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How XRA Implemented Odoo HR for a South African Mining Entity

24 August 2026 by
XRA
From paper-based recruitment to a connected digital HR workflow with Sage 300 People integration and custom dashboards.

Industry: Mining | Public Entity
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Odoo solution: HR / Recruitment
Deployment: Odoo Online (Cloud)
Integration: Sage 300 People
Custom development: Dashboard development
Development & deployment: 30 days

From Paper Trails to Dashboards


Recruitment can become difficult to manage when applications, documents, approvals and reporting all depend on manual processes.

For a Johannesburg-based public entity in the mining industry, recruitment was largely paper-based and manually managed. Capturing applicant information, sorting applications, tracking progress and compiling reports consumed significant HR time, while limited integration with other systems created additional administrative work.

The organisation approached XRA to simplify the recruitment process and create a solution that could integrate with its existing HR environment.

XRA implemented Odoo HR on Odoo Online, integrated the recruitment environment with Sage 300 People, and developed custom dashboards to address the client's requirements around recruitment visibility, reporting, integration status and approval workflows.

The development and deployment was completed in 30 days.

The Client


The client is a South African public entity operating in the mining industry, based in Johannesburg.

Due to confidentiality requirements, the organisation is not identified by name in this case study.

The client's recruitment environment involved multiple processes and approval requirements, making visibility and efficient information management particularly important.

Rather than replacing its existing HR infrastructure entirely, the organisation needed a solution that could work alongside its existing systems while improving the recruitment process.

The Challenge: A Recruitment Process Built Around Manual Work


Before the Odoo HR implementation, recruitment relied heavily on manual processes and paper-based documentation.

This created several operational challenges for the HR team.

1. Time-consuming recruitment processes


Recruitment activities were manually completed, including capturing information and sorting applications.

Without a centralised digital workflow, these administrative tasks consumed HR resources and made the recruitment process more time-consuming.

2. Limited system integration


Because recruitment activities were handled manually, there was little to no integration between recruitment and the client's other HR systems.

This meant information could not move seamlessly between processes and created opportunities for duplicate data capture.

3. Difficult document management


Paper-based applications and reports were difficult to track and manage.

As recruitment information accumulated, locating documents and maintaining visibility over the status of applications became increasingly challenging.

4. Poor application tracking and follow-up


The client also needed a better way to track applications and manage follow-up processes.

Without a centralised recruitment environment, it was difficult to maintain a clear view of where applications were in the process.

The Operational Impact


The challenges created by the manual recruitment process extended beyond administration.

The client experienced:

  • Data duplication when information had to be manually captured.
  • Delays in providing feedback to applicants.
  • Delays in compiling recruitment reports.
  • Time spent capturing information and sorting applications manually.
  • Limited visibility into recruitment activity and system integration status.

The problem therefore wasn't simply that recruitment was paper-based.

The wider issue was that recruitment information, reporting, integration and approval workflows were not operating within a connected digital environment.

The client needed a solution that addressed the recruitment process as a whole.

What the Client Needed from an Odoo HR Solution


The client identified four key objectives for the project:

Integrate recruitment with existing systems


The new solution needed to integrate seamlessly with other systems rather than creating another standalone HR platform.

Create a user-friendly experience


The recruitment process needed to be easier to use for both HR professionals and applicants.

Streamline hiring and onboarding workflows


The client wanted to reduce unnecessary manual steps and create a more structured process for hiring and onboarding.

Simplify recruitment


Ultimately, the goal was to make recruitment easier to manage while improving visibility across the process.

The Solution: Odoo HR on Odoo Online


XRA implemented Odoo HR using Odoo Online, providing the client with a centralised digital environment for its recruitment processes.

The solution addressed the client's requirements through three key components:

  • Odoo HR / Recruitment
  • Sage 300 People integration
  • Custom dashboard development

Together, these components provided a more connected approach to recruitment management.

Odoo HR and Recruitment


Odoo HR provided the foundation for moving recruitment away from a predominantly paper-based process.

Instead of relying on disconnected manual activities, recruitment information could be managed within a centralised digital system.

The implementation was designed around the client's recruitment requirements, including the need to manage applications, workflows and approval processes more effectively.

This created a structured environment for HR to manage recruitment while providing a more user-friendly experience for applicants.

Sage 300 People Integration


A key requirement of the project was integration with Sage 300 People.

The client already had an existing HR/payroll environment, so the objective wasn't simply to introduce another standalone system.

Odoo HR needed to work as part of the broader technology environment.

The Sage 300 People integration addressed the client's requirement for improved system connectivity and provided visibility into the integration status through the custom dashboard environment developed by XRA.

This helped address one of the key problems in the previous process: information being handled manually and the resulting duplication and administrative effort.

Custom Dashboard Development


Standard system functionality did not fully address the client's requirements for visibility and reporting.

XRA therefore undertook custom dashboard development.

The dashboards were developed to address three specific requirements:

Recruitment visibility

The dashboards provided greater visibility into recruitment activity, helping the client move away from relying on manually compiled information.

Reporting

Custom reporting capabilities addressed the client's need for improved access to recruitment information.

Sage 300 People integration status

The dashboards also provided visibility into the status of the Sage 300 People integration.

Importantly, the dashboard development was designed around the client's hierarchy and workflow approval requirements.

This meant the solution wasn't simply a standard reporting dashboard. It was developed to reflect how information and approvals moved through the organisation.


odoo hr

The Outcome


The implementation moved the client's recruitment environment from a predominantly manual, paper-based process towards a centralised digital recruitment workflow.

Odoo HR provided the recruitment platform, while the Sage 300 People integration connected the solution with the client's existing HR environment.

Custom dashboards addressed the client's requirements for recruitment visibility, reporting and integration-status tracking, while also reflecting the organisation's approval hierarchy and workflow.

The implementation therefore addressed the core issues identified at the start of the project:

  • less reliance on paper-based recruitment processes;
  • improved visibility of recruitment information;
  • better integration with the existing HR environment;
  • reduced dependence on manual information capture;
  • improved access to recruitment reporting; and
  • a more structured recruitment workflow.
  • Development and deployment in 30 days

The development and deployment phase was completed in 30 days, delivering an Odoo HR recruitment solution tailored to the client's requirements.

Why This Odoo HR Implementation Matters


For organisations with complex recruitment processes, digitising applications is only one part of the solution.

The technology also needs to fit the way the organisation actually operates.

In this project, the client needed more than a recruitment module. It needed:

Recruitment + integration + reporting + visibility + approval workflows

That combination was particularly important in an environment with an established HR system and a structured organisational hierarchy.

The project demonstrates how Odoo HR can be configured and extended to support specific organisational requirements, rather than requiring businesses to completely redesign their processes around a standard software implementation.

For South African organisations considering HR digitalisation, this is an important distinction.

The right implementation isn't necessarily about replacing every existing system. It can be about connecting systems, removing unnecessary manual processes and giving HR teams better visibility into the information they already manage.

Considering Odoo HR for Your Organisation?


If your HR team is still relying on spreadsheets, paper-based applications, manual data capture or disconnected HR systems, the challenge may be bigger than recruitment administration.

A properly implemented Odoo HR solution can provide a centralised environment for recruitment while integrating with the systems your organisation already relies on.

XRA can help businesses assess where Odoo HR fits into their existing technology environment, including recruitment workflows, system integrations, custom reporting and dashboard development.

Want to see what Odoo HR could look like for your organisation?

Talk to XRA about your Odoo HR requirements


Frequently Asked Questions

Odoo HR is a suite of human resources applications within the Odoo ERP platform. It can support HR processes including recruitment and employee-related workflows, providing organisations with a centralised digital environment for managing HR activities.

Yes. Odoo HR can be integrated with other business systems, and XRA implemented a Sage 300 People integration as part of this mining-sector recruitment project.

The exact integration requirements depend on the organisation's existing systems, processes and data requirements.

Odoo Recruitment can help organisations move recruitment activities into a structured digital workflow, reducing reliance on manual processes. The extent of automation depends on the organisation's requirements and how the Odoo environment is configured and customised.

Odoo can be configured to support organisational workflows and approval requirements. In this implementation, XRA developed custom dashboards around the client's hierarchy and workflow approval structure.

Odoo Online provides a cloud-based Odoo environment without requiring organisations to manage their own on-premise infrastructure. Whether it is the right deployment option depends on the organisation's requirements, integrations and desired level of customisation.

Yes. Odoo can be extended through configuration and custom development where standard functionality does not meet an organisation's specific requirements. In this project, XRA developed custom dashboards to address the client's reporting, visibility and integration-status requirements.

About XRA


XRA helps South African businesses implement and optimise Odoo ERP solutions, including business applications, integrations and custom development.

This case study demonstrates XRA's approach to solving a specific operational problem: taking a manual recruitment process, connecting it to an existing HR environment and developing the reporting and visibility capabilities required by the client.

Speak to XRA about an Odoo implementation →

XRA 24 August 2026
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