Requirements and priorities
Turn operational problems into testable requirements.
- What must work in the first release?
- What may wait until a later phase?
- What evidence will show that each requirement works?
ERP buyer resource
Define ERP requirements beforeyou compare platforms
Use the guide, workbook and scorecard to make a shortlist from real work. They are designed for teams replacing spreadsheets, separate tools or an existing ERP.
Start with the editable workbook
The workbook has requirement, scoring, vendor-question and implementation-readiness tabs. The PDF is a printable version for a working session.
What to capture
A practical requirements checklist
Write what the team needs to do, who owns the decision and how you will test it. A long feature list cannot replace that work.
Users and roles
Describe the people who perform and approve work.
- Which roles create, approve, change or view records?
- Which decisions need separation of duties?
- What training and local ownership are needed?
Integrations and data migration
List the systems and data that shape the project.
- Which systems exchange orders, stock, payments or customer data?
- Which historical data is needed at go-live?
- Who cleans, maps and validates each data set?
Reporting, compliance and security
Define controls before the demo, not after selection.
- Which reports drive daily and monthly decisions?
- Which tax, audit, privacy or industry rules apply?
- How should access, backups, logs and incident response work?
Hosting, ownership and support
Choose an operating model as deliberately as a platform.
- Where may the system and backups be hosted?
- Who owns configuration, custom code and data exports?
- Who handles monitoring, upgrades and support after launch?
Budget, timeline and vendor questions
Test whether the proposal matches the work required.
- What is included beyond software licenses?
- What depends on client decisions or data readiness?
- Can the vendor show the first-release workflow with realistic data?
Neutral scorecard
Score evidence, not promises
Use the same scale for every platform. Give a high score only after the vendor shows the workflow, configuration or operating responsibility that supports it.
| Neutral scorecard | Evidence to request | Score (1-5) |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow fit | Run a real order-to-cash, purchase-to-pay or service flow. | ____ |
| Data and integration fit | Confirm source systems, ownership and a migration sample. | ____ |
| Security and compliance | Review permissions, audit trail, hosting location and backups. | ____ |
| Operating model | Compare licensing, support, upgrade and ownership responsibilities. | ____ |
| Delivery risk | Check scope, dependencies, timeline and named client-side owners. | ____ |
Do not score a platform because it is familiar, cheaper at first glance or presented well. Record assumptions, open questions and the person who will verify them.
When Community and OCA modules deserve a closer look
Odoo Community can be a practical fit when you need source-code access, control over hosting and predictable licensing. It still needs a defined implementation, ownership of the environment and support after launch.
Maintained OCA modules may cover a specific gap. Treat each one as a component to review: check the supported Odoo version, maintenance activity, dependencies, security implications and upgrade plan. Do not make Community or OCA a requirement before the workflow and operating model justify it.
Enterprise or a managed platform can fit better when a required feature, vendor support commitment or managed hosting model is more important than code access. The scorecard should make that trade-off visible.
Vendor questions to ask before signing
- 1Which requirements are standard configuration, an existing maintained module, an integration or custom development?
- 2Who is accountable for migration rehearsal, reconciliation and sign-off?
- 3What is excluded from the estimate, and what assumptions would change it?
- 4How do backups, security updates, monitoring and incident response work?
- 5What happens to our data, configuration and custom code if we change provider?
- 6Show the first-release workflow with a realistic record. What cannot be shown yet?
Requirements review
Send us your ERP starting point
Tell us where you are today. We will use the details to prepare a relevant follow-up rather than a generic product demo.
Keep the buying work connected
Use the buyer guide to structure the selection, then decide whether an Odoo Community assessment is the right next conversation.