Odoo 18's Project app organises work as projects containing tasks, each with its own stages, assignees, deadlines and sub-tasks, and it is part of Odoo Community. Tasks can depend on one another, repeat on a schedule, and carry timesheet hours that become customer invoices when the project is tied to a sales order. Kanban, list and calendar views are standard; the Gantt view is Enterprise.
Project management is about more than just completing tasks — it's about organizing work efficiently, setting priorities, meeting deadlines, and keeping everyone aligned. Odoo 18's Project module gives you the tools to manage simple or complex projects without overwhelming your team with complex software.
Whether you run internal IT projects, marketing campaigns, consulting gigs, or client deliverables, Odoo makes project planning easy, visual, and actionable.
Overview of the Project App
Odoo organizes work into Projects, which contain Tasks. Each project can be customized with its own workflow, stages, and team members.
Main Features
- Unlimited projects and tasks
- Assign tasks to users or departments
- Track deadlines, priorities, and statuses
- Customize stages for each project (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done)
Projects can be internal (like software development) or external (like client projects).
Creating and Tracking Tasks
Each task inside a project can have a detailed description, deadlines, priority level, and assigned users.
Key Features
- Task assignment and ownership
- Deadline and expected time tracking
- Recurring tasks (e.g., monthly backups)
- Automatic stage transitions (with automation)
Every team member knows exactly what to work on next — reducing confusion and boosting productivity.
Using Gantt Charts, Calendar, and Kanban Views
Odoo 18 offers flexible views to visualize projects:
- Kanban view: Drag-and-drop tasks between stages
- Gantt view: Visualize task timelines and dependencies
- Calendar view: See tasks scheduled over days/weeks/months
- List view: For spreadsheet-style task management
Switching views gives managers and team leads a 360° perspective on work progress.
Timesheets and Work Logs
Want to track how much time your team spends on each project? Odoo has built-in timesheet tracking.
Benefits
- Log hours spent per task
- Analyze billable vs non-billable time
- Link timesheets to employee payroll or client invoices
Especially useful for service businesses and consulting firms!
Collaborating with Teams and Clients
Collaboration is at the core of successful projects. In Odoo, teams can:
- Post messages and updates on tasks
- Attach documents, files, and links
- Tag colleagues and set followers for notifications
- Use client portals for project transparency (optional)
Everyone stays informed, even across departments or time zones.
Task Automation and Deadlines
Odoo allows you to automate repetitive actions and deadline follow-ups:
- Auto-assign tasks based on project rules
- Send deadline reminders automatically
- Create automatic next-step tasks upon stage completion
Automation ensures projects move forward, even without manual nudging.
Best Practices for Managing Projects in Odoo
- Set clear stages and deadlines for every project
- Use Gantt charts for large or multi-phase projects
- Enable timesheet tracking for better billing and analysis
- Automate task reminders to prevent bottlenecks
- Review project dashboards weekly in team meetings
Conclusion
Odoo 18's Project app transforms the way teams plan, execute, and complete projects. It brings visibility, accountability, and automation to your workflows — all while staying flexible and user-friendly.
Need help setting up project workflows in Odoo? Contact our experts today!
Questions we get asked
Is the Gantt view available in Odoo 18 Community?
No. The Gantt view is an Odoo Enterprise component, so on Community you plan in Kanban, list, calendar and pivot views instead. Task dependencies, deadlines, milestones and sub-tasks all exist in Community — what you give up is the timeline picture and the drag-to-reschedule planning built on that view, along with the Enterprise planning tools that use it.
Can one task wait for another in Odoo 18?
Yes. Enable task dependencies on the project and each task gains a field listing the tasks that must finish first. Odoo 18 marks a task as blocked while its predecessors are still open and shows when it is ready to start, which keeps people from picking up work whose inputs do not exist yet. Dependencies are also what lets planning views shift connected work when a date moves.
Can I invoice the hours my team logs in Odoo 18?
Yes, using Timesheets together with Sales. Sell a service product whose invoicing policy is based on timesheets, and Odoo 18 creates the project or task from the sales order; hours logged against it then appear as billable quantities ready to invoice. Individual entries can be marked non-billable, and the project shows billable against non-billable time next to the amount sold.
Can a client follow a project without an Odoo user account?
Yes, through the portal. A project's visibility can be opened to invited portal users, and the customer then signs in to a light portal rather than the back end to see the tasks shared with them, read and post messages, and download attachments. You control which projects and tasks are visible, and portal users do not consume regular internal user licences.
Can Odoo 18 repeat a task automatically?
Yes. Turn on recurring tasks for the project and a task gains a repeat interval measured in days, weeks, months or years. Odoo 18 then creates the next occurrence on schedule, carrying over the description and the assignees, so routine work such as monthly reporting or a maintenance round is never re-entered by hand. The recurrence can be changed or stopped at any point.