The Importance of eCommerce Requirements to your Business – Pt. 3
Before beginning the third chapter in this article, I would highly recommend you read part one and part two of our article about ecommerce requirements to give you a better idea of what you are getting into.
But hey, I’m not going to stop you if you only want to read part three of the article! If you feel confident to delve right into it, go ahead.
Accountability for ecommerce project development
The final benefit that comes from ecommerce requirements is increasing the level of accountability that is held by your platform developer and software partners.
By understanding (to a greater degree) your needs from each application and your platform as a whole, you are granted greater contractual and legal power when dealing with your developers.
Although not necessarily malicious, the retail ecommerce industry can be fraught with misunderstandings and power imbalances swaying towards the side of the developer because of their expertise. This, combined with the ambiguity that comes with no or few requirements, means there can be a tendency for quarrels or blunders to occur throughout a project.
Various aspects of contracts can be open to interpretation without documented requirements; How fast is a ‘fast‘ load time? What non-functional requirements are necessary to your project?
Collecting ecommerce requirements and incorporating them into legally binding contracts assures a certain level of accountability from your developers. Rather than being left to interpretation, the final product of the project becomes set in stone, shifting the onus of getting the project’s requirements right from your shoulders to theirs.
Theoretically, ecommerce requirements give a steadier project scope and budget as they minimise disputes, misunderstandings and mid-project changes or ‘add-ins’. Requirements provide a clear, detailed vision for development that effectively removes any sort of ‘interpretation’ from contract clauses or functionality requirements.
Conclusion
Clearly defined sets of ecommerce requirements become accountability measures and tools for forward planning when gathering an understanding of your business’s ecommerce needs. It is simply not feasible to skip them. By sowing understanding and giving yourself a strong foundation for your project, you will be reaping the rewards further into the your business’s ecommerce lifecycle.
The team at Hitworks is here to make your life easier and provide the information you need to make vital business decisions. We are experts with formulated requirement capturing methods aimed at getting the most from your next project. We love to hear your questions or comments. Simply email us at info@hitworks.com.au or comment below.