We have constant on going development of new products which needs to be managed somehow.

For every new product being developed I would like to know:

• How much time is being spent
• What materials/components are being taken from stores
• What purchase orders are being raised

At the moment I would define a new product number and name in OpenERP and then log purchase order lines and time sheet lines to an analytic account with the name of the product being developed - so far so good.

How do I account for the items being taken from stores for use in development? Say if one screw was taken at random. If i update the inventory with one less item will it not log it as an inventory loss? Here it should log it as a development use - which is to say the product is still 'lost' as it is not being sold or used in manufacture but it is not useless like misplacing a screw and then getting another.

Does the 'In Development' status in the product form have any function other than highlighting the product in the list?

Are there any modules available or generally accepted methods to deal with R&D of products in OpenERP?

(OE v7, Ubuntu 12.04)