How to Use Burndown Chart in Odoo 18 Project: Complete Guide
By Braincuber Team
Published on February 27, 2026
Your project has 47 tasks, 3 stages, and a deadline in 12 days. Someone in the standup says "we're on track." But are you? Without a visual snapshot of remaining work vs. time, that statement is a guess. The Burndown Chart baked into Odoo 18's Project module kills the guesswork—it shows you a color-coded graph of task completion against your timeline, updated in real time, accessible in two clicks.
What You'll Learn:
- How to access the Burndown Chart from the Project dashboard
- Reading the chart: axes, color codes, and stage breakdown
- Spotting delays before they become deadline disasters
- Using the chart for forecasting and resource decisions
- Driving transparency across teams, managers, and clients
How the Burndown Chart Actually Works
The vertical axis = remaining work (tasks or story points). The horizontal axis = time (days, weeks, or months). A steep downward line means your team is crushing it. A flat line means work has stalled. That's the entire concept—no MBA required.
Odoo 18 renders this automatically from your project tasks. Every time a task moves between stages, the chart updates. No manual data entry, no Excel formula nightmares, no separate tool subscriptions.
Y-Axis = Number of remaining tasks (or story points)
X-Axis = Timeline (days / weeks / months)
Steep Drop = Fast task completion, team is ahead
Flat Line = Work has stalled, investigate immediately
Color Bars = Each color represents a project stage
Accessing the Burndown Chart: Two Methods
Odoo 18 gives you two paths to the same chart. Pick whichever is faster for your workflow.
Method 1: Smart Button on the Project Dashboard
Open the Project Module
Navigate to the Project module from your Odoo 18 main dashboard. Open the specific project you want to track.
Click the Burndown Chart Smart Button
On the top-right section of the project dashboard, locate the set of smart buttons. Click on the Burndown Chart button to open the chart view directly.
Method 2: Three-Dot Menu on the Project Page
Open the Three-Dot Menu
On the specific project page, click the three vertical dots icon in the top-right corner. A dropdown menu appears with project-related options.
Select Burndown Chart
From the dropdown list, select "Burndown Chart" to instantly view the graphical report. No need to navigate away from the current project interface.
Both Methods Show the Same Chart
Whether you use the smart button or the three-dot menu, you land on the exact same Burndown Chart view. The three-dot method is faster when you're already inside the project's task list. The smart button method works best from the project dashboard overview.
Reading the Color-Coded Visualization
The chart displays a stacked bar/area graph where each color represents a specific project stage. Completed tasks are clearly marked per time period (month, week, or day), so you can see exactly how many tasks were finished and how progress aligns with your original timeline.
| Chart Element | What It Tells You | Action to Take |
|---|---|---|
| Steep downward slope | Tasks completing faster than planned | Check if team is over-committed or quality is suffering |
| Flat horizontal line | No tasks completed in that period | Investigate blockers, reassign resources immediately |
| Color segments (stacked) | Distribution of tasks across stages | Identify bottleneck stages where tasks are piling up |
| Gradual decline | Steady, predictable pace | Maintain current workload and cadence |
| Upward spike | New tasks added mid-project (scope creep) | Revisit project scope and re-estimate deadline |
Real-Time Progress Tracking and Team Alignment
The chart updates every time a task changes stage. No refresh button, no manual recalculation. If a team member drags a task from "In Progress" to "Done" at 2:47 PM, the chart reflects it by 2:47 PM. That's the difference between Odoo's native integration and bolting on a third-party reporting tool.
Instant Clarity
No need to dig into complex reports or spreadsheets. One glance tells you if the project is ahead, on track, or behind schedule.
Shared Visibility
Everyone from developers to team leads to clients sees the same real-time status. Eliminates the "I thought we were on track" conversations.
Quick Decision-Making
Spot a flat line on Tuesday? Reassign resources by Wednesday. The chart compresses your status-meeting prep from 37 minutes to 30 seconds.
Accountability Without Micromanaging
Individual contributors can gauge their own pace. The chart makes progress (or lack of it) visible without you standing over someone's desk.
Forecasting Deadlines and Managing Workloads
The Burndown Chart isn't just a rearview mirror—it's a crystal ball. By observing the trend of completed tasks over time, you can project whether the remaining work will get done before the deadline. This is where it stops being a "nice report" and starts being a management tool.
What You Can Forecast
Project Completion Date
Extend the current slope mentally (or with a ruler on screen). If the line hits zero before the deadline, you're good. If it overshoots, start trimming scope or adding hands.
Client Expectation Management
Share the chart link with clients. A visual is worth 1,000 words in a status email. When they see the trend, you don't have to explain delays—the chart does it.
Workload Redistribution
A faster-than-expected burn could mean over-commitment. A slower burn means your team needs help. Either way, the chart gives you the signal days before the deadline, not the night before.
Why This Beats External Tools
You could pay $15/user/month for Jira, export CSVs, build a burndown in Google Sheets, and share the link. Or you could use what's already inside Odoo 18—zero extra cost, zero integration headaches, zero context-switching.
| Factor | External Tool (Jira, Trello, etc.) | Odoo 18 Burndown Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Cost | $10-$25/user/month | $0 (included in Project module) |
| Integration Required | API setup, webhooks, data sync | None—native in the same ecosystem |
| Data Freshness | Depends on sync frequency | Real-time, task-level updates |
| Context Switching | Two browser tabs minimum | Zero—chart is inside your project |
| Learning Curve | Separate onboarding per tool | 2 clicks, no training needed |
Prerequisite: Project Module Must Be Installed
The Burndown Chart is part of the Project module. If you don't see the smart button or the three-dot menu option, confirm that the Project module is installed and that you have tasks created with proper stage assignments. An empty project shows an empty chart—there's nothing to burn down.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I access the Burndown Chart in Odoo 18 Project?
Open your project in the Project module, then click the Burndown Chart smart button on the top-right of the dashboard, or use the three vertical dots menu and select "Burndown Chart."
Does the Burndown Chart update automatically when tasks change stages?
Yes. Every time a task moves between stages (e.g., "In Progress" to "Done"), the chart recalculates and updates in real time without any manual refresh.
Can I use the Burndown Chart for agile sprint tracking in Odoo 18?
Yes. Set your project stages to match sprint phases and use the chart's time axis (days/weeks) to monitor sprint velocity and remaining work within each iteration.
Why is my Burndown Chart empty in Odoo 18?
An empty chart means no tasks exist in the project or tasks lack proper stage assignments. Create tasks, assign them to stages, and the chart will populate automatically.
Do I need any external tools or integrations for the Burndown Chart?
No. The Burndown Chart is natively built into Odoo 18's Project module. No external software, API connections, or additional subscriptions are required.
Need Help Configuring Odoo 18 Project Management?
Our team can help you set up project stages, configure Burndown Charts, optimize task workflows, and make sure your reporting actually tells you something useful.