Starting a B2B or B2C eCommerce project without a clear plan can lead to confusion, delays, and missed opportunities, and worst of all, an out-of-control budget. One of the most important step to set your e-commerce project up for success is the discovery phase. This phase helps you clarify the project’s goals, define its scope, and set expectations. But how do you ensure the discovery process goes smoothly and yields the best results? Where do you begin?
Partnering with a trusted eCommerce development agency is a great way to ensure your project begins on solid footing.
Let’s dive into why the discovery process matters, what the outcome should look like, and how a skilled agency can help guide you every step of the way.
What Is The Discovery Process?
The discovery process is the very first step in any eCommerce project. It’s where you gather information and assess needs, all to define the project’s scope. Whether you’re developing a B2B or B2C e-commerce store, the discovery phase serves as the foundation of your project.
During the discovery phase, key stakeholders meet to align their goals, share insights, and clearly define the desired outcome. Without this step, you are bound to run into problems down the road.
Why The Discovery Process Matters
Skipping or rushing through the discovery process can lead to confusion, miscommunication, and poor project execution. Here are three reasons why this stage is so crucial:
1. Aligning Goals and Expectations
In B2B and B2C e-commerce projects, the stakeholders often have different priorities. The discovery process brings everyone to the table to align and ensure everyone’s priorities are part of the plan. Without this alignment, conflicting opinions will only be discovered later on in the project causing unnecessary delays.
For example, a B2B eCommerce project may need input from sales, marketing, and IT teams, each with unique objectives. What may work for the sales team may not work for marketing and a solution should be part of the original plan and development.
2. Efficient Resource and Time Management
The discovery phase helps ensure that the project’s scope is clearly defined. This is critical for managing time and resources effectively. By getting a clear scope of work and project plan, you can ensure that your team knows when they need to provide their deliverables. This way your team can manage their time efficiently and all teams will work together as a smooth unit.
Also, without a clear plan, your project will most probably fall victim to **scope creep**—where new tasks or features are discovered during development, causing delays and increased costs.
By anticipating these needs early in the discovery process, you can allocate resources appropriately to review any outstanding questions instead of putting the project on hold during the development phase. This also helps to ensure that timelines and budgets are kept on track. A skilled agency can guide you through this phase, helping you make realistic plans that prevent unexpected costs later.
3. Improved Communication and Collaboration
The discovery process encourages better communication between all teams involved in the project. It’s important to know which team handles which part of the business from the onset of the project. When everyone is involved from the beginning, there’s less risk of miscommunication and more room for innovation and problem-solving.
Partnering with a Trusted eCommerce Development Agency
The discovery process might sound straightforward, but you can miss key details without the right expertise. This is why partnering with a trusted eCommerce development agency is crucial. An experienced agency knows the ins and outs of eCommerce projects and can guide you through the discovery phase with a clear roadmap.
Why Use an Agency?
A professional agency doesn’t just guide you through the discovery phase—they also help you avoid common pitfalls that can derail a project. The experience they have working with a variety of businesses can provide valuable insights that you might not consider. For example, they’ll help you ask the right questions during stakeholder interviews or dig deeper into technical requirements that could impact the project later on.
What an Agency Brings to the Table
– Expertise: An experienced agency understands how to align business goals with technical execution. They know what works in eCommerce and what doesn’t.
– Structured Approach: A good agency follows a structured process that ensures all the key aspects of discovery are covered to avoid any issues later on.
– Problem-Solving Skills: Agencies can help you identify potential challenges early on, allowing you to solve problems before they become major issues during development. The last thing you want to do in your new e-commerce store is to “paint yourself into a corner”. An experienced agency will ensure that it doesn’t happen.
The Outcome of a Strong Discovery Process
A well-executed discovery process sets the stage for the entire project. But what exactly should you expect at the end of this phase?
1. Clear Scope of Work
The most important outcome of the discovery phase is a clear scope of work. This document outlines all the project’s requirements, timelines, and deliverables. It should leave no room for ambiguity, ensuring that everyone involved knows exactly what needs to be done, when it should be completed, and what the final outcome should look like.
For example, imagine if your project requires a feature that can be accomplished by adding an app/extension from the marketplace. The scope of work should not just have the code installation; rather it should contain exactly how you plan on using this feature so the development team can install and configure the app to your business needs. Otherwise, you can end up with a store with a lot of “bells and whistles” and no real way of knowing how to use them.
2. Detailed Project Plan
In addition to a clear scope, you’ll also receive a detailed project plan. This will include milestones, timelines, resource allocations and scheduled progress meetings. By having a roadmap from the beginning, you can ensure that the project stays on track and meets its deadlines.
The project plan should be simple and not overly complicated. Any manager or c-level executive should be able to read and have a solid understanding of where the project is holding in the development process.
3. Understand Risks and Solutions
During discovery, potential risks and challenges should be identified and addressed. Whether it’s a technical hurdle or a customer-related issue, this phase allows you to prepare for these challenges in advance. The goal is to answer as many questions as possible. You should not have the approach of “we’ll figure it out when we get there”.
A trusted ecommerce development agency will help you map out solutions and ensure a smooth process once the project moves into development.
4. Defined Success Metrics
What does success look like? The discovery process should also define the metrics by which the project will be measured. Whether it’s increasing online sales, improving user engagement, or launching on time and on budget, having clear success metrics ensures everyone knows what they are working towards.
Key Benefits of a Well-Executed Discovery Process
A solid discovery process offers several important benefits for your B2B or B2C ecommerce project:
– Risk Reduction: By identifying potential risks early, you can plan accordingly, reducing the chances of costly setbacks later.
– Customer-Centric Design and Development: Understanding customer needs upfront leads to better design decisions that improve the user experience.
– Efficient Execution: With a clear plan and defined scope, your project is more likely to stay on schedule and on budget, leading to a smoother overall experience.
Ready to Start Your eCommerce Project?
Whether you’re developing a B2B eCommerce platform or launching a B2C online store, the discovery process is a critical first step. By partnering with a trusted eCommerce development agency, you can ensure that the discovery process is thorough and delivers the best possible outcomes. From aligning goals and setting expectations to defining the project’s scope, the benefits of a well-executed discovery phase are clear.
Click HERE if you’d like to learn more about performing a discovery with 121eCommerce.