The 10 Essential Dolibarr Modules for SMEs

Why choosing the right Dolibarr modules matters

One of Dolibarr's major strengths is its modular architecture. Rather than imposing a monolithic system with hundreds of features, Dolibarr lets you activate only the modules you need. This approach has a dual advantage: it simplifies the user interface by showing only relevant functions, and it optimizes performance by loading only the necessary code. Here is our selection of the 10 modules every SME should activate to get the most out of their ERP.

1. Invoicing Module

The invoicing module is undoubtedly the most used in Dolibarr. It allows you to create customer invoices, manage credit notes, track payments and generate statements. Its strength liés in its flexibility: free-form invoices, invoices from orders, recurring invoices, deposit invoices... All situations are covered. The module also supports the Factur-X format for electronic invoicing, a légal obligation that is gradually becoming widespread.

• Customer invoice création with multiple product/service lines
• Credit note and replacement invoice management
• Recurring invoices for subscriptions and contracts
• Factur-X format support for electronic invoicing
• Payment tracking and automatic reminders

2. CRM Module (Customer Relationship Management)

Dolibarr's CRM helps you structure your sales approach. It manages prospects, business opportunities and the sales pipeline. Each contact is associated with a complete history: exchanges, quotes sent, orders placed, invoices issued. This 360-degree tracking gives your sales team all the information needed for their meetings. The module also includes a category and tag system to segment your contact basé.

• Prospect and sales pipeline management
• Complete interaction history with each contact
• Category and tag system for segmentation
• Opportunity tracking with conversion probability
• Intégration with the Emailing module for campaigns

3. Commercial Proposals (Quotes) Module

The commercial proposals module lets you create professional quotes in just a few clicks. Document templates are fully customizable with your branding. Once the quote is accepted by the client, it can be converted to an order then an invoice with one click, avoiding any re-entry. Tracking current quotes by status (draft, sent, accepted, refused) gives you a clear view of your commercial activity.

• Quick création of personalized professional quotes
• Automatic conversion from quote to order to invoice
• Customizable document templates (PDF)
• Quote tracking by status (draft, sent, signed, refused)
• Integrated electronic signature for remote validations

4. Stock Management Module

For companies selling physical products, the stock management module is essential. It allows tracking stock entries and exits in real time, managing multiple warehouses, and configuring reorder alert thresholds. Stock is automatically updated when shipments and receipts are validated. Inventories are facilitated by a counting system that compares theoretical stock with physical stock.

• Real-time stock level tracking by warehouse
• Automatic reorder threshold alerts
• Automatic stock movements on shipment and receipt
• Multi-warehouse management with inter-site transfers
• Inventory tools comparing theoretical vs. physical stock

5. Leave and Absence Module (HRM)

The leave management module considerably simplifies absence management within your team. Each employee can submit leave requests directly in Dolibarr, with a validation workflow by the hierarchical manager. Leave balances are automatically calculated based on defined rules (monthly accrual, carry-over, seniority). A shared calendar displays planned absences, facilitating team planning.

• Online leave requests with validation workflow
• Automatic calculation of leave balances (PTO, sick leave)
• Shared team absence calendar
• Management of différent leave and absence types
• Data export for payroll préparation

6. Expense Reports Module

Expense report management is often an administrative headache. Dolibarr's module simplifies the process by allowing employees to enter their expenses directly in the tool, attach scanned or photographed receipts, and submit the expense report for validation. The approval workflow can be configured with one or more validation levels. Once validated, the expense report can be directly integrated into accounting.

• Expense entry with digitized supporting documents
• Multi-level validation workflow
• Configurable expense categories (transport, meals, accommodation)
• Direct integration with accounting after validation
• Expense reporting by employee, project or period

7. Project Management Module

The project management module lets you structure your activities into projects, sub-projects and tasks. Each task can be assigned to one or more employees with start and end dates. Time tracking is integrated, allowing you to measure the actual time spent on each task. This information is valuable for time-based billing and project profitability analysis. A Gantt chart provides an overview of progress.

• Organization into projects, sub-projects and tasks
• Task assignment with dates and owners
• Time tracking per task and per employee
• Gantt chart for progress visualization
• Profitability analysis by project (time spent vs. billed)

8. Suppliers Module

The suppliers module is the natural complement to the customer module. It manages supplier orders, goods réception and supplier invoices. Price comparison between suppliers is facilitated by the ability to associate multiple suppliers with the same product under différent conditions. The module also includes supplier credit note management and issued payment tracking.

• Supplier order management with validation
• Goods réception with quality control
• Supplier invoices with order matching
• Price comparison between suppliers for the same product
• Supplier payment tracking and schedule

9. Bank and Cash Module

The bank and cash module tracks your company's financial movements. It manages bank accounts, internal transfers, and bank reconciliation. Importing bank statements in OFX or CSV format facilitates transaction matching. This module is essential for having a clear view of your cash flow and ensuring consistency between your financial flows and accounting.

• Real-time bank account and balance tracking
• Automated bank statement import and reconciliation
• Internal transfers between accounts
• Complete history of all financial movements
• Cash flow dashboard with forecasting

10. Emailing Module

Dolibarr's emailing module allows you to communicate effectively with your clients and prospects. It integrates with the CRM to target your mailings based on contact categories. You can create personalized email templates and track open and click statistics. This module is particularly useful for newsletters, new product announcements or seasonal communications. For more advanced needs, it can be coupled with specialized emailing platforms.

• Targeted email campaigns from CRM contacts
• Customizable email templates with the built-in editor
• Tracking of send, open and click statistics
• GDPR-compliant unsubscribe management
• Possible integration with third-party emailing platforms

How to activate and configure these modules

Activating modules in Dolibarr is simple: go to the Configuration > Modules/Applications menu and activate the desired modules. Each module can then be finely configured via its own settings screen. We recommend activating modules progressively, starting with the most essential ones (invoicing, CRM, products), then adding others as your teams become familiar with the tool. If you need help configuring Dolibarr optimally, our Dolicraft team offers a custom implementation service.