Projects overview
How SmartERP enhances native Odoo Projects with delivery governance, agile sprint management, estimate approvals, cost controls, and executive dashboards.
SmartERP Projects is an enterprise project delivery and governance suite built on top of Odoo 17 Community. It turns basic task tracking into a rigorous, auditable project controls environment designed for engineering teams, contractors, consultants, and public sector organizations.
[projects-module-map]
Architecture and module relationships#
The Projects suite is organized into modular layers that build on native Odoo models without breaking compatibility:
| Layer | Module name | Technical addon | Core responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Execution | Project & Timesheets | project, hr_timesheet | Native tasks, stages, milestones, and employee time logging. |
| Delivery Governance | Delivery Governance | smarterp_governance | Stage gates (0 to 4), scope freeze, change control classes A–D, RAID register, and Go-Live readiness. |
| Agile Execution | Project Agile | smarterp_project_agile | Sprints, story points, Definition of Ready enforcement, blocker priority, and SLA escalation. |
| Estimation Control | Project Estimation Approval | smarterp_project_approval | Four-step estimate approval chain: Developer $\rightarrow$ Team Lead $\rightarrow$ Tech Lead $\rightarrow$ PM. |
| Project Controls | Project Controls | smarterp_project_controls | Budget lines by cost category, Estimate at Completion (EAC), variance tracking, and overrun alerts. |
| Oversight | Project Dashboard | smarterp_project_dashboard | Executive and operational KPI cards, health status, and live margin drill-down. |
| Compliance & Localization | Timesheets & Calendar | smart_enterprise_timesheet, smart_et_calendar | Working calendar compliance, timesheet period lock, Bahire Hasab and Ethiopian holidays. |
Key capabilities#
- Gated delivery: Projects advance across 5 formalized gates (Gate 0 Inception to Gate 4 Closure). Once Gate 1 is approved, scope freeze is active and changes require formal approval.
- Agile backlog and sprints: Projects run sprints with dedicated goals, story point velocity tracking, and strict Definition of Ready checks before sprint activation.
- Blocker escalation SLA: When a task is blocked, SmartERP stamps response and resolution deadlines. A background job escalates overdue blockers every 4 hours.
- Four-tier estimate approval: Work estimates pass through engineering leadership before being frozen into Allocated Time on the task.
- Real-time budget control: Compares budget baselines against actual costs posted from timesheets and vendor bills, calculating Estimate at Completion ($\text{EAC} = \frac{\text{Actual Cost}}{\text{Percent Complete}}$).
- Period locking: Finance and PMO lock historical timesheet periods. Edits require elevated permissions and generate immutable audit logs.
- Ethiopian localization: Synchronizes Ethiopian national holidays and movable feasts (Bahire Hasab computus) into resource calendars to prevent scheduling conflicts.
Who uses SmartERP Projects#
| Role | Key responsibilities | Primary interfaces |
|---|---|---|
| Project Sponsor / Executive | Reviews portfolio health, approves Gate transitions, and monitors commercial margins. | Project Dashboard, Executive KPI cards |
| Project Manager (PM) | Manages budgets, defines milestones, clears Gate submissions, and approves task estimates. | Governed Projects list, Milestones, Project Controls tab |
| Scrum Master / Agile Lead | Plans sprints, manages backlog, enforces Definition of Ready, and resolves blockers. | Sprint Kanban, Agile Sprints view, Blocker board |
| Team Leader / Tech Lead | Conducts technical review of developer estimates and architectural compliance. | My Approvals inbox, Task Form estimate tab |
| Team Member / Developer | Submits estimates, logs timesheets, moves tasks across stages, and raises blockers. | My Tasks, Sprint board, Timesheet grid |
| PMO / Governance Controller | Audits RAID registers, verifies Go-Live checklists, and enforces timesheet period locks. | Governance Dashboard, Audit Log, Period Locks |
Relationship with Planning and Finance#
SmartERP Projects connects directly with sibling applications:
- SmartERP Planning (
smarterp_planning): Feeds resource availability and shift schedules into project timelines. See Plan project tasks. - SmartERP Accounting & Finance: Timesheets post directly as cost entries to the project's analytic account, while customer invoices and vendor bills feed real-time revenue and expenses.
- Human Resources: Employee working hours and Ethiopian holiday leaves govern available timesheet capacity and SLA calculations.
Last updated: 2026-10-16