Building an online store is a complex undertaking. To successfully implement it, a thorough plan for future actions must be prepared. This is facilitated by a pre-implementation analysis conducted with the project developer. What does it involve and what are its advantages?
What is pre-implementation analysis?
Pre-implementation analysis in eCommerce serves to prepare for the development of a new store or the migration of an existing solution. It begins with a workshop discussing the vision and functionality of the system, as well as the processes that will take place within it. The contractor also gathers information about the client's customers, gathering industry insights.
Preparation of Pre-Implementation Analysis documentation
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Based on the workshop, the software house creates a system specification. Interactive, low-level (lo-fi) mockups are also built, which provide a simplified representation of the future solution. The client can verify that they align with their product vision.
Once the client approves the specifications, the contractor estimates the project and prioritizes the work. This serves to determine the components of the MVP (Minimum Viable Product, discussed in the next section).
Of course, the client can provide the contractor with a ready-made specification. Even if it's extensive and refined, it's still worth conducting design workshops. It's important to remember that the software house plays not only a contractor's role but also a consultant's. They can evaluate the specification based on their own experience and know-how, often allowing them to verify the client's proposed solutions and propose the optimal solution.
Pre-implementation analysis doesn't always have to lead to the construction or migration of a store. Sometimes, it can lead to the identification of other, more pressing needs within the organization, such as process automation and digitization.
Then, before building the e-commerce system, the contractor can implement solutions that will prepare the company for electronic commerce. This could include an order automation system (OMS) or PIM.
The success of an implementation analysis depends on the involvement of the investor's team. A person responsible for the project, such as a Product Owner or eCommerce Project Manager, must be appointed. Their role will be to verify the contractor's assumptions for compliance with the company's realities, which the software house may not be fully aware of.
A company should also be prepared for the software house to offer consultations with its employees. It's often necessary to understand the specifics of the work of the people responsible for specific processes in order to properly handle their implementation.
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Why conduct a pre-implementation analysis?
Without a pre-implementation analysis, it's very difficult to prepare for store construction or migration. The contractor must understand the client's needs to propose appropriate solutions.
The most important goals of pre-implementation analysis are:
- creating an MVP version of the system
A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a product version that doesn't yet have all the features specified in the specification. However, those implemented are sufficient to meet basic user needs. The system operates correctly and allows customers to make purchases.
Why not just launch a product with all the target functionalities right away? First and foremost, an MVP is released to the market earlier. Each week of sales translates into tangible profits for the client. Furthermore, if the client's offering is unique, the risk of a competitor overtaking them with a similar proposition is reduced. In the case of a new website, the SEO process begins at this stage.
MVP also allows you to study customer behavior and gather feedback. This is a great way to test a product with a large group of users. This type of large-scale research can prove more valuable than prototype testing, as it involves a working product, not just a mockup. This will help refine it before the final release.
For system migrations, the MVP version allows for Friends & Family testing (friendly companies, regular customers). This allows for verification of store performance based on real user behavior before the final migration.
- Avoiding implementation errors
Carrying out a project without analysis means that many elements may be unforeseen, incorrectly designed, or lead to conflicts with other system components. There's also the risk of implementing unnecessary functionality whose tasks are already fulfilled by existing features within the organization.
- defining the feasibility of implementing the elements expected by the client
It may turn out that the features proposed by the client are not necessary for the product to be fully usable. Some of these features can be implemented during the store's further development, as devoting time to them would unnecessarily prolong development.
The contractor can also estimate the client's benefits from specific functionalities and compare this to the costs of developing them. Sometimes, implementing selected solutions requires so much time and effort that they become unprofitable. In such cases, it's best to forgo them and save money.
Pre-Implementation Analysis – Next Steps
Why not implement a store without analysis?
- Increase in implementation costs
A well-conducted pre-implementation analysis can significantly reduce development costs. By consulting their idea with the software house, the client has the opportunity to verify their initial assumptions. Some of the proposed features may prove unprofitable or unnecessary, and eliminating them at the pre-implementation analysis stage leads to budget savings.
Without developing an MVP and meeting all initial assumptions, the project will also be implemented later. This will result in the investor losing potential revenue. There will also be no opportunity for additional user testing of the solution.
In the mockup, you'll schematically outline which subpages/screens should be included in the project and which functionalities are important to you. Include a description of the sketched functionalities for each project screen. If you're unable to do this, don't worry. We can create a mockup as one of our pre-implementation analysis deliverables.
- Risk of misunderstandings
Before commencing a project, the contractor should fully understand the client's requirements. Otherwise, the final product may differ from the client's vision. It will also not adequately reflect the organization's realities, as the software house will not have the opportunity to thoroughly understand them.
How do we conduct pre-implementation analysis at Cognize?
1. Design workshops
The workshops last 1-2 business days and are conducted at the client's premises. Before the workshops, we define with the client which stakeholders should be present at the meeting (typically management, IT, sales and logistics managers, or e-commerce support staff).
Sample Workshop Plan
- Discussion of how to implement the tasks assigned to the new system.
- Discussion of the long-term vision of the system.
- Planned functionalities, their scopes and priorities.
- Defining user roles in the system and their needs.
- Deciding which main processes are to be performed by the system.
- Detailed discussion of the most important processes defined before the workshop.
- Gathering industry insights for system design purposes (analysis of end-user behavior).
2. Specification creation stage
- Preparation of specifications/implementation documentation describing the most important issues from the perspective of system implementation e-commerceHowever, it can be dynamically modified later if, for example, changes in the assumptions occur.
- Conducting a parallel series of short online workshops to further clarify selected issues.
- Creation of low-detail (lo-fi) mockups presenting the most important views of the designed system.
- With an extensive organizational structure, consultations are often conducted with people employed in the company who will work or work on processes related to online sales.
3. MVP definition and valuation stage
- Project valuation.
- Definition of priorities.
- Confrontation of the valuation and priorities with the client and designation of the MVP.
The process of identifying the project scope and budget and Pre-Implementation Analysis
“The working meetings during the pre-implementation analysis took place in an atmosphere of full cooperation (…)”
"Cognize is a team of people with a fresh perspective, a professional approach to the client, and above all, a highly creative team. Confidence in their actions, the use of original solutions, but also openness to others and a willingness to collaborate are the elements that clearly distinguish Cognize in the market. Working meetings during the pre-implementation analysis were conducted in an atmosphere of full collaboration, were substantive, well-prepared, and the relationships were based on partnership."
Mariusz Gwóźdź, Head of Logistics and Projects at Vector Sp. z o. o.
Pre-implementation analysis - always worth it
At Cognize, we consider pre-implementation analysis to be an extremely important (if not essential) element of project work. Please note that choosing to conduct this with us does not obligate you to work together on building the system. The analysis is a good way to develop a complete product specification and assess its budget. If you decide that developing or migrating an eCommerce solution is beyond your company's capabilities at this time, you can cancel the project. However, you will know the resources required and may revisit it later.
Thanks to your proprietary analysis, you also have the opportunity to submit inquiries to other contractors. This allows you to compare the costs of implementing a product with the exact same specifications. This wouldn't be possible if you couldn't provide companies with precise project specifications.
If you're considering an eCommerce project, we highly recommend conducting a pre-implementation analysis. Working on this with Cognize, you'll benefit from the know-how of experienced industry specialists. You'll be able to consult on your idea and learn its optimal design and budget.
