Expertise · development
Custom Odoo development: only when standard features aren't enough
Every line of custom code will have to be maintained at each version upgrade.
So we look for the solution in standard Odoo first, then in Odoo configuration and only develop what remains. When custom Odoo development is needed, the tailor-made Odoo module is written to last: it extends the standard through inheritance, it is documented and it belongs to you.
How do we choose between standard, configuration and development?
Three levels, always in this order. Development comes last.
- Standard features. In most requests, the function already exists: it is poorly known or poorly configured.
- Configuration. Fields, views, automations, reports: we adapt without writing code to maintain.
- Development. Only for what remains, after a written specification that you approve.
Short answer: custom Odoo development is justified when a business rule specific to your activity can be expressed neither in standard features nor through configuration. In all other cases, we tell you so and we don't propose code.
What we develop: tailor-made Odoo modules, interfaces, reports
Business modules
A business rule specific to your activity, which standard features cannot express.
Interfaces
Supplier EDI, bank, payroll software, marketplace, a business tool you keep.
Documents and reports
Quotes, invoices and management reports formatted to your requirements.
Automations
Repetitive tasks removed, controls added at the right point in the flow.
What proves our expertise?
Ten modules are published on the Odoo App Store, with over a thousand cumulative installations. Each one was born from a client project, from a daily annoyance that standard features did not address. You can browse them in our ANOR module catalogue.
A published module is exposed to many installations: it must remain stable, readable and compatible with the standard. We apply the same requirements to your private developments.
How is the code written?
- It extends the standard through inheritance, without ever modifying the Odoo core.
- Every technical name is stable: it never changes, so as not to break any installation.
- Documentation is delivered with the code.
- The code belongs to you. It is handed over to you and can be maintained by another integrator.
Development follows a written specification, approved by you before the first line of code. It sets the expected behaviour, edge cases and acceptance criteria. You then test the module on an acceptance database, before any go-live.
How does a custom Odoo development unfold?
1
Qualifying the need
We understand the business problem before talking about solutions and check that it cannot be solved with standard features. This is consulting time: often, a process review is enough.
2
Written specification
Expected behaviour, edge cases and acceptance criteria are described in a document that you approve.
3
Development and acceptance
The module is delivered on an acceptance database. Your users test it on their data before any go-live.
4
Code handover and documentation
The code and its documentation are handed over to you. Tracking version upgrades can be entrusted to our support team.
Three rules we keep on every tailor-made Odoo module
- Every development starts from a written specification.
- The Odoo core stays untouched: everything goes through inheritance.
- The code belongs to you, always.
These three rules protect your ability to change provider and to upgrade versions without nasty surprises. A custom module remains a maintenance cost: it has to earn its place. That is why the request first goes through ANOR's organisation consulting: a business rule looked at afresh can often be configured without code. For an existing database loaded with custom work, the free situation audit inventories the modules and says what to keep, simplify or replace with the standard.
Frequently asked questions about custom Odoo development
It has to be ported to the new version. This porting is priced in the migration project. That is why we limit custom code to the strict minimum.
Yes, after an audit that tells you what it is worth. Sometimes it is better to rewrite it. Sometimes it can be fixed.
You do. The code is handed over to you and can be maintained by another integrator.
Odoo Online does not accept custom modules. You need Odoo.sh or a dedicated server, as detailed on our page about hosting and managed services.
Yes, it is a frequent case: EDI, bank, payroll, marketplace or a business tool you keep. The Odoo offering we sell includes external APIs.
Configuration carries itself through each version upgrade; code has to be ported. If the need can be expressed with the standard fields, views, automations and reports, we configure. If a business rule specific to your activity cannot be expressed that way, we write a specification and we develop. The decision is handed to you in writing.
Pricing follows the written specification, never the other way round: it depends on the number of rules to code, the interfaces involved and the acceptance tests to plan. It includes documentation and code handover. Porting to the next version is priced separately, within the migration project.
A need that standard features don't cover?
Describe it to us. We first check whether it can be solved without development and we tell you frankly.