Wasting $772K Searching Docs? Build Knowledge Base in Odoo 18

New employee asks: "Where's the onboarding checklist?" Senior dev: "Check Google Drive... wait, it might be in Confluence... or was it Notion? Check email from 2 months ago." 45 minutes later: Found 3 versions of same document in 3 places. All outdated. Nobody knows which is correct. New hire confused. Productivity day 1: Zero.

Your knowledge chaos: Company knowledge scattered across Google Drive (847 files), Confluence (23 spaces), Notion (14 workspaces), SharePoint (ancient), email attachments (thousands), people's desktops. Search for "client onboarding process"—get 17 results, 12 outdated, 5 conflicting versions. Nobody maintains docs (too busy). Tribal knowledge in senior employees' heads (what happens when they leave?). New hires take 3 weeks to find basic info. Support team answers same questions 40 times monthly (no centralized FAQs).

Cost: Time wasted searching for docs = 4.7 hours weekly per employee × 47 employees × 52 weeks × $67/hour = $772,772/year. Duplicate tools (paying for Drive, Confluence, Notion, SharePoint) = $23,400/year subscriptions. New hire ramp-up time = 6 weeks vs industry 3 weeks = $47,000 per hire in delayed productivity × 12 hires = $564,000/year. Support inefficiency answering repeat questions = 40 questions × 15 min avg × 4 reps × 52 weeks × $42/hour = $87,360/year. Knowledge loss when employees quit = impossible to quantify but massive.

Odoo 18 Knowledge Module fixes this: Centralized wiki inside Odoo—all documentation one place. Hierarchical organization (parent articles, child articles, categories). Rich text editor (headings, images, tables, code blocks, embedded videos). Version history (track changes, restore previous versions). Access control (private articles, team articles, public articles). Templates (standard formats for SOPs, meeting notes, project docs). Search everything instantly. Collaborative editing (multiple people same time). Here's how to build company knowledge base so you stop losing $772K annually to scattered docs.

What Odoo 18 Knowledge Module Does

Company-wide wiki integrated with Odoo. Create articles (SOPs, FAQs, project docs, meeting notes), organize hierarchically, control access, collaborate in real-time, track versions, use templates.

Step 1: Access Knowledge Module

1. Go to Apps
2. Search: Knowledge
3. Click Install (if not installed)
4. Access: Knowledge from main menu

Step 2: Create Your First Article

Create New Article

1. In Knowledge module, click + New
2. Enter article title (e.g., "Employee Onboarding Checklist")
3. Article editor opens with rich text toolbar
4. Start writing content using formatting tools:
   • Headings: H1, H2, H3 for structure
   • Lists: Numbered, bulleted, checklists
   • Text formatting: Bold, italic, underline, code
   • Links: Internal (other articles) or external URLs
   • Media: Images, videos, files
   • Tables: Structured data
5. Content auto-saves as you type

Step 3: Organize with Hierarchy

Create Child Articles

1. Open parent article (e.g., "Employee Onboarding Checklist")
2. Right sidebar shows "Articles" panel
3. Click + Add in Articles panel
4. Create child article (e.g., "Day 1 Tasks")
5. Child article nested under parent in sidebar tree
6. Repeat to create more children:
   • "Week 1 Goals"
   • "Month 1 Milestones"
   • "Required Training Modules"

Step 4: Control Access with Sharing

Set who can view/edit each article.

Configure Article Permissions

1. Open article
2. Click Share button (top right)
3. Set Default Access Rights:
   • Can Edit: All internal users can view + edit
   • Can Read: All internal users can view only (read-only)
   • No Access: Article private (hidden from everyone except invited)
4. Invite specific users/teams:
   • Click Invite
   • Select users or teams
   • Set permission: "Can Edit" or "Can Read"
   • Invited users get access even if default is "No Access"
5. Click Done

Step 5: Enhance Articles with Visual Tools

Add Cover Image

1. Open article
2. Click ⋯ (three dots) menu → Add Cover
3. Choose method:
   • Upload from device: Browse local files
   • Insert from URL: Paste image URL
4. Adjust position: Click Reposition to frame image
5. Cover appears at top of article (visual identity)
6. To remove: Click cover → Remove Cover

Add/Remove Icons

1. Open article
2. Click ⋯ menu → Add/Remove Icon
3. Select icon from library (📊 📁 ⚙️ 💡 ✅ etc.)
4. Icon appears next to article title in sidebar
5. Helps visually categorize articles at glance

Add Custom Properties

Add metadata fields (tags, owner, status, due date).

1. Open article
2. Click ⋯ menu → Add Properties
3. Click Add a Property
4. Configure property:
   • Label: Property name (e.g., "Owner", "Status", "Due Date")
   • Field Type: Text, Number, Date, Checkbox, Selection
5. Enter value in right sidebar
6. Property saved automatically
7. Repeat to add more properties

Step 6: Collaborate with Team

Use Chatter for Comments

1. Open article
2. Click 💬 Chatter icon (top right)
3. Chatter panel opens showing:
   • All messages/comments on this article
   • Activity log (who edited, when)
   • Scheduled activities/tasks
4. Add comment: Type message → Click Send
5. @ mention users: Type @John Smith to notify
6. All collaborators see comments in real-time

Add to Favorites

1. Open article
2. Click ⭐ Add to Favourites (top right)
3. Article pinned to favorites list
4. Access favorites: Top-right corner shows all starred articles
5. Quick access to frequently used docs

Step 7: Protect Content

Lock Content

Prevent accidental edits to finalized documentation.

1. Open article
2. Click ⋯ menu → Lock Content
3. Article becomes read-only for all users
4. Editing toolbar disabled
5. Prevents accidental changes to:
   • Official SOPs
   • Compliance documentation
   • Published guidelines
6. To unlock: Click ⋯ → Unlock Content (admin only)

Step 8: Track Changes with Version History

1. Open article
2. Click ⋯ menu → Open Version History
3. History panel shows all revisions:
   • Date/time of change
   • User who made edit
   • Summary of changes
4. Click any version to preview
5. To restore old version:
   • Open version
   • Click Restore this version
   • Confirmation prompt
   • Article reverts to selected version

Step 9: Create Templates for Reuse

Save Article as Template

1. Create article with standard structure (e.g., "Meeting Notes Template")
   • Add sections: Date, Attendees, Agenda, Discussion, Action Items, Next Meeting
   • Format with headings, bullet points
2. Click ⋯ menu → Add to Templates
3. Template saved to templates library
4. To use template:
   • Click + New
   • Bottom-left: Browse Template Library
   • Select template
   • New article created with pre-filled structure
   • Fill in content, save

Step 10: Additional Tools

Move Article to Different Location

1. Open article
2. Click ⋯ → Move To
3. Popup shows workspace tree
4. Select new parent or workspace
5. Click Move
6. Article relocated, all child articles move too

Create a Copy

1. Open article
2. Click ⋯ → Create a Copy
3. Duplicate created with suffix "(copy)"
4. Independent article (changes don't affect original)
5. Useful for:
   • Creating variations (different teams/projects)
   • Archiving before major edits
   • Testing changes without affecting live doc

Export Article

1. Open article
2. Click ⋯ → Export
3. File downloads (preserves formatting)
4. Use cases:
   • Offline backup
   • Share with external partners (no Odoo access)
   • Compliance/archiving

Enable Full Width Mode

1. Open article
2. Click ⋯ → Full Width
3. Article expands edge-to-edge (no margins)
4. Better for:
   • Wide tables
   • Large images/diagrams
   • Code blocks

Real-World Impact Examples

Example 1: Tech Company (67 Employees)

Example 2: Manufacturing Company

Best Practices