/ 01
The project
OpenERP is a business management platform we are building. It connects customer relationships, sales, purchasing, stock, accounting, manufacturing, staff, and projects in one workspace.
Businesses can turn on only the parts they need, and choose to have us host it or run it on their own servers.
/ 02
What it does
Customers and sales
Track leads, quotes, and orders, and see each customer's full history in one place.
Purchasing and stock
Order from suppliers, receive goods, and always know what is in stock and where.
Accounting
Invoices, payments, and expenses are recorded as the work happens, not re-typed at the end of the month.
Manufacturing
Plan production, track materials, and follow each job from start to finish.
People and projects
Manage staff records, leave, and project tasks alongside the rest of the business.
Shop and website
Sell in store and online from the same product list and the same stock.
/ 03
The brief
The challenge
Growing businesses re-enter the same details across separate tools for sales, stock, invoicing, and staff.
How we gathered the requirements
The idea came from our own client work. Again and again we saw growing businesses type the same customer, product, and order details into three or four different systems.
We mapped how information moves through a typical business, from the first enquiry to the final payment, and marked every point where it was being copied by hand.
We also spoke with businesses that had tried large off-the-shelf systems and found them too expensive or too rigid. Their feedback shaped the modular approach.
/ 04
How we approached it
- 01
One shared foundation
Customers, products, and staff are defined once and shared by every module, so information is never entered twice.
- 02
Modules you switch on
Each area of the business is a separate module. A company can start with sales and stock and add the rest as it grows.
- 03
Build with early users
Modules are being tested with businesses before release, so each one is shaped by real day-to-day use.
/ 05
Challenges we solved
Challenge
A platform that covers everything can easily become overwhelming to use.
How we solved it
Modules are optional, and each one is designed so a new user only sees what is relevant to their job.
Challenge
Different businesses want different things from the same area, such as how stock is counted or invoices are numbered.
How we solved it
We are building these as settings each business controls, rather than fixed rules.
Challenge
Some businesses need their data on their own servers, others want it fully managed.
How we solved it
OpenERP is being built to run either way, so a business can choose and change its mind later.
/ 06
Where it stands
OpenERP is in development and not yet available to customers.
The shared foundation and the first modules are being built and tested now.
We will open access in stages, starting with the modules most requested by early users.
/ 07
How we will run it
Once released, we will offer OpenERP as a hosted service run by our team, or as a self-managed option with setup support and updates from us.