Building the Right Team for Your eCommerce Replatforming Project

Choosing the right eCommerce platform is only half the battle. For small businesses undergoing eCommerce replatforming, the team you assemble to implement and manage the project can make the difference between a smooth launch and a costly setback. While platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce aim to simplify things, the complexity of migrating data, customizing functionality, and ensuring a seamless user experience still demands expertise.

In this post, we’ll walk through the key steps to building and managing the team that will take your project from selection to successful launch.

Why Your Implementation Team Matters

Even with a solid platform choice, a poorly executed implementation can undermine your entire investment. For small business eCommerce projects, resources may be limited, but cutting corners during implementation often leads to:

• Data loss or corruption: Risking operational continuity.
• Broken integrations: Especially with ERP, POS, or CRM systems.
• Poor site performance: Sluggish speed and unreliable uptime at launch.
• User experience issues: Directly harming conversion rates.

Key advice: Your implementation team—whether internal, external, or a combination—must be carefully selected and actively managed to avoid costly pitfalls.

Evaluating Vendors and Agencies

If you are partnering with an eCommerce UX agency or third-party vendors, here’s what to look for in their proposals and behavior:

• Responsiveness: Are they quick to answer questions and proactive in communication?
• Transparency: Do they provide a detailed breakdown of tasks, timelines, and costs?
• Experience: Have they completed projects like yours? Check case studies here.
• Candor: Are they upfront about risks, trade-offs, and challenges?
• Attention to detail: Look for clear documentation and well-structured project plans.

The human factor is as important as technical expertise. Good chemistry and trust between your business and the vendor can prevent misunderstandings and ensure smoother collaboration. For deeper insights on user experience, see Magento UX: Unlocking eCommerce Success or Frustration.

Defining Roles and Responsibilities

Clear roles and responsibilities prevent overlap or gaps. Typical roles in an eCommerce replatforming project include:

• Project Manager: Oversees timelines, resources, and communication.
• Technical Lead: Manages platform development, integrations, and testing.
• UX/UI Designer: Ensures the site meets user experience best practices (see IronPlane’s UX design services).
• QA Specialist: Tests functionality, performance, and security before and after launch.
• Client Stakeholders: Provide business requirements and sign off on key milestones.

Even in smaller projects, someone must own each role—even if a single person handles multiple tasks.

Planning and Executing the Migration

Once your team is in place, detailed planning is essential. Key areas to cover:

• Migration planning: Define what data will be moved (products, customers, orders) and how it will be verified for accuracy.
• Customization & development: Plan for any custom features or integrations that your platform does not provide out of the box (learn about Magento integration experts).
• Testing protocols: Include functionality tests, performance/load testing, and user acceptance testing.
• Launch strategy: Decide on a soft launch, phased rollout, or full launch, and prepare a rollback plan in case of major issues.

Pro tip: Keep a tight feedback loop between your business team and the implementation team to resolve issues quickly.

What a Good vs. Bad Team Looks Like

A Good Team

• Make-up: Clearly defined roles, a balance of technical and business expertise, and proven experience with similar projects.
• Process: Proactive communication, thorough planning, structured testing, and clear documentation at every stage.
• Outcomes: On-time delivery, minimal post-launch issues, and a platform that works seamlessly for your team and customers.

A Bad Team

• Make-up: Vague role assignments, lack of platform-specific experience, and overreliance on third-party plugins without understanding long-term impacts.
• Process: Reactive rather than proactive, poor communication, unclear timelines, and rushed or incomplete testing.
• Outcomes: Missed deadlines, unexpected costs, unstable site performance, and frustrated users and staff.

Post-Launch: Monitoring and Optimization

After launch, your work is not done. Assign your team to:

• Monitor: Track site performance and error logs.
• Gather feedback: Collect user insights to spot friction points.
• Prioritize fixes and enhancements: Use your findings to stabilize and improve your platform.

Need support? A well-prepared eCommerce UX agency can guide you through the early post-launch period. Explore IronPlane’s eCommerce support services.

In summary: The success of your eCommerce replatforming project relies as much on the team executing it as on the platform itself. For small business eCommerce owners, choosing the right partners and managing them effectively ensures your investment pays off with a smooth launch and long-term growth potential.