How to ensure every new contact in Odoo receives a manager’s approval

Why Manager Approval Matters for New Contacts

Every contact – lead, supplier, customer or partner – ripples through your entire ERP.

A single typo or duplicate can mean bounced invoices, failed GDPR audits or wasted marketing spend. 

By adding a mandatory manager sign-off at creation time, you turn Odoo’s CRM into a gated community :

• Data integrity – Stop junk data before it contaminates down-stream modules.
• Compliance – Document who approved what, meeting ISO, SOX or GDPR audit trails automatically.
• Operational trust – Sales, purchasing and finance rely on the same clean record set.

The Business Case | When and Why You Should Require Approval

Manager review is the quality checkpoint where business rules meet real-world hustle.

Scenario	Pain Without Approval	Pay-off With Approval
Trade-show lead capture	Reps key in contacts fast duplicates & missing emails	Marketing only nurtures verified leads higher ROI
Vendor onboarding	Rogue suppliers bypass due-diligence	Finance pays only approved vendors, lowering risk
Strict data-privacy regions	Unvetted personal data enters DB	GDPR “purpose limitation” checked at entry

Understanding Odoo’s Default Contact Workflow

• Any user with “Create” rights can add a contact in the Contacts app.
• The record is immediately live across Sales, Purchase and Accounting.
• No built-in approval stage, no audit trail.

That speed is great – until it isn’t.
The methods below re-introduce control without killing momentum.

Step-by-Step : Setting Up Manager Approval in Odoo

You have three proven paths, escalating from no-code to full custom.

4.1 Path A – Odoo Studio (No-Code, Enterprise)

Studio’s Approval Rules let you add approvers to any button in seconds

1. Toggle Studio in the Contacts form.
   
2. Select the Save button (or create a “Submit for Approval” smart-button).
3. In the side panel, click Add an approval step → choose Approvers or an Approver Group.
4. (Optional) configure Users to Notify and add a friendly description.
5. Save and exit – new contacts now sit in “Pending” until a manager clicks Approve.
   

Tip – Studio supports multi-step approvals and Exclusive Approval to avoid the same user rubber-stamping twice.

4.2 Path B – Approvals Module (Enterprise & Community)

Approvals is a stand-alone app for PTO, PO or any request. To control contacts :

1. Install Approvals → Configuration › Approval Types → Create.
2. Name it “New Contact”; add fields like Company, VAT, or Country.
3. Assign approvers and minimum approvals (e.g., 1 of 1 Sales Manager).
4. Create an Automated Action that fires an approval request when a contact is saved.
5. Only when the request is Approved do you lift write-access or expose the contact to other modules.
   Requires a tiny server action or record-rule tweak, see next path.
   

Approvals delivers a central dashboard, SLA metrics and mobile push alerts.

4.3 Path C – Low-Code Record Rules (Both Editions)

For Community users or ultra-granular control use a Boolean flag plus record rules :

<!– x_approved defaults to False –>

<record id=”contact_approval_rule” model=”ir.rule”>

  <field name=”name”>Disallow unapproved contacts</field>

  <field name=”model_id” ref=”base.model_res_partner”/>

  <field name=”domain_force”>[(‘x_approved’,’=’,True)]</field>

  <field name=”groups” eval=”[(4, ref(‘base.group_user’))]”/>

  <!– deny write until approved –>

  <field name=”perm_write” eval=”0″/>

</record>

👉Once a manager toggles x_approved = True, the record becomes editable and visible system-wide.

Customization Patterns for Advanced Needs

• Multi-Level Approvals – Team Lead → Country Head → Compliance.
• Conditional Approvals – trigger only for vendors over $10 000 or leads from restricted regions.
• Time-Based Escalation – if not approved within 24 h, auto-escalate.
• Cross-App Hooks – sync x_approved with external KYC or ERP systems via webhooks.
  

A lightweight Python module can wire these rules into your existing flows without bloating the UI.

Practical Example : Consultancy Contact Gate

Company : 250-person consulting firm
Goal : Stop non-qualified leads from hitting CRM metrics
Build : Studio approval on the Save button + 12-hour auto-reminder
Result :

• 28 % drop in duplicates in 90 days
• 3× faster quarterly GDPR audits
• Sales acceptance rate up from 71 % → 90 %

Challenge	Fix
Users bypass the process	Strip “Create” rights from non-sales roles or add a record rule that hides unapproved contacts.
Manager backlog	Enable Delegation in Studio or set deputy approvers in Approvals.
Long resolution times	Automate reminder emails and add an escalation rule after X hours.
Poor visibility	Use Odoo’s built-in activities + chatter to surface pending items on dashboards.

Best Practices for Sustainable Workflows

1. Start simple – one approval step, then iterate.
2. Automate comms – let Odoo send reminders; humans forget.
3. Measure – review average approval time each month.
4. Document – create a one-page SOP and pin it in your onboarding wiki.

Sandbox first – test record-rules in a staging DB before toggling live.

When to Seek Expert Help (and How We Can Support You)

If you run into multi-entity compliance, deep KYC integrations, or simply lack time, partnering with an experienced Odoo team pays for itself. Pragmatic Techsoft offers :

• Workflow design – map business rules to Odoo objects.
• Custom module development – multi-level, conditional, or SLA-driven approvals.
• Training & docs – empower your admins to tweak flows post-launch.
• Ongoing optimisation – quarterly health checks and upgrade assistance.

Ready to Safeguard Your CRM?

Cleaner data, tighter compliance, happier teams—manager approvals deliver all three. 

Whether you DIY with Studio, leverage the Approvals app or commission a bespoke module, the payoff is clear and measurable.

 If you’d like a seasoned hand to guide the rollout, we’re here, affordable and focused on your ROI. Let’s build smarter, together.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Can I set up manager approval without coding?
Yes – Studio’s approval rules are 100 % no-code for single- or multi-step flows.

Q2. What if I need conditional or multi-level approvals?
Use Studio’s multiple steps or a custom module for complex branching.

Q3. How do I stop users from editing unapproved contacts?
Add a record rule that blocks write access until x_approved = True.

Q4. Won’t approvals slow my team down?
A one-click sign-off adds seconds but saves hours cleaning bad data later.

Q5. Can Pragmatic Techsoft help us implement this?
Absolutely – book a free consultation and we’ll scope the fastest, leanest path.