Run Every Project on a Single Kanban Board

What is Odoo Project?

Odoo Project is the project-management application inside the Odoo ERP suite. It organizes work as projects broken into tasks, displayed on Kanban boards with configurable stages and drag-and-drop progress updates.

Each project is a Kanban whiteboard. Tasks move across stage columns, and task stages and statuses drive progress. The project dashboard shows the total number of tasks and an overall status overview, giving teams a single place to see what is in flight, what is blocked, and what is done.

Because Odoo Project is part of the wider Odoo suite, a task can pull in timesheets, sales orders, invoices, and purchase orders without leaving the application. That native integration is what separates it from standalone task tools.

Kanban, tasks, and stages

Odoo Project uses the Kanban project-management system. All projects are broken down into tasks, which are categorized on a whiteboard according to stages. Drag-and-drop task movement between Kanban columns updates task progress.

Task stages are displayed as columns in the project's Kanban view. Teams configure stages per project - for example New, In Progress, Review, Done - and each task's position reflects where it sits in the workflow.

Tasks can be created manually or automatically, including from emails or website forms. That means a lead submitting a form on your site can spawn a task in the right project with no manual entry.

• →Kanban whiteboard per project, with configurable stage columns
• →Drag-and-drop a task between columns to update its progress
• →Tasks auto-create from inbound emails or website form submissions
• →Dashboard surfaces total task count and project status at a glance

Sub-tasks, milestones, and recurring tasks

Larger projects need more than a flat task list. Odoo Project provides three built-in mechanisms to keep work structured without leaving the Kanban view.

• →Sub-tasks: a Sub-tasks tab lets teams split workload into smaller trackable units. Sub-tasks can be displayed in the Kanban view of the selected project, so a parent task and its children stay visible together.
• →Milestones: enabled per project under Project - Settings - Tasks - Milestones, milestones phase the project into deliverables so stakeholders see phased progress.
• →Recurring tasks: a new task in a recurrence is created automatically once the status of the previous task is set to Done or Canceled, with daily, weekly, or monthly intervals.

Timesheets and Odoo project profitability

Time is logged against tasks. The sum appears on each task's Timesheets tab, and timesheet entries feed both cost and revenue.

When a project is linked to a Sales Order of service (Sold Services) products, Odoo shows a Profitability smart button. It compares revenue against cost - exposing margins in real time as timesheets are recorded.

Revenue is calculated according to the Invoicing Policy selected on the product form. Prepaid/Fixed Price recognizes revenue at a set amount, while Based on Timesheets ties revenue to the hours logged. The project's top bar provides access to records linked to profitability from the Kanban view.

Odoo 19 added Kanban WIP limits, Gantt critical path, timesheet auto-tracking, milestones, billable hours, and profitability features for the Project app - rounding out what a services firm needs out of the box.

Forecasting and capacity planning

For services firms that staff multiple projects at once, Odoo adds two complementary planning layers on top of Project.

Odoo Project Forecasting is enabled via Project - Configuration - Settings - Forecasting, with the Timesheet module installed and standard working hours set at the company level. It integrates timesheet tracking with resource forecasting, so planned and forecast hours sit side by side with capacity and actuals.

Odoo's separate Planning app provides a weekly Gantt view - by Resource, Role, Project, or Sales Order - and an Auto Plan button that assigns Open shifts (unassigned shifts) to employees with the matching role, including shifts linked to projects or sales orders. Together, Forecasting and Planning turn Odoo Project from a task board into a staffing and capacity tool.

The Dynamics 365 equivalent (and how it differs)

For SMEs evaluating both platforms, Microsoft's counterpart is Dynamics 365 Project Operations. Microsoft describes it as an agile solution that brings together sales, resourcing, project management, and finance teams in a single application, managing the full project lifecycle from project sales to invoicing and accounting.

Where Odoo Project is Kanban-first and lightweight, Project Operations leads with a work breakdown structure (WBS): users break work into manageable tasks, estimate the time required, and sequence them on an interactive drag-and-drop Gantt chart. A Schedule Board provides a Gantt-style resource management view showing which resources are forecasted to be fully booked.

Project Operations comes in three deployment types: Lite (deal to proforma invoicing, Power Platform-based), Resource/Non-Stocked (service-based projects with finance integration via dual-write to Dynamics 365 Finance), and Stocked/Production (full ERP with stocked items and production orders). Project types - Fixed-price, Time and material, Investment, Cost, Internal - handle costs and revenue recognition differently.

We cover pricing, deployment depth, and SME fit for the Microsoft side in a separate guide.

• →Odoo Project: lightweight Kanban + Timesheets + Forecasting, native to one suite
• →D365 Project Operations: WBS scheduling, Schedule Board, three deployment types, deep finance integration
• →Both are credible; the right fit depends on ERP scope, finance complexity, and existing Microsoft licensing
• →For the deep Microsoft side, see our dedicated Dynamics 365 Project Operations guide

When Odoo Project fits (and when Dynamics 365 does)

Because Flectic implements both platforms, the decision is driven by the SME's operating model - not by vendor preference.

Odoo Project tends to fit SMEs that want one affordable suite covering CRM, sales, project delivery, timesheets, accounting, and inventory without a separate finance engine. The Kanban-first UX, native sub-tasks and milestones, and built-in profitability make it fast to stand up for professional-services, agency, field-service, and light manufacturing teams.

Dynamics 365 Project Operations tends to fit SMEs that already run on the Microsoft stack, need multi-currency or revenue-recognition automation, or plan to grow into a full Dynamics 365 Finance ERP. Its tiered deployment types let a team start with proforma invoicing and expand into resource-based or stocked/production scenarios over time.

• →Choose Odoo Project when you want an integrated, modular ERP at lower TCO
• →Choose Dynamics 365 Project Operations when finance depth and the Microsoft stack matter
• →Both can be implemented AI-accelerated, designed to deliver up to 3x faster