Great B2B eCommerce websites have integrated back-office systems with their front-office solution Functionality of the B2B eCommerce Project Approach One of the keys to understanding how the development process works is studying an example of how a real project worked in practical terms. As a representative example, Clarity Ventures offer the following analysis of one of its projects where skilled team members worked on a project that involved customizing Clarity’s eCommerce development platform for the United Methodist Communications Phase 1 Project. A collaborative B2B eCommerce project approach is critical when developing these project processes: Lifestyles and Milestones Documents Roles Role Assignments Communications Management Monitoring, Supervision and Change Authorizations It’s critical to see proof that an eCommerce developer can deliver on promises, collaborate with multiple stakeholders, do the work and develop an integrated and comprehensive website. To that end, Clarity Ventures offers this example of how its staff managed the process for United Methodist Communications. Project Lifecycle and Milestones During development, the project employed many agile project features, iterations, regular communications and testing. In larger development projects, some phases of B2B development can be divided into subcategories that follow their own lifecycles. Development efforts that require a continuous process can use full agile methodology. The slightly altered semi-agile process used for the United Methodist Communications Project followed this lifecycle: Lifestyles and Milestones, Documents, Roles, Role Assignments, Communications, & Management Monitoring, Supervision, and Change Authorizations. Careful planning of your project is essential to its success Inception of the Project 1. Project Proposal Document The preliminary planning phase consisted of creating a summary document and reviewing it with agile methods that allow each stakeholder to comment on the process, suggest revisions and reach a group consensus. 2. The Project Handoff Meeting During the handoff meeting, different parts of the development are handed off to team specialists. Frequent handoffs can cause delays, so best practices include involving people in areas other than their specialties. Working in different areas of the project helps each stakeholder better understand the process by learning a little about each area of development. The Initiation Process In the United Methodist Communications Project, four areas were covered during the initiation process: preparing more detailed Project Summary and Scope of Work and Project Approach documents and hosting a Project Kickoff Meeting with the client and one with the Clarity development team. Analyze, Plan, Re-Analyze, Adjust Accordingly Ongoing Analysis 1. Discovery Meetings, Group Activities and Exercises As the project progresses, daily meetings, group meetings, creation of design mockups, stakeholder interviews, preparing inventories of features, mapping connections and other analyses were common. The agile process includes meetings where each group discusses its progress, answers questions and defines how its work relates to other aspects of the project. 2. Project Requirements Document Ongoing preparation of an updated Project Requirements Document keeps everyone informed about the project’s current status so that no stakeholder is surprised or blindsided. On large projects, one team can easily lose track of what others are doing, and this agile technique keeps everyone continuously updated. Creating Design Wireframes and Blueprints Design Phase During the design phase, teams map everything that’s needed on the site, show how pages will connect and produce wireframes or blueprints that show functionality in detail. After those are approved, the following documents and design features are prepared: Technical Approach Document - The design process includes writing a preliminary document, getting it reviewed by the group and incorporating needed changes. Technical approach covers the coding and technical details of the development process. Functional Design Document - This record follows the same process as above but concentrates on development functionality and design features in the finished construction. Technical Design Document - This document is prepared when feasible, but not every project includes this effort for various reasons such as security concerns, protected information and other contraindications. Adapting your project each step of the way Constructing Platform Changes The construction process is where Clarity Ventures works with development teams to build the B2B eCommerce platform or needed customizations to an existing platform. Throughout the agile process, the following three activities, if applicable, occur simultaneously: QA Test Plans - Each completed function is tested exhaustively during the build, and iterative refinements are made. Software - Software applications, integrations and performance issues are also subject to testing, code refinements, troubleshooting and performance on the many devices that customers use when accessing the Internet. Administrator and User Documentation - These are usually focused on keeping administrators informed and follow the same iterative development and QA testing used concurrently in preparing documents. However, this deliverable is not always available for every project. Testing and Quality Insurance Testing and quality assurance efforts continue until the final testing. One session involves the development staff, and separate testing session is arranged for the client and executive decision-makers who sign off on the development. Implementation Strategy During the implementation phase, as anyone involved with development knows, unexpected trouble spots arise in most projects. That’s why Clarity Ventures offers an extraordinary level of service at this stage to train staff, validate the project and deliver documentation and source code. The process includes the following steps: Setting up hosting Offering staff and stakeholder training in using the features Installing the build Performing final validation checks Providing source code and project documentation through all stages of development Documentation is Key to Every aspect of business Project Documents During the design phase, teams map everything that’s needed on the site, show how pages will connect and produce wireframes or blueprints that show functionality in detail. After those are approved, the following documents and design features are prepared: Project Proposal - This document defines estimates of the work involved for all proposed activities and features. Project Summary and Scope of Work - The document file covers project goals, planned solutions, work activities and features that the project will deliver. The paper introduces EP Task IDs for each work story that can be compared with development progress at later stages. Project Approach - The Project Approach Record defines all work processes, how work will be divided, technical details and assignments of project roles and user stories. Project Requirements - This document covers the deliverables that development will generate including software capabilities, documentation, testing plans, special features and other functions. Technical Approach - The technical aspects of the project are covered in this document that includes the tools, technologies, third-party resources, open source code and other details of how the software will be built. Functional Design - This document includes a detailed schematic, mockup or prototype of every relevant website function, design element details and connective functionality, and real-world business users often review this source document. The record serves as the blueprint for the build and is used by developers, documentation writers, staff, marketing people and quality assurance analysts. Technical Design - This record covers technical designs from an engineering overview and is offered in larger development projects that involve more complex developments and integrations. Smaller projects normally use Functional Design and Technical Approach documents to cover the necessary overview of their developments. Test Plans - This documentation covers how developments will be tested by Quality Assurance staff throughout the development process. Project Re-Estimates - Updates to projects, changes, cost overruns and even unexpected economies and faster progress can result in changes to project completion times, costs and other design parameters. Re-estimates are provided periodically throughout development. Accountability, Roles, and Task Ownership Project Roles and Assignments for the UMC Project Project roles ensure that every stakeholder literally has a seat at the table, takes part in the development process, argues on behalf of vested interests and constituents that he or she represents and can review and comment on each iterative development through enhanced communications, collaboration, reviews and regularly scheduled group meetings. In some projects, more than one role might be served by the same person. The roles included the following real-world assignments in the United Methodist Communications Project: Development Project Manager (Clarity — Craig Zmarzly) Customer Manager (Client Representative) Team Architect (Tim Heimsoth) Technical Manager (Chris Reddick) Business Analyst (Craig Bauer) Back-End Developer (Chris Reddick, Tim Heimsoth, James Gray and others as needed) Front-End Developer (Matt Tate, Eric Adam and others) Documentation Writer (TBD) QA Analyst (Raeanne Harshfield) Training Coordinator (Craig Bauer) Specialist in Operations and Accounts Receivable (Kristin Wagner) Graphic Specialist (Will Swain) Communication is critical to executing an agile development project Project Communication Methods Communications are keys to success in any agile development project, and with a company called United Methodist Communications, it’s easy to see that communications would play a critical role. In this project, the following lines of communication were used: A Basecamp was established to serve as a central repository for messages, communications and sharing documents Emails were only used under certain circumstances because development communications should be subject to security concerns. Another reason why emails aren’t used is that people often ignore emails when they’re occupied or unavailable. JIRA Is used for tracking issues that need to be fixed that are discovered in testing or after the development begins construction or goes live. Using this technology ensures that bugs are tracked until resolved. GoToMeeting enables screen-sharing among participants when conferencing on the phone or their computers. The technology enables users to record the meetings for later review. Phone calls were used in critical situations, but these don’t leave a record of what was discussed, so their use is only recommended for quick clarifications and one-to-one conversations about ancillary issues. Plan for the inevitable project Changes Change Management Monitoring and Implementation Changes in projects are inevitable during the course of development. Best practices are to record those changes in a group repository like Basecamp for smaller adjustments and fixes. Larger changes should be documented in the latest version of the appropriate documents. Throughout the process, it’s easy to track every important decision, change, adjustment, process and feature for full development transparency, which is the gold standard for any eCommerce development project. Examining B2B Websites to Find Out What You Need Choosing Your Team Based on eCommerce Goals and Business Model Visitors to the Clarity Ventures can examine the company’s portfolio to view recent work by its development team to get a picture of development best practices for different types of B2B customers. Most of the eCommerce companies that the website serves need a customizable and robust eCommerce platform to manage business-to-business sales, showcase products, provide sales leads, heighten customer experiences, manage real-time inventory updates, offer services, locate dealers, distributors and manufacturers and enable better third-party integrations with distributors, vendors, shipping carriers and other services. However, other types of B2B websites include the following business models: E-Procurement Websites These websites function as sites where purchasing agents can manage requests for proposals, submit product bids and eventually buy products after negotiating the contract. These sites usually specialize in fulfilling orders for niche markets or specialized industries. Broker Sites for B2B eCommerce B2B eCommerce broker sites bring together suppliers and buyers in a particular industry. They act as a safe, secure, and efficient broker for any purchasing transaction, taking the headache out of B2B transactions and earning a profit in the process. Infomediary Sites B2B eCommerce infomediary sites help uphold industry and trade standards as they provide industry information about specific companies. These sites broker information about companies within a given industry and often serve as clearinghouses for industry standards and best practices and trade standards for niche markets Vertical B2B Portals Industry vertical B2B portals serve a broader purpose than other B2B websites. They provide information about products in a niche market or industry. Users can inform each other in discussion forums or view a variety of product listings. Retail Operations with a B2B Sales Arm Many B2B eCommerce sales also have wholesale and B2B operations. These eCommerce websites generate multiple development demands and integrations for skillfully managing both types or operations. Most B2B operations fall into one of these categories, but customizations call help each one to achieve its goals, craft personalized customer experiences, connect with customers and resources, manage operations and build a world-class platform. BUILDING A BUSINESS SOLUTION TODAY FOR YOUR PROBLEMS TOMORROW Tips For B2B eCommerce & Integration Project Management We understand the concerns of stakeholders at Clarity Ventures, but we offer an astonishing level of transparency such as this overview of a real-world project that our development team handled for Clarity and United Methodist Communications. At Clarity Ventures, we handle projects of varying complexity from major eCommerce platform integrations to delivering your desired upgrades. We use the agile approach for faster development because the method is superior for involving multiple stakeholders, fostering communications, matching development to many B2B models and customizing sites to perform efficiently and provide high-quality user experiences for each user. Our work serves many needs and is always completed in the most professional way while involving others deeply in the development process. Call or contact us today to request a quote, consultation or answers to your questions about our project approach. Find out more Click here to review options to gather more info. From resource guides to complimentary expert review... we're here to help! Get More Info GUIDE TO THE BENEFITS, RISKS, AND DETAILS OF DESIGNING A WORLD-CLASS BUSINESS PLATFORM B2B eCommerce Guide Resources B2B eCommerce Guide - Executive Summary B2B eCommerce Guide - Project Approach B2B eCommerce Guide - Website Functionality & Customizations B2B eCommerce Guide - Core Business Features B2B eCommerce Guide - Custom Business Features B2B eCommerce Guide - Back-Office Core Features B2B eCommerce Guide - Back-Office Custom Features B2B eCommerce Guide - Design and Your Company’s Reputation B2B eCommerce Guide - Custom UI / UX B2B eCommerce Guide - Wireframes & Workflows B2B eCommerce Guide - Design Mockups B2B eCommerce Guide - Solution Checklist B2B eCommerce Guide - Online Payments B2B eCommerce Guide - Purchase on Account B2B eCommerce Guide - Shipping & Handling B2B eCommerce Guide - Taxes B2B eCommerce Guide - Deployment Architecture B2B eCommerce Guide - How to Build Your Team B2B eCommerce Guide - Selecting the Right Platform
Project Lifecycle and Milestones During development, the project employed many agile project features, iterations, regular communications and testing. In larger development projects, some phases of B2B development can be divided into subcategories that follow their own lifecycles. Development efforts that require a continuous process can use full agile methodology. The slightly altered semi-agile process used for the United Methodist Communications Project followed this lifecycle: Lifestyles and Milestones, Documents, Roles, Role Assignments, Communications, & Management Monitoring, Supervision, and Change Authorizations.
The Initiation Process In the United Methodist Communications Project, four areas were covered during the initiation process: preparing more detailed Project Summary and Scope of Work and Project Approach documents and hosting a Project Kickoff Meeting with the client and one with the Clarity development team.
Testing and Quality Insurance Testing and quality assurance efforts continue until the final testing. One session involves the development staff, and separate testing session is arranged for the client and executive decision-makers who sign off on the development.
Implementation Strategy During the implementation phase, as anyone involved with development knows, unexpected trouble spots arise in most projects. That’s why Clarity Ventures offers an extraordinary level of service at this stage to train staff, validate the project and deliver documentation and source code. The process includes the following steps: Setting up hosting Offering staff and stakeholder training in using the features Installing the build Performing final validation checks Providing source code and project documentation through all stages of development
E-Procurement Websites These websites function as sites where purchasing agents can manage requests for proposals, submit product bids and eventually buy products after negotiating the contract. These sites usually specialize in fulfilling orders for niche markets or specialized industries.
Broker Sites for B2B eCommerce B2B eCommerce broker sites bring together suppliers and buyers in a particular industry. They act as a safe, secure, and efficient broker for any purchasing transaction, taking the headache out of B2B transactions and earning a profit in the process.
Infomediary Sites B2B eCommerce infomediary sites help uphold industry and trade standards as they provide industry information about specific companies. These sites broker information about companies within a given industry and often serve as clearinghouses for industry standards and best practices and trade standards for niche markets
Vertical B2B Portals Industry vertical B2B portals serve a broader purpose than other B2B websites. They provide information about products in a niche market or industry. Users can inform each other in discussion forums or view a variety of product listings.
Retail Operations with a B2B Sales Arm Many B2B eCommerce sales also have wholesale and B2B operations. These eCommerce websites generate multiple development demands and integrations for skillfully managing both types or operations. Most B2B operations fall into one of these categories, but customizations call help each one to achieve its goals, craft personalized customer experiences, connect with customers and resources, manage operations and build a world-class platform.
Find out more Click here to review options to gather more info. From resource guides to complimentary expert review... we're here to help! Get More Info