Key Takeaways

✓Realistic timeline: 14 weeks (not 6 weeks) for $2M D2C brand

✓4-week delay costs $44,000-$50,000 (consultant + opportunity + dual systems)

✓5 delay culprits: data cleaning, scope creep, integrations, team time, consultant availability

✓Total realistic budget: $56,500-$69,500 (if quoted $30K, they're missing something)

✓Build 4 weeks of buffer into 14-week plan for unknowns

Quick Answer

A realistic Odoo implementation takes 14 weeks for a $2M D2C brand: Data profiling (Week -2), Requirements (Weeks 1-2), Data cleaning (Weeks 3-4), Configuration (Weeks 5-7), Training & UAT (Weeks 8-9), Go-live prep (Week 10), Support (Weeks 11-14). Budget $56,500-$69,500 including consultant ($33K), contingency ($10-15K), tools ($0-8K), internal labor ($13.5K). If quoted $30K, they're missing data cleaning, post-go-live support, or customizations.

The 14-Week Realistic Timeline Template

Use this exact template. Adjust weeks based on your complexity, but don't cut Phase 3 (data cleaning) or Phase 5 (training). Those are where most delays come from.

Week	Phase	Your Team Hours	Consultant Hours	Deliverable	Risk
-2	Data profiling	20	0	Data quality report	Low
1-2	Requirements	40	20	BRD signed	Medium
3-4	Data cleaning	40	40	Clean data	Low
5-7	Configuration	60	60	System configured	Medium
8-9	Training & UAT	60	20	Staff trained	High
10	Go-live prep	20	20	Live system	Medium
11-14	Support	30	60	Stable operations	Medium
TOTAL		270 hrs	220 hrs

Where Delays Actually Happen (The 5 Culprits)

Data Cleaning Takes Longer Than Planned

You think you have 500 duplicates. You actually have 2,300 (11% duplication rate). Merging manually = 80 hours instead of 20 hours.

Fix: Run profiling in Phase 1 (weeks -2 to 0). Build a 2-week data cleaning buffer into your timeline.

Scope Creep at Week 6

Stakeholder says: "While we're at it, can we add a custom report showing customer lifetime value by marketing channel?" Sounds simple. Takes 30 hours to build. Now you're 2 weeks behind.

Fix: Freeze requirements at end of Week 2. Create a "Phase 2" backlog for everything else. Tell stakeholders: "Good idea. Building in Q2."

Integrations Don't Work Out-of-Box

You expect Shopify to Odoo integration to work in 2 days. It doesn't. Connector has a bug. Requires 40 hours of customization.

Fix: Allocate 20-30 hours of customization budget upfront. Assume integrations need troubleshooting.

Team Can't Dedicate Time

Your operations manager has to train their replacement, so they can only dedicate 10 hours/week instead of 20. Training takes twice as long.

Fix: Get commitment upfront: "Who will lead this from your side? They need to dedicate 40% time for 14 weeks." Plan for it.

Consultant Gets Pulled to Another Client

Your consultant is juggling 3 projects. A client emergency means they're unavailable for your Week 7 configuration work.

Fix: Vet your consultant upfront. Ask: "During these 14 weeks, how many other clients are you supporting?" If more than one, watch out.

The Budget Impact of Delays

If your timeline slips by 4 weeks:

Consultant costs (4 weeks × $150/hr × 30 hrs/week) $18,000

Your team's opportunity cost (4 weeks × 5 people × $40/hr × 20 hrs/week) $16,000

Cost of running two systems (manual reconciliation, duplicate data entry) $2,000-$4,000/week

Lost productivity from staff confusion $8,000-$12,000

Total Cost of 4-Week Delay $44,000-$50,000

Add that to your implementation budget. Most brands don't. Then they're shocked when bills come in higher.

Realistic Budget Breakdown

Cost Item	Calculation	Amount
Consultant cost	220 hours × $150/hr	$33,000
Contingency (delays/customizations)	Buffer for unknowns	$10,000-$15,000
Tools (OpenRefine, Trifacta if needed)	Data cleaning tools	$0-$8,000
Internal labor cost	270 hours × $50/hr	$13,500
Total Realistic Budget		$56,500-$69,500

Warning: If someone quoted you $30,000, they're missing something. Data cleaning, post-go-live support, or customizations.

What Should Happen (But Usually Doesn't)

✓ A Realistic Implementation Should:

Spend 2 full weeks on requirements (not 2 days)
Spend 2 weeks cleaning data (not skip it)
Take 3 weeks for configuration (not 1 week)
Build 4 weeks of buffer into 14-week plan
Allocate 60+ hours of post-go-live support

❌ What Most Brands Do:

1 week on requirements
Zero weeks on data cleanup
Rush configuration
Assume go-live is the end
Then surprised: 6 weeks behind, $40,000 over budget

Your Action Items (This Week)

Step 1: Reality-Check Your Current Timeline

If someone told you "6 weeks to go-live," add 4-6 weeks buffer right now.

Communicate to leadership: "We can go live in 10-12 weeks realistically, or 6 weeks with high risk of issues and cost overruns."

Step 2: Allocate Real People

Identify the person on your team who will lead this (full-time, 40 hours/week for 14 weeks).

Brief them now: "This is happening. Your main job for 4 months is Odoo."

Step 3: Budget Properly

Consultant cost: 220 hours × $150/hr = $33,000

Contingency: $10,000-$15,000

Tools: $0-$8,000

Internal labor: 270 hours × $50/hr = $13,500

Total: $56,500-$69,500

Step 4: Book a Timeline Planning Session

Don't wing this. Get your consultant in a room and walk through this exact template. Let them adjust for your complexity. Get buy-in from your CFO/COO before you start.

Stop Guessing About Timelines

Most brands discover their original timeline is 6-8 weeks too aggressive. Knowing that upfront saves $30,000-$50,000 in emergency delays and consultant overtime.

Free Implementation Timeline Review

We'll assess your data complexity (biggest timeline killer), walk through realistic phases for your business, identify which areas typically cause delays for brands like yours, and create a detailed 14-week plan with buffer time built in.

Go live on time. Stay on budget. Keep your sanity.

ERP for D2C

AI Ecommerce

Cloud & DevOps

D2C Operations Platform

Food & Beverage

Beauty & Personal Care

Fashion & Apparel

Home Décor & Furniture

Post Not Found