This one here must be our proudest achievement for the v7.0.! We have been working on usability for 6.0. and 6.1., but we needed to step it up a notch. We are strong believers that using an ERP should not be a challenge. On the contrary, it should be an asset and utility for your business. That's why, with v7.0. you can now go through a flow in about 10 clicks, with no documentation needed. The flows are set up in such a way that you are simply guided through the actions you have to take.
In this respect, we have fixed the main problems that were making the flows slightly confusing. First of all, when following a flow, the buttons pose a real problem as they were many, spread out and at times the user was not sure of what to do next. So, we have simplified most of the views to correct that.
Now, throughout the navigation, the buttons are always visible in the same place, so that the user doesn't need to search for them. We have also made the state bar more visible, so that the user can visualize at which stage he's at, whenever he proceeds. Finally, the breadcrumbs make it possible to easily go back to the previous pages. This one is an exciting features and works even better than a Back button, since you can actually choose on which form you want to return.
Let's look at an example of a sales flow. As soon as you Install the Sales module, you are asked to Configure your Chart of accounts.
Then, you are indicated to create your first customer.
Next, you can proceed with creating your first quotation, directly from the customer you have just created. You will land on a view which point you to the Button Create.
Within the quotation, you can create the product, without accessing other form views.
Make sure you Confirm your quotation, before moving on.
At this point, you can Create, Confirm and Validate your invoice in just a few simple clicks.
Further, you have the option to Print or Email your Invoice. The flow ends with you delivering the order, registering the payment and making the transfer. You were in Invoicing ? Not a problem, go back in your sales with the breadcrumbs on top and process the delivery order from there.
The layout of the flow is straight-forward and intuitive to help you save time and proceed in the fastest way that makes the most sense. Each step of the flow is guided with information and focused action buttons to show you what to do next. Therefore, you have red buttons to direct you to the proceeding step.
We believe we made it really easy for the user, so that he mainly has to focus on the information he needs to input rather than trying to figure out what he needs to do next. With OpenERP 7.0, new users should be productive in no time: they simply pick an application to start with, and let the system guide them throughout the business flows.
Courtesy : OpenERP