Odoo 16 Release: New Improvements & Suggestions For Upgrading

Getting ready to implement Odoo 16? 

The year 2022 marked the introduction of Odoo 16 release notes, revealing a faster, beautifully enhanced, and more user-friendly version of the software. In summary, the new version demonstrates enhanced business intelligence, new reporting features, a revamped front-end website app, performance improvements, and new applications.

Read on about new improvements and what you should know before switching to Odoo 16!

Read more: Best Odoo 17 Improvements & What To Do Before Upgrading

Why upgrade to the new Odoo 16 version?

It is important to conduct an Odoo upgrade, particularly if your business relies on Odoo 13's Long Term Support (LTS). Following Odoo's policies, only the three latest versions (Odoo 16, 15, 14) will receive support. Therefore, conducting Odoo data migration helps you receive its ongoing support and optimise operational capabilities with new functionalities.

Let’s explore the most significant benefits of Odoo 16 installation:

• Bug resolution: The migration to Odoo 16 is a remedy for excluding errors in Odoo 15. By strategically planning the upgrade, you can effectively eliminate these issues. Odoo 16 addresses numerous minor errors that exist in the predecessor, such as bugs and security, patch updates, etc
• New functionalities: New features in Odoo 16 include the revamped bank reconciliation within the Accounting module and the feature to decline signatures in the HR module. These provide your business with opportunities to optimise many processes
• Performance enhancement: There have been enhancements across many modules such as marketing, accounting, purchase, and inventory in Odoo 16. Upgrading to this release allows you to significantly broaden the capabilities of your current Odoo modules.

Additionally, all users can benefit from improved integration capabilities, increased productivity, and enhanced functional support. For details of key improvements in Odoo 16, keep scrolling to explore in the following section.

What are the key improvements of Odoo 16?

1. Better speed performance

How fast is Odoo 16? The software significantly improves performance and surpasses the speed of Odoo 15. Notable enhancements include:

• Backend invoice viewing is now 3.7 times faster.
• E-commerce page loading speed has improved by 3.9 times. (Odoo 16 documentation)

Read more: From Odoo 14 to 15 The 6 Notable Differences We Can’t Miss

Odoo 16 vs Odoo 15 performance (source: Odoo)

Across the entire tech stack, Odoo 16 shows remarkable speed improvements. Server-side enhancements, such as a 20x faster backend load, utilise OWL2 for JavaScript-based components. A substantial reduction of 68% in CSS lines contributes to improved page speed and performance. This is facilitated by an enhanced server framework and better fragment caching.

2. Simpler accounting module

Odoo 16 accounting introduces significant enhancements to the accounting module, offering practical benefits for businesses. Notable improvements include:

• Accelerated validation process through efficient Intrastat report generation
• Improved readability and VAT information in journal audit reports
• Distinctive features such as new bank reconciliation, accounting imports, and multi-currency matching
• Credit limit warnings for sales and bills
• Enhanced user experience, simplified cancellations, and precise calculations in the asset enhancement module
• Streamlined bill creation for clients or customers using a dedicated OCR option.

3. Improved spreadsheets-based reports

In Odoo 16, reporting dashboards have been transformed into Spreadsheet-based reports. The enhanced Spreadsheets allow you to view records in List, and convert XLSX files to the Spreadsheet format, with a new set of functions.

Odoo 16 spreadsheets-based dashboard (source: Odoo)

Additionally, Odoo Spreadsheet stands out as the first open-source solution that enables collaborative sheet editing and seamless Excel import/export. It supports various features with 200+ more functions.

4. More intuitive website and e-commerce apps

The new features enable you to create attractive and distinctive product catalogues and pages. Moreover, with Odoo 16, integration with plausible.io is now available, allowing your business to track website and e-commerce metrics directly from the Odoo website.

Furthermore, you are now able to personalise your sales funnels with enhancements such as:

• New payment providers like Razorpay and AsiaPay for extended options
• New features like Express Checkout and Address Autocomplete for better customer experience
• Customisation options for upselling blocks
• Accessibility to all attributes and variant features directly from the front end.

5. Smoother MRP

The Odoo 16 update brings valuable enhancements to the manufacturing module, including:

Odoo 16 smoother MRP (source: Odoo)

• The ability for you to efficiently divide and merge all manufacturing orders
• The ability to track the status of manufacturing orders related to the sales orders through a provided link
• A subcontracting portal that enables the outsourcing of production registration to subcontractors
• The ability to identify unmanufactured orders with the list view default filter.

6. All-new Knowledge app

This Knowledge app serves as an integrated knowledge centre. It fosters information sharing among company members to enhance workforce interaction and productivity. With this module, you can generate and distribute work-related articles, guidelines, notices, and other information.

The application also lets you create or replicate articles and their hierarchical structure. Accordingly, it facilitates sharing your company knowledge, with the added benefit of customisation by internal users. Other features are a cover picker, nested articles, embedded views, and the capability to insert tables of contents, indexes, and outlines within articles.

Who should consider the Odoo 16 update?

Now you are aware of the key enhancements of Odoo 16. Making an informed decision about how it suits your needs becomes more straightforward. However, there are a few considerations before reaching a final verdict:

• Current Odoo users: Are you currently using Odoo? Keep in mind that the Odoo supports only the three latest version releases. If you are using Odoo 13 or any earlier versions, it's time to consider an Odoo 16 installation
• Small, medium, and large companies: Those seeking modern, flexible, and current CRM and ERP solutions
• Businesses aim for automation: If you want to get rid of manual processes and streamline your operations effectively, it’s time for an update
• Businesses have issues with the current system: Entities encountering challenges with their current CRM and ERP software.

Moreover, it is advisable to carefully review the features and make a critical decision regarding whether to proceed with the Odoo 16 update. If you require technical assistance with the Odoo 16 upgrade, consider consulting the services of an experienced Odoo developer. Havi Technology - Odoo Gold Partner in Australia, stands as your reliable partner with a great team and capabilities for the task.

Read more: What's New and Noteworthy in Odoo 15?

What to consider before switching to Odoo 16?

What to consider before switching to Odoo 16

1. Backup all important data

Before conducting any Odoo migration procedures, it is a must to generate a backup of all your data to guarantee its security. This Odoo backup is a protective measure, ensuring the preservation of important information to avoid potential file corruption during the upgrade. In cases where a data backup module is not available, you can consider searching for ‘’database backup’’ on the Odoo app store to get help for the migration of the Odoo database.

2. Evaluate the level of adaptability

When employing third-party services or modules, it is important to evaluate the extent of customisation and the related workload. Among these customisations, you should carefully consider whether the designated feature or module is the default. In such cases, make sure to decide whether the default option maintains the same functionality or needs adjustments. Moreover, making a list of such customisations in a centralised location is better for a more systematic evaluation.

3. Identify the requirements

Clearly defining and articulating your requirements is an important stage. This should involve:

• Understanding the reasons behind the migration
• Outlining your specific needs
• Establishing a budget for the migration (estimated)
• Evaluating whether the current timeframe aligns with the optimal conditions for migration.

4. Inspect the database schema

Before migrating to Odoo 16, it is essential to examine the database schema. Before the upgrade, a thorough comparison with the new schema should be conducted. Any required adjustments should be implemented if modifications have been made.

5. Interfere database structure

Have you altered or updated your database structure by adding or removing tables/columns? It is essential to manually add these changes into Odoo 16 following the data migration.

6. Know the method

Understanding the requirements and evaluating the possibility of testing updates in a 'Sandbox' is essential. Additionally, you should consider the implementation by establishing a test environment.

Conclusion

Now that you are aware of Odoo 16 and understand some requirements before the update, can you handle it by yourself? And we haven't delved into the actual process and post-migration strategy yet. It's important to assess whether you need someone with technical expertise in Odoo 16 update. 

If you feel overwhelmed, we can provide support. Havi Technology, a certified Gold Partner of Odoo in Australia, is well-versed in both technical and non-technical requirements in a wide range of businesses. Our team has successfully worked on actual projects and completed Odoo implementation with clients successfully. See our Odoo Upgrade service for more information.