Our Agile methodology

B2B eCommerce projects are complex. It’s tempting to try to handle that complexity by grasping for every detail up front, planning it all out, and creating a vast list of requirements before customers or internal users have seen the software in action.

While this approach works well in many areas of the enterprise, we find it isn’t ideal for B2B eCommerce. The web channel touches so many parts of the organization, it’s rare that any one stakeholder knows about every requirement. While internal meetings can bring visibility into the requirements of other departments, it’s far more efficient to uncover those requirements by testing a live, working version of the software in front of key stakeholders (including customers).

This is the thinking behind Corevist’s Agile rollout methodology.

Uncovering hidden requirements with our Agile methodology

You can’t uncover software requirements in a vacuum. Customer surveys and internal meetings all have their place in crafting “what our web channel should be,” but they can only take you so far. At some point, you have to put the real, live software in front of users and see if it works for them.

Here’s the drawback of traditional, waterfall methods: They save this real, live introduction for the end of the project. Customers and internal users are introduced to the software only after GoLive, when it’s often too difficult or expensive to make significant changes.

It’s much simpler to introduce users to the software before GoLive. Let them test it out with real use cases (like placing an order, paying off an invoice, etc.) and ask them, “Why can’t we launch the software in this state, today?” You may be surprised at the responses to this question. It’s how we uncover things which matter to customers—and the things which don’t matter. In the latter case, you may end up striking requirements which you thought were essential, which saves you from wasting time and resources on the project.

This early testing is essential to launching with the functionality you actually need. It’s the foundation of our method.

An iterative journey toward perfection

Everyone wants perfection from the web channel. Millions in revenue are at stake—if not hundreds of millions or more. The solution must meet the needs of every stakeholder without introducing any friction.

Trouble is, it’s difficult to attain perfection in one fell swoop. In fact, we have a saying here at Corevist—you should pursue perfection pragmatically. In other words, don’t wait until you have 100% perfection to launch. This leads to paralysis, because you’ll never get there. Rather, prioritize your requirements, launch a first iteration so you start getting value immediately, and continue to refine in successive iterations.

This philosophy is so central to our work, it’s one of our 5 Core Values.

This is where our Agile approach stands out. Our solution is 80% done on Day 1, and in each successive Focus Group, our goal is to deal with 80% of the remainder. You can see the progression with a little simple math:

• Project Initiation Workshop – We’re 80% done.
• Focus Group 1 – Covering 80% of the remainder, we’re now 96% done.
• Focus Group 2 – Covering 80% of the remainder, we’re now 99.2% done.
• Focus Group 3 – Covering 80% of the remainder, we’re now 99.84% done.

This is why we like to say we hit 99.84% perfection after our Project Initiation Workshop and 3 Focus Groups. It’s how we incorporate real feedback from your internal users and customers to ensure your web channel is tailored to your unique needs.

Moving forward: FREE case study

Want to see how our Agile methodology works in real life? Download this case study on a Fortune 1000 Manufacturer who chose Corevist. The company had an audacious goal—to transition $100M in existing digital revenue to a new platform, then grow it to $500M over several years. Learn how Corevist delivered an early win, with 204% revenue growth to $76M/quarter—and counting.

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