OCA standards: reuse first, then contribute
Thousands of Odoo modules already exist, free, peer-reviewed and maintained from version to version. Knowing them avoids rewriting them, and following them makes your code readable by any Odoo developer.
In two words
The Odoo Community Association publishes free modules for Odoo: what Odoo does not do, the OCA often already does. Before writing, I look at what exists; what I write follows the same conventions as the community, and can go back there.
What it changes for you
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Code that any Odoo developer reads
The same conventions as the community: anyone who knows Odoo finds their way, with or without me.
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Modules maintained by others
What comes from the OCA is maintained and migrated by a community, not billed to you alone.
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Licences without bad surprises
Each dependency is read before being chosen, and a tool proves it.
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Code that can join the OCA
A generic piece can be contributed, peer-reviewed, and live beyond your project.
What it costs
Reading before writing. Conventions that may look rigid. A start that is sometimes slower than “custom” right away. That is the price of code that others read, and of modules that others maintain.
To go further
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The OCA, explained simply
One image, four things to remember and an example, without a line of code.
Have an Odoo project in mind?
Describe it in a few lines: I will get back to you as soon as possible.
The other methodologies
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Modular Odoo development: one need, one module
One need, one module, declared dependencies: why, and what it changes for you.
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Tested Odoo development: every change comes with its proof
Tests written with the code and run again on every change: what it guarantees, and what it costs.