Aviva Solutions has been developing e-commerce solutions for years. We often work with All-In-One platforms like Sitecore and Kentico, but we're also increasingly building Composable Commerce platforms. These platforms cater to different needs, so it's important to be clear about what you expect from your platform. An all-in-one is often seen as a more limited but user-friendly platform, while Composable Commerce focuses more on personalization and scalability. Large companies, whose needs change frequently, therefore often benefit more from a Composable Commerce platform.
Are there any important differences in a Composable Commerce project that you, as a project manager, should consider? The short answer is: yes, there definitely are. We've outlined four key considerations.
1: Select the right vendors
The process of selecting the right services makes a significant difference in project planning. Unlike choosing an All-In-One platform, where the vendor (and thus the architecture) is immediately known, after choosing a composable platform, the vendors and services must first be selected and the architecture determined. This means these two platforms have a different (preliminary) process.
Service selection is based on the functional and non-functional requirements that apply to the entire commerce platform. To achieve this, the requirements are divided by service type (such as commerce or search), and we create a shortlist for each service type—a selection of vendors that meet all requirements. We then examine the shortlist of services in detail and determine to what extent they match the client's needs. Our client's internal users, such as marketers or product managers, are also involved in this process, ensuring that the services they will use can be configured in a way they find convenient.
You have complete control over your platform's design. The advantage of this approach is that it leads to more informed service choices, and a platform that always matches your unique needs perfectly.
2: More attention to architecture and integration
Because a Composable architecture isn't predefined, it requires more attention in the beginning. A Composable platform generally consists of multiple headless services, a dedicated front-end, and integrations between the various services. Therefore, we first need to determine how all the services can be efficiently integrated. This needs to be evaluated and implemented for each service, making it crucial to gain clarity about the overall architecture early in the project. To build the platform, we first develop the most important functional and quality requirements. Once these are clear, we can begin fleshing out the framework. This provides guidance for the project.
3: More parties, more communication
Because a Composable platform typically consists of multiple services, we need to work with multiple parties for project planning and coordination. This has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that these parties specialize in their respective fields, allowing for focused discussion of issues. At the same time, as a project manager, you need to consider multiple parties, all of whom can impact the project schedule. This requires coordination with multiple support engineers, using different communication channels, each with a different working method and support organization.
