Why do we need re-platforming and what exactly is the meaning of the term?

Re-platforming is a crucial process for e-commerce sites to stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the ever-evolving online landscape. This involves selecting new technology to migrate an e-commerce site from one platform to another, which can be complex, time-consuming, and require significant investment depending on the size of the business. In this article, we will discuss the ins and outs of re-platforming and its benefits for businesses. It will provide valuable insights into deciding when the need to re-platform has arrived and building a business case around it. Key roles and skills are required, and selecting the right agency is crucial in this process. ?

1. It is essential to have a clear understanding of your goals and overall strategy for re-platforming. ?

To do: Outline what you want and need from your platform and ensure that your current platform does not fit the purpose of your future strategy before taking the next step. By ensuring that your current platform does not fit the purpose of your future strategy, you can ensure your website remains future-proof and meets the evolving needs of the e-commerce industry.?

2. A full redesign may not always be the best decision for a company, but if there is a clear competitive and cost advantage, building a new platform may be a viable option. However, managing maintenance, upgrades, deployments, patches, and revamps on complex eCommerce sites can be costly and difficult. This process can lead to cluttered and poorly thought-through sites, which can be overwhelming for web developers. ?

To do:?Consider your current business issues and strategic goals to determine if a different technology could provide a more affordable and efficient way to achieve goals quicker and more efficiently.?

3. Assessing costs is complex and often overlooked. It involves considering license fees, maintenance costs, and the time and effort required for daily activities on the current platform. ?

To do: Consider the potential savings from a new platform with better admin tools, automation, and setup. A good starting point is to review the roadmap for the next 24 months and identify opportunities for self-serving and unself-serving costs. This helps in making informed decisions and identifying unnecessary costs on the existing platform.?

Next: After reviewing and assessing all necessary aspects, a full re-platforming project should be prepared. A detailed specification should be created before discussing it with potential suppliers. There are 5 things to be taken into consideration:?

1. Having clear communication and understanding of the new site's requirements are crucial for success. ?

2. Stakeholders should be involved and informed, ensuring transparency and everyone's involvement. ?

3. Scope out the work and understand the complexity, resources, and costs needed to achieve goals. Assessing the roles and capabilities of your team is crucial for a successful project. ?

4. Evaluate skill set, capacity, team size, and skill distribution. An ideal team structure with a perfect blend of skills is essential for delivering the project to the right standards, on time, and on budget. This includes leadership, strategic thinkers, experienced subject matter experts, and junior teams. Some project teams require a reliable technical partner to deliver at scale and speed, while others prefer advice, guidance, support, and input into road mapping.?

5. The roles of the account manager and project delivery manager (PM) in a business. Both roles are essential for meeting expectations and addressing issues like scope changes and costs. If an ideal team structure requires an increase in budget, go for it. Estimate on the high side and carefully consider roles before making decisions, as it can erode trust in planning and negatively impact project success.?

If having the ideal team structure means that you need to increase the originally estimated budget, then do not hesitate and go for it. Estimate on the high side and rather shoot higher than too low. Think carefully about the roles before you make your decision. It is much harder to later go back and ask for more budget. More importantly, it can erode trust in your planning. This can be detrimental to the entire success of your project.?

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