For our last year’s Consulting project, me and my fellow classmate Jason Deschacht decided to help a non-profit organization called vzw HartIG.
Project Overview
vzw HartIG
VZW Hartig is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the local community by assisting surrounding groups and events. Their efforts are focused exclusively on community-level initiatives, with individual support provided only in exceptional cases. The specific criteria for eligibility are detailed in their official statutes.
The organization comprises six members, with the treasurer possessing the most expertise in IT-related matters. Approximately half of the board members are retired. Currently, VZW Hartig is temporarily engaged in seven projects involving various groups.
Problem
All information is currently dispersed across the hard drives of the board members. This fragmentation leads to confusion and unnecessary time spent searching for specific documents. Communication occurs through various channels, including emails, WhatsApp messages, and both physical and digital documents.
This situation underscores the need for a unified platform where all members can access and store information in a structured manner.
Solution
We delivered a custom-built Odoo environment tailored precisely to the non-profit’s requirements, including:
Full data-migration and permissions
Migrated every document and record from the previous Google Drive setup into Odoo, with role-based access granted only after each board member’s approval.
Not simply copying the structure of Google Drive but keeping the design of Odoo’s file management in mind and converting it to the most suitable format.
Project management
- Register projects with rich metadata in both Kanban and List views.
- Define custom stages (e.g. “To Do,” “In Progress,” “Archived”) adaptable at any time.
- Automatically generate task templates for each project—fully editable and stage-aware.
- Link each project to a client record, which can be created and assigned in one click.
User Database
Provided each member with a private profile section for sensitive information, ensuring a single source of truth for identities and contact details.
Integrated Calendar and Notifications
Built a shared calendar where tasks and events can be created for individuals or the whole board, with automated email invitations and reminders.
Onboarding and Support
Produced a series of step-by-step video tutorials covering all core features and edge-case scenarios, so new users can self-serve whenever issues arise.
Result
Both sides were more than satisfied