The Odoo implementation checklist we actually use on every project

Most failed Odoo projects don't fail at go-live. They fail in week two of discovery, when nobody asks the awkward questions about month-end close, returns, or how the warehouse actually works at 5pm on a Friday.

Below is the checklist we keep open on a second monitor for every implementation. It is opinionated, short, and earned the hard way.

Before the first sprint

• Map the as-is process for the top 5 day-to-day operations. Whiteboard it, do not just read SOPs.
• Identify the one person on the client side who will own go-live decisions. If there are three, you have zero.
• Lock the chart of accounts and the fiscal calendar. Everything downstream depends on it.
• Decide the data cleanup owner. Odoo will not magically fix your messy product master.

During build

We work in two-week sprints with a Friday demo and a real human signing off in writing. If a sprint slips, we shrink scope, never quality. Tests are written for every customisation, and we keep the staging database refreshed weekly so the client team can poke around.

Two weeks before go-live

• Run a full dress rehearsal with real users on a copy of production data.
• Document the cutover hour by hour. Yes, hour by hour.
• Have a printed runbook. Wifi will fail at the worst moment.
• Confirm rollback criteria in writing.

Go-live week

We sit on-site or at least be on a live call from 7am for the first three days. The first 72 hours catch 80% of the issues. Have a developer on standby, not on PTO.

The first month is hyper-care. Daily standups with the client, a shared Kanban for issues, and a clear escalation path. After 30 days you transition into normal support and everyone gets to breathe.