How to Manage a Composable Commerce Implementation: Guidance For Ecommerce Leaders & CTOs

If you are a CTO or ecommerce leader managing a composable commerce implementation, you know the details and challenges of the task ahead of you. You will have first-hand experience of the problem that a composable stack solves, whether that’s an over-complicated backend, a lack of flexibility, or an inability to scale. You’ll have explored all the possible options, considered the architecture of your tech stack and spent hours researching the best solution for your brand.

With the research complete and the solution signed off by sponsors and stakeholders, the next step is to manage and execute this project.

This article aims to help you through this stage. We will unpack the managerial considerations of a composable commerce implementation, exploring how to build and lead a team that executes a highly technical project in an agile and collaborative manner.

If you want to learn more about this topic, from team management to technical functionality, read our in-depth CTO’s Guide to Composable Commerce.

Create a vision for your composable commerce implementation

A clear vision should precede any digital transformation project. This should convey the project’s advantages and opportunities confidently, making a strong business case for why other approaches were discounted.

If you’ve secured funding for this project, you’ll have already articulated this vision to stakeholders and sponsors. Your sponsors are ultimately investing in the outcomes you forecast, not just the project itself. However, the team that helps bring this project to fruition need to know about the process leading to this moment, as well as the final product.

Therefore, take time to craft a vision that is compelling for all parties, one that aligns with the company’s broader vision, excites the team involved and demonstrates opportunity for substantial growth.

Build the right team to implement your composable stack

Building the right team is crucial for your composable commerce project. As important as the technical elements of a composable project are, the team implementing and leveraging this tech is what will ultimately lead to success.

Below we outline three key characteristics that make a strong team and explain how you can foster these throughout the project.

1. Multidisciplinary

Your team should be cross-functional, with each member contributing something unique to the project. This will aid problem-solving because everyone can offer different skills, experience and perspectives. It will also increase the sense of ownership in the project because individuals know what they are contributing.

A multidisciplinary technical team may include individuals with expertise in full-stack development, system integration and quality assurance.

In addition, aim to involve experienced project managers to help outline a roadmap, aid the day-to-day running and support change if and when it crops up.

2. Collaborative

To ensure clarity and efficiency, it’s essential to clearly define roles, responsibilities and expectations within the team. It can be helpful to develop structured frameworks for each role that team members can refer back to throughout the project.

After your team is established, fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture will be key to sustaining momentum. This will look different for each team, but taking time to communicate your vision, share experience and build relationships will improve your outcomes because you are aligned on the same goal and are comfortable working with one another.

In addition, team members should know what they are responsible for delivering and be aware of all applicable deadlines. This encourages ownership and collective efforts to find the best available solutions.

3. Honest & transparent

Honesty and transparency tie together a collaborative and multidisciplinary team. When a team can ask questions, voice concerns and challenge ideas, it thrives. As the CTO, these questions and concerns must also be listened to and thoughtfully considered because your team has been chosen for their experience and the perspectives they offer.

When there are deviations to your project roadmap, these should be discussed openly, with space for concerns to be shared and clarification to be brought. This enables a team to adopt change more readily without hindering project momentum. Having project managers involved in these conversations also allows change to be supported practically with plans and appropriate action.

Empower collective problem-solving & risk management

The innate complexities of a composable commerce implementation mean there is a high chance that your plans will change. Unforeseen problems with the tech stack and functional requirements may mean you need to find new solutions or pivot to a different approach.

When this happens, you need to be able to rely on your team for support to ensure these solutions work for all parties. Whilst you are leading the vision and execution of this project, understanding different perspectives and drawing on others’ expertise will enable you to create a more robust solution.

If your team is collaborative, honest and transparent, as discussed above, problems can be tackled together. Consequently, the solutions you create will be better and easier to implement because all team members are familiar with them and are aware of their advantages and disadvantages.

In tandem with problem-solving is the management of risk. As a leader you ultimately carry the responsibility for this project, regardless of the outcome. For this reason, you will want to fully understand and mitigate risk.

Once again, clear communication with your team will highlight any unexpected risk that arises in the project and enable its timely management.

Embrace continuous improvement for your composable project

A key benefit of composable commerce is the continuous improvement it offers – it is not limited by technology and has endless possibilities.

Success in a composable commerce project looks like a tech stack and a tech team that can constantly improve. This requires all of the above characteristics, as well as leadership that is open to feedback and change.

Integrating feedback cycles into your project roadmap is a great way to enable continuous improvement, for both operational and technical efficiency. Your team will see things that you don’t and their insight can be invaluable for the future of your site.

Composable commerce implementation with Swanky

Crafting and implementing a composable commerce solution as part of a digital transformation project requires effective management from tech leaders in your business.

Ian Jamieson, Swanky’s Head of Technology and author of the CTO’s Guide to Composable Commerce is well-placed to provide insight into your unique opportunities and challenges. If you are undertaking a composable commerce project and need some external support, get in touch with our team today.