What`s new in Odoo 20

Light User introduces a new licensing model

Odoo 20 brings an important change to user licensing. A new Light User licence allows employees to have limited access to Odoo without requiring a regular user licence. At the same time, companies should be aware that employees who exist in the system only as employee records are also included in the licence count, even if they do not have access to Odoo or have no need to log in.

Light User access is more limited than that of a regular user, but it covers many of the everyday tasks employees need to perform. Employees can, for example, manage their leave and expenses, track working time, view their schedules and perform barcode operations in the warehouse. They can also use Shop Floor functionality in manufacturing and Point of Sale features. Light Users do not have access to applications such as Sales, Purchase, Projects or Accounting

Manufacturing becomes significantly more flexible

There is no single major structural change in manufacturing. Instead, Odoo has improved a number of functions that manufacturing companies use in their day-to-day operations.

Managing BoMs is now considerably easier. Multiple BoMs can be compared, and components across all levels can be brought into a single view. This makes it possible, for example, to see the total requirement for a component across the entire manufacturing structure, update several components at once or export the data to Excel.

Replacing components has also become easier. If a material or component needs to be replaced, you can now see all BoMs in which it is used and apply the change across all of them at once. Previously, the same change had to be made separately in each BoM or handled through a customised solution.

For production managers, another important addition is the new Manufacturing Order Kanban view. Manufacturing orders can be grouped by planned work or time period, while planned hours, progress and component availability are immediately visible. This provides a much faster overview of whether next week’s production plan is realistic and whether the required materials are available.

Work order planning is also more flexible. Work can be assigned to employees, their workload can be viewed in a Gantt chart, and work order priorities can be changed by simply dragging them into a new order. Odoo then recalculates the resulting schedule.

PLM gets more comprehensive version management

PLM, or Product Lifecycle Management, has also received significant improvements.

When making a product change, users can now compare the old and new BoM and see exactly what has changed. For example, they can see how many components were added, how much the required production time changed and what impact the change has on product cost.

Version changes can also be applied not only to a specific product and its BoM, but to other products in which the modified product is used as a component.

For manufacturing companies where controlling product versions and engineering changes is an important part of the process, these improvements make Odoo PLM a much more comprehensive solution.

Field service and planning are brought together

The separate Field Service application is being removed, with field service management becoming part of Planning. In practice, this means that technician scheduling, resource allocation and management of completed work can all be handled in one place.

Service teams also get a real-time map showing technician locations and ongoing jobs. When an urgent service request comes in, the nearest technician can be identified and the job assigned directly from the map. On mobile, technicians can open directions to the customer, record working time and materials used, and collect the customer’s digital signature when the job is completed.

For manufacturing companies with after-sales operations, another important improvement is the closer connection between equipment, maintenance and warranty management. A serialised product sold to a customer can be linked to maintenance or warranty activities, while Odoo maintains a history of the customer’s equipment, completed service work and spare parts used.

This means that almost the entire after-sales process, from the initial sale through to maintenance and warranty work, can be managed within the standard Odoo solution.

More automation comes to inventory management

Odoo can now recommend minimum and maximum stock levels based on historical demand. The calculation can take demand over a selected period into account, and companies can define how many days of demand their minimum and maximum stock levels should cover.

This helps make purchasing decisions more data-driven.

The allocation of incoming goods has also been improved. Goods can be assigned to specific orders before they arrive. For example, a component required for production can be directed straight to its intended destination without first passing through general stock.

There is also an important change for warehouse employees. Odoo 20 allows barcode operations to be performed with a Light User licence. For larger warehouses or manufacturing companies with many system users, this can have a significant impact on licensing costs.

Reporting becomes more flexible

One of the biggest changes is the ability to use Odoo data as a dynamic list in a spreadsheet. When a new order, opportunity or other record is added to the system, it automatically appears in the spreadsheet as well.

This makes it possible to analyse detailed data directly in Odoo without having to continuously export it to Excel.

Creating dashboards is also becoming easier. Data, pivot tables and charts can be arranged more flexibly, and dashboards adapt better to mobile screens. Filters can be created directly from the data source, and frequently used filter combinations can be saved for future use.

Less manual work in accounting

The accounting updates focus primarily on making everyday tasks easier. Users can now choose whether prices on an invoice are displayed with or without taxes, move multiple invoices back to draft at once, and use new options for reviewing invoices and journal entries.

Bank transactions can be processed and matched in bulk more conveniently. An expense submitted by an employee can also be linked to an existing vendor bill, helping to prevent the same expense from being recorded twice.

For manufacturing companies, an important addition is the ability to account for assets under construction. An asset can remain on a separate account until it is put into use, after which Odoo makes the necessary transfers and creates the depreciable fixed asset.

CRM better supports everyday sales work

The CRM updates are not as extensive as those in manufacturing or field service, but several changes make everyday work easier for sales teams.

Different sales teams can now have their own pipeline stages. This is useful, for example, in a company where equipment sales and the sale of maintenance services or spare parts follow different processes.

The improved Gmail and Outlook integrations allow users to see the Odoo contact and related information directly alongside an email. The correspondence can then be linked to a specific opportunity, task or helpdesk ticket.

Mobile functionality has also been improved, and some actions can now be performed without an internet connection. This is particularly useful for sales and service teams that frequently work at customer sites or in production environments.

Marketing automation gets a new structure

The CRM updates are not as extensive as those in manufacturing or field service, but several changes make everyday work easier for sales teams.

Different sales teams can now have their own pipeline stages. This is useful, for example, in a company where equipment sales and the sale of maintenance services or spare parts follow different processes.

The improved Gmail and Outlook integrations allow users to see the Odoo contact and related information directly alongside an email. The correspondence can then be linked to a specific opportunity, task or helpdesk ticket.

Mobile functionality has also been improved, and some actions can now be performed without an internet connection. This is particularly useful for sales and service teams that frequently work at customer sites or in production environments.

In email marketing, dynamic target groups can be created and product or event information can be pulled directly from Odoo into an email. Social media posts can also be adapted for different channels, with separate publishing times set for each one.

Odoo’s greatest value here comes from having marketing, CRM, sales, events, eCommerce and after-sales service working in the same system and using the same data.

Odoo 20 brings more functionality into the standard solution

One clear direction emerges from the Odoo 20 updates. Many capabilities that previously required customisation, additional solutions or more manual work are now available as part of the standard Odoo solution.

For manufacturing companies, the most significant improvements are in manufacturing and PLM, better inventory planning, and more advanced field service and after-sales capabilities. At the same time, reporting is becoming more flexible, with additional functionality also being introduced in accounting, CRM and marketing.

For existing Odoo users, it is worth reviewing current customisations and business processes before upgrading. A solution that still required custom development in Odoo 19 may already be part of the standard functionality in Odoo 20.