Before introducing a new ERP system or changing the way a business operates, it is important to understand how work is actually being done. Many organisations have processes that developed gradually over time. Some may be documented, while others depend on spreadsheets, emails, individual employees, or informal approvals.
A workflow review helps businesses identify what is working, where delays occur, and which activities could be simplified. Asking the right questions can make this review much more useful and provide a clearer foundation for future ERP planning.
1. What Happens From Start to Finish?
The first question should be simple: How does this process actually work?
Take one activity, such as processing a customer order, and document every step from beginning to end.
For example:
Customer enquiry → quotation → order confirmation → stock check → delivery → invoice → payment.
Mapping the complete process can reveal steps that are often overlooked when departments only focus on their own responsibilities.
2. Who Is Responsible for Each Step?
Every stage of a workflow should have a clear owner.
Ask:
- Who starts the process?
- Who reviews the information?
- Who approves it?
- Who completes the task?
- Who needs to be notified?
- Who checks the final result?
Unclear responsibilities can cause work to sit between departments. Assigning ownership also makes it easier to identify where additional automation or approval rules may be useful.
3. What Information Is Required?
Businesses should identify what information employees need at each stage.
For a sales process, this could include customer details, product information, pricing, taxes, delivery requirements, and payment terms.
Ask whether employees receive this information automatically or whether they have to search through emails, spreadsheets, or other systems.
If important information is difficult to find, the workflow may need restructuring.
4. Where Is Data Entered More Than Once?
Duplicate data entry is a common source of unnecessary work.
For example, a salesperson might enter customer information into a CRM, then another employee manually enters the same information into accounting software.
Ask:
- Is the same information entered into multiple systems?
- Who enters it?
- Why is it entered again?
- Can the information be shared automatically?
Reducing duplicate entry can save time and also reduce the risk of inconsistent records.
5. Where Do Delays Usually Occur?
Not every part of a workflow takes the same amount of time.
Identify where employees commonly wait for information, approvals, documents, stock, or responses from another department.
For example, a purchase request may take several days because approval is handled through email and the responsible manager does not always see the request immediately.
Finding these bottlenecks can help businesses decide which processes need attention first.
6. Which Tasks Are Still Manual?
Manual work is not automatically a problem. Some tasks require human judgement and should remain manual.
However, repetitive activities may be suitable for automation.
Ask:
- Which tasks are repeated every day?
- Which tasks involve copying information?
- Which reports are prepared manually?
- Which notifications are sent individually?
- Which calculations are performed in spreadsheets?
This can highlight opportunities to simplify routine work without removing necessary human oversight.
7. What Causes Errors?
A workflow review should also examine where mistakes commonly happen.
Errors may occur because of:
- Missing information
- Manual data entry
- Unclear responsibilities
- Incorrect approvals
- Outdated spreadsheets
- Duplicate records
- Poor communication between departments
Instead of simply correcting individual mistakes, businesses should ask what part of the process allows those mistakes to occur.
8. Which Systems Are Used?
Many organisations rely on several software applications to complete one workflow.
For example, a company might use one platform for sales, another for accounting, spreadsheets for inventory, and email for approvals.
Document every system involved in each process.
Then ask whether these systems need to remain separate or whether information could be centralised or integrated.
This is particularly important when planning an ERP environment.
9. What Approvals Are Actually Necessary?
Approval processes can provide useful control, but unnecessary approval steps can slow down routine work.
Ask:
- What requires approval?
- Who approves it?
- What happens if the approver is unavailable?
- Are all approval levels still necessary?
- Which requests require multiple approvals?
The objective is not to remove controls but to make sure each approval serves a clear purpose.
10. Are Employees Following the Official Process?
There can be a difference between the process written in a company document and what employees actually do.
For example, a documented purchasing process may require three steps, while employees may have developed an informal shortcut because the official process takes too long.
This difference is important.
A workflow review should document the real process, not just the intended process. The business can then decide whether the current method should be improved, standardised, or replaced.
11. What Information Do Managers Need?
Managers often require reports to monitor business performance and make decisions.
Ask:
- Which reports are created regularly?
- Where does the data come from?
- How much manual work is required?
- How quickly can the report be produced?
- Can managers trust the information?
If producing a basic report requires combining information from several spreadsheets, that may indicate a need for better data integration.
12. What Should Happen When Something Goes Wrong?
A strong workflow should also account for exceptions.
Ask what happens when:
- A customer changes an order
- Stock is unavailable
- An invoice contains an error
- An approval is rejected
- A supplier misses a delivery
- A payment fails
- Information is entered incorrectly
Understanding these scenarios helps businesses create processes that can handle real-world situations rather than only ideal ones.
13. What Could Be Simplified?
After documenting the workflow, ask one final question: Does every step still need to exist?
Some processes contain steps that were introduced years ago but are no longer necessary.
Removing unnecessary approvals, duplicate entries, manual calculations, or repeated checks can sometimes improve efficiency without requiring major technological changes.
How This Review Helps With Odoo Planning
A detailed workflow review gives businesses a clearer understanding of what an ERP system needs to support. It can show which processes should remain standard, which require configuration, and where integrations or automation may be appropriate.
For organisations undertaking a detailed requirements exercise, Odoo Business Process Discovery Services can help analyse existing workflows, document requirements, identify process gaps, and translate business needs into a structured Odoo plan.
The value comes from understanding the business first rather than selecting software features without context.
Final Thoughts
Reviewing business workflows is not simply about finding problems. It is about understanding how information, people, approvals, and systems work together.
Questions about responsibilities, data entry, delays, manual tasks, errors, software, approvals, reporting, and exceptions can reveal important weaknesses that are difficult to see during everyday operations.
Once these workflows are clearly documented, businesses have a stronger foundation for improving processes and deciding how an ERP system such as Odoo should support their operations.
