Dolibarr is a flexible, open-source ERP and CRM solution used by businesses across industries for managing everything from customer relationships and invoicing to inventory, HR, and projects. What makes Dolibarr stand out is its modular design and highly customizable nature, which allows companies to tailor it to their unique workflows without needing to develop software from scratch.

If you're looking to make Dolibarr work your way, this comprehensive guide is for you. We'll break down the key customization options available, walk through real examples, and offer best practices to ensure you're building a system that fits your business perfectly.

1. Understanding Dolibarr’s Modular Architecture

Before diving into customization, it's essential to understand how Dolibarr is built. The system is modular, meaning it is composed of discrete features you can activate or deactivate based on your needs. Each module—such as CRM, invoicing, stock management, or HR—can work independently or together.

Why this matters:

• You avoid clutter by only using what’s necessary.

• You can gradually scale your use as your business grows.

• It allows for easier maintenance and updates.

To manage modules, navigate to Home > Setup > Modules. From here, you can enable or disable features with a single click.

2. Tailoring the User Interface

Dolibarr’s interface is clean, but you can tweak it to suit your operational style. Here’s how:

Menu Customization

Go to Setup > Menus to reorder, rename, or hide menu items. This is useful when you want to:

• Reduce clutter for non-admin users

• Group tools by department (e.g., finance, sales, logistics)

• Create custom shortcuts for frequently used modules

Dashboards and Widgets

Each user can personalize their dashboard by adding or removing widgets. These can display:

• Open invoices

• Recent proposals

• Upcoming tasks

• Sales graphs

Encouraging your team to customize their dashboards ensures that everyone sees what matters most to them.

3. Using Permissions and Roles to Reflect Workflow Structure

Every business has its own hierarchy and departmental responsibilities. Dolibarr supports detailed role-based access control.

You can define custom user roles under Users & Groups > Permissions. For example:

• Sales reps can access proposals and clients but not accounting.

• Warehouse staff can update stock levels but not see customer data.

• Managers can access reports and analytics across modules.

This ensures that employees only see and manage the data relevant to their roles, boosting both productivity and security.

4. Custom Fields and Extra Attributes

Not all businesses work with the same data structure. That’s where extra fields come in. You can add custom fields to almost any object—customers, invoices, products, projects, etc.

Adding Custom Fields:

1. Go to Setup > Dictionaries > Extra Fields

2. Select the object you want to modify (e.g., Product, Customer)

3. Add fields such as text, dropdown, checkbox, or date

This is perfect for adding:

• Internal reference numbers

• Industry-specific tags

• Approval checkboxes

Bonus tip: You can use these fields in PDF templates and filters.

5. Automating Workflow with Triggers and Hooks

Dolibarr includes a powerful feature called triggers and hooks—functions that are automatically executed during events like creating an invoice, approving a proposal, or validating a payment.

If you’re familiar with PHP or have developer support, you can:

• Automatically send emails when an order is validated

• Update external systems via API

• Add logs or workflows during status changes

While this requires coding, it provides unmatched flexibility to automate tasks that otherwise would be manual and error-prone.

6. Custom PDF Document Templates

Invoices, proposals, orders, and delivery notes are your client-facing documents. Dolibarr allows deep customization of these.

Customizing Templates:

1. Go to Setup > Modules > PDF Templates

2. Select the document type (invoice, proposal, etc.)

3. Choose or duplicate a template to edit

You can edit the layout, logo, footer, headers, and even insert custom fields or logic.

For advanced changes, you can edit template files directly in the /core/modules/ directory, though it’s advised to copy and rename templates before modifying them.

7. Workflow Modules and Status Management

Several Dolibarr modules have built-in workflows with defined statuses—like proposals (draft > validated > signed) or invoices (draft > validated > paid).

You can:

• Customize labels and status order

• Add intermediate states (e.g., “Under Review” before “Validated”)

• Set permissions based on status

This helps you reflect your actual process, such as requiring manager approval before validating large proposals.

8. Custom Reports and Dashboards

Understanding performance is critical. Dolibarr has basic reporting, but you can go further:

Built-in Reports:

Access standard reports under each module’s “Statistics” section.

External Tools:

You can connect Dolibarr with tools like:

• Metabase or Grafana for custom dashboards

• Excel or Google Sheets via CSV exports

• Power BI using database connectors

Custom SQL Reports:

With the Reports module or custom development, create SQL-based dashboards tailored to your KPIs.

9. Integrating with Third-Party Tools

Your business might already use tools like Mailchimp, Stripe, Prestashop, or Zapier. Dolibarr can integrate with many systems through:

• API (REST/JSON): Full CRUD support for customers, invoices, products, etc.

• Connectors and Modules: Community modules are available for ecommerce, banks, and more

• Webhooks and Triggers: Sync Dolibarr with external services in real time

This interoperability makes Dolibarr a central piece in your business IT ecosystem.

10. Mobile Access and Field Customization

If you have sales reps, technicians, or managers in the field, mobile usability is crucial.

Options for Mobile:

• Use the Dolibarr Mobile App (Android/iOS)

• Use responsive web access from mobile browsers

Mobile customization tips:

• Simplify menus for mobile profiles

• Create quick-access buttons on the dashboard

• Limit data-heavy modules for better performance

11. Custom Modules and Development

When existing tools aren’t enough, you can build your own module. Dolibarr has a module builder that simplifies the process:

1. Go to Home > Setup > Module Builder (if installed)

2. Define your module name, features, database tables

3. Deploy and install it like any other module

This is ideal for:

• Industry-specific workflows

• Internal-only apps (e.g., leave requests, job scheduling)

• Custom integrations

The Dolibarr developer documentation is rich, and the community is active, making custom module creation surprisingly accessible.

12. Backups and Version Control

Customization is great, but you need to track and protect your changes.

Tips:

• Always back up your database and modified files

• Use a Git repository if editing templates or modules

• Document all customizations in a changelog

This ensures that updates to Dolibarr don’t break your custom work and helps with troubleshooting.

Conclusion: Build the Dolibarr That Works for You

Dolibarr isn’t just an ERP—it’s a toolkit for shaping your digital operations. Whether you’re a freelancer, small business owner, or managing a complex team, customizing Dolibarr allows you to align technology with your process instead of adapting your business to a tool.

With its open-source base, active community, and robust modular system, Dolibarr puts you in control. From adding fields to building new modules, the platform grows with your needs.

So don’t settle for generic. Use Dolibarr as a foundation, and build the workflow that matches exactly how your business runs.

Start tweaking. Start owning. Start thriving—with Dolibarr.