when implementing an ERP system:

• Understanding the company’s needs (communication with leads, giving suggestions, etc).
• Support or creation of distinct developments or customization within the database.
• Transition of data from other platforms and earlier versions of Odoo.
• Import documents into a new database.
• Consultation on which configurations to apply inside of a module or your Odoo database.
• Updates to the latest version of Odoo with secure backups of your database.
• Regular support and assistance with Odoo.
• Odoo project monitoring.
• Code customization.

Two Different Paths

Typically, developers work directly with the customer or through an Odoo consultant. The Odoo consultant can be a representative from the official Odoo service or a well-qualified third-party person. There are two types of Odoo consultants – functional and technical. A functional consultant’s abilities involve assisting the client’s business requirements and executing the best possible solution for implementing Odoo products. A technical consultant is a specialist who is responsible for the Odoo ERP integration part.

So, what’s the difference between working with a client directly and working through an Odoo consultant?

Direct Collaboration

From the perspective of a business owner, direct work with a developer is rather engaging since a developer can quickly address any of your problems problem without turning to a third party. As a result, a business process is going to flow much smoother and faster.

Yet, this approach could be risky enough because a developer may miss some vital operational elements, and it can cause a decrease in the overall project flow.  Therefore, if you choose a direct collaboration, we advise you to choose a trustworthy developer who already has solid experience working with Odoo.

Co-operation via an Odoo Consultant

If you fear that there may be misunderstandings between you and a developer, then you may turn to an Odoo consultant who can provide the best techniques and give much more significant value compared to hiring a developer only. The Odoo consultants usually co-work with developers to empower complicated tasks, while concentrating on the Odoo deployment in your business.  Simply put, consultants provide a bit more comprehensive support to the client.

Anyways, both methods are currently in demand, and you can choose the best option (or even try both) to satisfy all your needs. 

How to Choose Odoo Developer

What features should you look for when hiring developers? We share some critical skills and experience that perfect Odoo experts need to possess.

Odoo Experience

The primary thing you should always look for in a developer is the experience of working with Odoo systems and developing Odoo modules. A well-skilled Odoo developer should ideally have at least 2+ years of experience.

Programming Skills

Python must be the main skill in the technology stack of any developer since Odoo employs Python as its scripting language and Python is essential for creating, integrating, or changing modules for the Odoo system. 

Also, be aware of the fact that Odoo employs PostgreSQL (a powerful, open-source object-relational database system) as its database management system. So, it’s another thing to expect from a good developer. By the way, strong knowledge of MySQL will also be an advantage.

Understanding of ERP Systems and Key Business Processes

Besides having solid technological skills, a well-experienced Odoo developer should also have a robust understanding of the landscape he will be working in. Being a superb programmer is not enough; he or she should be able to connect the functions being developed with their real-life circumstances to deliver the best possible experience to the users and business processes.

The Main Phases of the Odoo ERP Software Development

Analysis

The initial research includes an in-depth investigation of operational processes, the company’s mechanisms, routine process testing, and some other criteria. Before implementing Odoo, it’s vital to get feedback from the client to understand the critical requirements of the ERP system.

Development

Once the platform specifications are agreed upon,  developers typically move on to the platform-building process. During this process, developers should also take into account hosting characteristics and additional add-ons required by the client to evaluate the total price.

Testing

After the platform has been designed, a developer needs to get down to testing the system’s reliability and stability. If something goes wrong and bugs are detected, the developers ought to fix them and re-test the whole system again.

Configuration

First and foremost, any implementation should be user-friendly. This means Odoo should be optimized and adjusted according to the individual business requirements of the company. Hence, developers should be ready for extra modifications. 

Summing Up

Considering everything mentioned above, we can conclude that the Odoo implementation and maintenance process is quite complicated (though, it’s definitely worth it). And, the chances are, you’ll need to turn to qualified developers to successfully integrate Odoo into your company’s system.  So, don’t hesitate to contact us to find out more about our high-skilled Odoo development team and what we offer. We’ll do our best to make your business processes more smooth and more effective!