Odoo for an architecture firm in Morocco: digitising projects and administration
An architecture firm in Morocco juggles several things at once: long-running projects, complex administration (contracts, fees, amendments), clients and project owners who are often demanding, and accounting with irregular fee income tied to the progress of each site.
This particular context explains why generic management software (or Excel sheets) quickly shows its limits. Odoo, configured for the specifics of an architecture firm, changes radically the way the business is run.
What an architecture firm manages — and why it is complex
Unlike a company that sells products or repetitive services, an architecture firm works project by project. Every project has:
- A long duration (6 months to 5 years for major projects)
- Distinct phases (sketch design, preliminary design, building permit, execution studies, site supervision)
- Fees invoiced as each phase progresses
- Frequent amendments whenever the brief changes
- External parties (engineering offices, surveyors, public authorities)
Managing all of this in Excel creates silos, and every silo is a source of errors: one file for projects, another for invoicing, a third for contacts. Nobody has the full picture, and nobody can say at a glance where each project really stands. Invoiced fees do not always match actual progress. Client reminders get forgotten.
The Yassine Gourri Architecte case (Safi): before and after Odoo
The firm Yassine Gourri Architecte, based in Safi, was our first client in the architecture sector in Morocco. Here is what changed:
Before Odoo:
- Projects were tracked in an Excel file with one tab per project
- Contracts and fee receipts were prepared in Word, one at a time
- Monthly activity reports were compiled by hand at the end of every month
- The state of receivables (who owes how much, and since when) meant cross-checking several files
- The administrator spent 2 to 3 hours a week compiling information that should have been available in one click
After Odoo:
- All projects appear in a single dashboard with their progress status
- Contracts are generated from predefined templates with the project and client data
- Fee receipts are generated automatically each time a phase is validated
- Daily, weekly and monthly reports are generated in one click
- Receivables are visible in real time, with automatic reminders for unpaid invoices
The reduction in administrative time was noticeable immediately. The firm can follow more projects at once without increasing its administrative workload, and the information it needs is always up to date, in one place, instead of scattered across several files that nobody fully trusts.
Odoo modules that matter for an architecture firm
An Odoo deployment for an architecture firm combines standard modules with a custom-built business module.
Standard modules, configured
Projects: every architecture project is an Odoo project with its tasks, stages and stakeholders. The mission phases (sketch, preliminary design, permit, execution, supervision) map to project stages.
Sales and invoicing: fee contracts, progress statements and receipts are handled as customer orders with invoicing lines per phase. Progress invoicing is native to Odoo.
CRM: management of prospects and project owners, contact history, follow-ups.
Accounting: invoicing, payment tracking, VAT, financial statements.
A custom Architecture module
The "Architecture" module we developed for Yassine Gourri goes further than what standard modules allow:
Mission phase management: each project is split into phases, each with its share of the mission and its actual progress. Fee invoicing is triggered automatically when a phase is validated.
Automatic document generation: architecture contracts in the standard format, fee receipts, amendments. The documents carry the project and client information and the automatically calculated amount.
Project dashboard: a global view of every ongoing project with its status, its progress and the fees still to be invoiced.
Automated reports: daily activity report, monthly invoicing and receivables report, project tracking report.
Digital stamp (cachet numérique): applied automatically to all commercial documents, in line with Moroccan regulations.
The challenges specific to architecture in Odoo
A few points deserve particular attention in a deployment for an architecture firm:
Progress invoicing. Odoo natively handles progress invoicing for services. The configuration must reflect exactly how the firm calculates its fees: a percentage of the total mission amount, or a fixed amount per phase. This configuration must be validated with the chartered accountant.
Mission amendments. When a project's brief changes (larger floor area, modified programme), the fees are recalculated. In Odoo this is handled through amendments to the original orders. The workflow has to be clear to avoid conflicts between the initial quotation and the amendments.
Managing external parties. An architecture project often involves engineering offices (structure, electrical, plumbing) and surveyors. Odoo can manage these providers through purchasing, but coordination with them often stays outside the ERP (drawings, technical documents).
VAT on architects' fees. In Morocco, architects' fees are subject to 20% VAT. The accounting configuration must be set up precisely so that VAT returns are correct.
Concrete results after deployment
For the Yassine Gourri firm, the most significant gains were:
Less administrative time: from 2-3 hours a week down to under 30 minutes for the same reporting and tracking tasks.
Faster invoicing: fees are invoiced sooner because the system automatically alerts the team when a phase is validated and the invoice can be issued.
Better follow-up of unpaid invoices: automatic reminders and real-time visibility of receivables have shortened average payment times.
A global view of the business: for the first time, the firm could see at a glance the status of all its projects, their progress and their estimated profitability.
Is Odoo suitable for small firms (2-5 people)?
Yes. Odoo Community has no user limit and can be deployed for a 2-person firm just as well as for a 20-person one. For a small firm, the scope is simply narrower: invoicing, projects, CRM. The custom Architecture module remains relevant because the phase-based management logic is the same whatever the size of the firm.
A deployment for a small firm is significantly lighter and less costly to set up than one for an SME, because the volume of data to manage and the number of workflows to configure are smaller.
For the details of our offer, see our Odoo ERP service. For firms that also want to digitise their online presence, our web development service provides custom websites suited to the liberal professions.
Frequently asked questions
Is there management software specific to architecture firms in Morocco? Dedicated packages exist (ArchiOffice, Synchro), but they are often expensive, poorly suited to the Moroccan market (VAT, regulations), and do not include an integrated accounting module. Odoo with a custom module is generally more flexible and cheaper over time.
Can Odoo manage plan archives and technical files? Odoo has a document management module that can store files. For CAD drawings and large technical documents, we recommend a dedicated solution (SharePoint, Google Drive) linked to the Odoo projects — rather than storing hundreds of MB directly in the ERP.
How does collaboration with an outside engineering office work in Odoo? External parties are managed as vendors in Odoo. Service orders, receipts and vendor bills are all traceable. Collaboration on technical documents (drawings, calculation notes) usually takes place outside Odoo, using file-sharing tools.
Can a client be given limited access to follow the progress of their project? Yes. Odoo offers a customer portal that lets a project owner check the status of their project, view documents and approve stages — without access to the rest of the ERP. We configure this feature according to the firm's preferences.
We work with SMEs across Morocco, including in Mohammedia, Casablanca and Rabat.