In a previous blog, we talked about the value of giving your business a good “spring cleaning”—decluttering unnecessary back-and-forth, eliminating confusion, and streamlining operations with more clarity.
Now, it's time to put that concept into action by mapping out the flows required to support and stabilize the people who make your business possible.
"A vision without a system is a hallucination."
Thomas Edison
Beyond the Acronym: A Little More "Human" in HR
When we use the term "HR," what we're really talking about is people. This "resource" has a family to care for, a house to clean, friends to keep in touch with and dreams and goals for their lives they can achieve more easily while being a part of your team.
If you under-prepare them for what's expected when they come onboard, or if you fail to communicate the importance of their contributions to the greater whole, you’re treating the “human resources” of your organization more like a cog in the wheel. Without sincere interest and communication, it won’t take much to jam those wheels once they start spinning. The better your people understand their roles, your expectations, and the policies of communication that govern the show, the more motivated your gang of dream-builders will be.
⚠️ It’s going to take a bit of time, focus, and effort. But this is the work of empire-builders, and isn’t that why you’re here? We already did half of it for you, so turn on "Do Not Disturb" and dive in. You can’t build anything that rises against the status quo unless you rise up against it first. ;)
“You do not rise to the level of your goals.
You fall to the level of your systems.”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
Lay the Groundwork: Empires Are Built of People
Even if you're starting as a team of one, it’s important to see and understand your organizational systems early. Without clear systems, scaling up is nearly impossible. While future blog posts will delve into how we use Odoo to create production workflows and manage supply chains, this one focuses specifically on the people who drive your business forward.
The following set of activities is intended to guide you through establishing your systems inside of an ERP like Odoo. You can have the best technical tools and problem-solving programmers on your team, but if you can’t clearly communicate how to map the path you’re walking, a powerful platform like Odoo is just wasted code.
It’s what you do with Odoo that makes it powerful.
Note: If you are running your business without a strategic plan, stop here. Visit our previous blog on how to create a clear strategic plan for your business. Without a plan, you’re like a boat without a destination—you’ll drift aimlessly, waste time and get lost at sea. Once you have a powerful plan with goals and objectives that inspire, you're ready to build and support a team that can take you there.
1. Map Your Organizational Hierarchy
Clearly define who manages and takes responsibility for whom. These are the channels that communication and production flow on, and when things aren’t clear here, it creates cluttered inboxes, and adds confusion with wasted back-and-forth. If you’ve never built an organizing chart before, you can do that here. We’ve created a quick outline of how to map out an organizing chart with the most common business departments you should consider.
Download these questions and get started. Once they’re answered, you’ll quickly understand what your internal team members need to feel clear, confident, and motivated for action.
For startups or small businesses with less than 10 employees, this is probably your best bet:
How to Map Your Mini-Empire (Small Business Guidelines)
If you’ve been hustling for a while and understand the challenges of administration and organization, then dive in and give us a clear picture so we can help you set up your processes smoothly inside Odoo:
How to Map Your Organizational Hierarchy (Medium/Large Business)
"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team."
Phil Jackson
2. Clearly Define Key Roles & Responsibilities
You’re welcome to use our Job Description Template for getting this done quickly. You can easily leverage the wisdom of already-figured out business administration with our very clear model for job descriptions and it will only take a minute to start clearing up roles and responsibilities. You'll still need to make sure you can clearly describe your business activities and splash some personality into the process to make sure your communication align with your brand, but the rest is done for you. Just download the PDF and follow along with the instructions.
3. Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
You need something practical and measurable to pull your perspective up above the “human” part of resources once in a while to ensure things are going in the right direction.
Measuring the production of an area shows you how the people are doing, and what they're getting done. How consistently things improve in an area, can shed light on who needs help, and who's ready for a solid pat on the back. Clear metrics that make sense are powerful tools for observation and they're vital for creating a spirit of play that vitalizes your team.
If you used our Job Description Template, it's already been done for you. If you already have some mapped and ready to roll, then we can move on.
4. Gather Employee Data Because You Care
It is probably more important to ensure you clearly understand the needs, interests, abilities and limitations of the members of your team than it is to make sure they understand everything about you. It's more valuable to be interested than interesting in this game.
When you take the time to understand people and give them something meaningful to be a part of, with a valuable role to perform, they will follow you into battle. The clarity of your policies will always surrender to the magnitude of your responsibility and personal integrity when people trust you to lead them somewhere. Clarity and mutual understanding is the lifeblood of your business. These next checklists will help you capture that process with ease!
Now that you’ve mapped your organizational structure, let’s dive deeper and start leveraging Odoo’s HR tools to build a powerful team. Here’s a quick guide to gathering essential employee information so everything can be entered into your ERP efficiently.
Download this PDF and use it during your data-gathering process. Once you’ve gathered the information, share it with your MicroMutiny Business Consultant to configure Odoo for you, or continue reading to learn more about the apps you’ll need to build that empire you’ve been dreaming of.
How Odoo’s HR Apps Support Your Team
It can be overwhelming to dive into a system with as many features and applications as Odoo, but think of it as looking into a toolbox for building your business. Each tool serves a different purpose, and you’ll need different ones as you expand. Part of Odoo’s power is its scalability—it lets small and medium-sized businesses approach an ERP platform on a gradient.
You don’t need to learn everything at once, but understanding the tools at your disposal will prepare you for expansion now that you’re up and running with Odoo.
If you’re working with a member of our team, now is the time to let them handle the dirty work. If you’re bootstrapping on a tight budget, take a moment to familiarize yourself with Odoo’s suite of HR apps and decide which ones you’ll need to get started.
Essential for Any Business That Wants to Grow
1. Employees
The Employees App is your starting point for managing everything related to your team. From setting up employee profiles to visualizing your company’s organizational structure, this app keeps all essential information in one place.
Key features: Employee directory, personal information management, organizational chart.
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2. Recruitment
When it’s time to grow your team, the Recruitment App helps you manage job postings, track applicants, and streamline the entire hiring process—from first contact to final offer.
Key features: Job postings, automated workflows, recruitment reporting.
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3. Time Off
Managing time-off requests can get messy, but Odoo’s Time Off App makes it easy to handle vacation requests, sick leave, and approvals, all while keeping policies clear and visible to your team.
Key features: Time-off tracking, leave policies, calendar view.
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4. Payroll
Payroll doesn’t have to be complicated. The Payroll App ensures you can manage employee salaries, deductions, and benefits with ease while integrating smoothly with your accounting systems.
Key features: Salary structure, payslip generation, accounting integration.
5. Timesheet
Tracking working hours is a must for teams that are on the clock. The Timesheet App lets employees check in and out, track overtime, and integrate their hours into payroll for accurate payments.
Key features: Check-in/check-out tracking, overtime management, payroll integration.
6. Appraisal
Regular performance reviews are crucial to employee confidence and internal communication. Implementing the Appraisal App ensures structured feedback, goal-setting, and productivity tracking right from the start.
Key features: Performance tracking, feedback management, appraisal cycles.
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Specialized Apps for Specific Business Needs
1. Expenses
For businesses whose employees submit regular expense claims, the Expenses App simplifies managing claims, tracking approvals, and automatically integrating with Odoo’s accounting system.
Key features: Expense submission workflows, approval tracking, accounting integration.
2. Planning
For businesses with complex scheduling needs, like healthcare or hospitality, the Planning App helps you efficiently manage shifts and allocate resources.
Key features: Shift planning, integration with time-off and attendance.
3. Field Service
If your team works out in the field, the Field Service App allows you to manage tasks, assign resources, and track the completion of on-site jobs. This app is essential for industries like maintenance, repair, and cleaning services.
Key features: Task assignment, resource management, field service reporting.
It’s a Fun Game When You’ve Got a Great Team
With the right tools and the right team, running a business becomes less stressful and more enjoyable. Odoo offers the platform to streamline your workflows, enabling growth without unnecessary complexity. The key is to start with a clear vision, map out your processes, and refine them as your business expands.
Get your business out of your head and into the hands of people who will help it thrive. And if you need a coach or referee to keep the game running smoothly—you know who to call! 😉