Effective project management requires the right balance between collaboration and confidentiality. In Odoo 18, project visibility settings play a crucial role in ensuring that the right people have access to project-related information while maintaining data security. Whether managing internal teams, working with external clients, or handling confidential projects, Odoo provides flexible visibility options to meet diverse business needs.
There are three key types of project visibility in Odoo 18 such as:
1. Invited Internal Users (Private)
* When this option is set as the Visibility of a project, all the employees who have been added as a followers of the project or task will have access to the project.
* Useful for confidential or restricted projects that only a select group should be able to view and manage.
2. All Internal Users
* If this option is selected, all the internal users will have access to the project.
* This can be suitable for organizations where transparency is essential, and multiple departments need access to project details.
3. Invited Portal Users and all Internal Users (Public)
* This option lets all the invited portal users access the project, and all the internal users will also have access to that project.
* This setting will be Ideal for scenarios where collaboration with clients, vendors, or external partners is required.
To configure the Visibility of the project, navigate to the Project module, in the dashboard, and all the projects will be visible. From there, select the project for which the visibility have to be set, or else create a new project by clicking on the New button.
In the Project creation form, add all the required details such as:
* Name: Specify the project name.
* Timesheets: Enable this option to log time spent on tasks.
* Billable: Select this option to allow invoicing for time and materials.
* Customer: Associate the project with a specific customer.
* Create tasks by sending an email to: Define an email alias to enable task creation via email.
Once all details are filled in, click the Create Project button to finalize the project setup.
To set up the visibility of a project, click on the three vertical dots icon on the project card and click on Settings.
Once it is clicked, the users will be directed to a detailed view of the project. Next, go to the settings tab under which the Visibility feature is available.
Here, let’s set the visibility to Invited Internal Users first. With this visibility, only the employees who have been added as followers for this project will be able to access the project. But if the employee has been assigned as an Assignee for the tasks of the project, those employees automatically get access to the project. To add an employee as a follower for a project, click on the icon shown in the below screenshot and then click on Add Followers.
Once add followers is clicked, a wizard called Add followers to this document appears.
From there, the employees who have to be added as followers of the project can be added as the Recipients. Multiple recipients can be added, and if the recipients need to be notified about them being added as the Recipient on the toggle for Notify Recipients. Once the recipient is added, click on Add and close.
Now, let's log in as ‘Marc Demo’.
Here, it can be seen that since ‘Marc Demo’ has been added as a follower, Marc Demo will be able to access the project. He will be able to create new tasks under the project and manage the tasks and the project.
Now, set the visibility of the project to All Internal Users.
With the Visibility of the Project, set as ‘All internal users’, all the internal users in the organization will be able to access the project.
The next option is ‘Invited portal users and all internal users.' When the visibility of the project is set to this, all the internal users in the organization and also the portal users who have been selected to give access to the project will have visibility for the project.
Here it can be seen that when the visibility is set as ‘Invited portal users and all internal users’ a button called Share Project is added at the top. From there, it is possible to share the project with collaborators, so the portal users can be invited through this, and also the Access Mode can also be set when inviting a Collaborator. The different access modes include:
* Read: If the access mode is set to Read, the collaborators can view the tasks, but they will not be able to edit or create new tasks.
* Edit with limited access: With this access mode selected, the collaborators will be able to view and edit the tasks they follow. If the portal user has been added as a follower of a project they can gain access to the project but not to tasks, if they need access to a task they should be added as a follower of that task as well. The customer of a particular project or task will be automatically added as a follower of that respective project or task.
* Edit: If the access mode is set as edit, the collaborators will be able to view and edit all the tasks in the Kanban view, and they can also select which task to follow.
Here, the portal user ‘Joel Willis’ has been added as a collaborator, and the access has been set to Read. Check the box for Send Invitation.
Also, a Public Link for the project is provided, so that anyone with this link will be able to access the project in read mode. After adding the collaborator, click on the Share Project button, and a message will appear ‘Project shared with your collaborators’.
Now log in as ‘Joel Willis’, and from their portal navigate to Projects.
From the Projects, select the Project ‘Event Gardens’.
Since the access is set to Read, the portal user will only be able to view the tasks, and they will not have access to edit or create a new task.
The collaborators will be able to view only the Task Name, Assignees, Time spent on the task, and from the detailed view, they can view a few more details, such as the Customer, Allocated Time, Progress of the project, etc.
Now from the admin’s portal, set the Access to ‘Edit with limited access.’
When the Access Mode is set to Edit with limited access, the collaborator will be able to view and edit the tasks that they follow. For the project ‘Event Gardens’, there are three tasks, but the portal user ‘Joel Willis’ has been set as a follower of only one task.
So he will be able to view and edit only that task, although he will be able to create a new task here. Also the tasks can be viewed in a Kanban view.
Now set the Access Mode to Edit so that the portal user will be able to edit and view all the tasks in the project, not only the ones that they are following.
From their portal, the user will be able to view and make edits to all of the tasks and sub-tasks under that project.
So this is how the Project visibility in Odoo 18 can be configured. By configuring the right visibility settings, whether allowing all internal users, invited portal users, or only selected internal users, businesses can ensure that project information is accessible to the right stakeholders while maintaining confidentiality where necessary.
Choosing the appropriate visibility level enhances teamwork, eases project management, and improves overall efficiency. By leveraging these flexible options, organizations can optimize their workflows, foster transparency, and ensure smooth project execution in Odoo 18.
To read more about How to Manage Project Visibility & Access Rights in Odoo 16 Project Module, refer to our blog How to Manage Project Visibility & Access Rights in Odoo 16 Project Module.