Building a Magento 2 e-commerce platform with an in-house team
Let’s talk a bit about the technical team for such a project.
When building an e-commerce platform using Magento 2, it’s important to have a team that is experienced in using the platform and has a range of skills to handle the various aspects of the project. Some of the key roles that you may need to include on your team are:
- Project Manager: This person will be responsible for overseeing the entire project and making sure that it stays on track and within budget. They will need to be highly organized and able to communicate effectively with all team members. You may consider to go with a Product Owner and a Scrum Master. Or one person that covers both roles.
- Magento 2 Backend Developer: This person will be responsible for customizing the Magento platform to meet the specific needs of your business. They should have extensive experience working with Magento and be familiar with its core features and functionality.
- Magento 2 Front-end Developer: This person will be responsible for creating the user-facing aspects of the website, including the design and layout. They should have experience with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as an understanding of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design. About the HTML and Javascript part — it’s worth mentioning that knockout.js is a key component of Magento 2 frontend and prior experience is useful.
- Quality assurance (QA) tester: This person will be responsible for testing the website to ensure that it is free of bugs and meets all functional requirements. They should have experience with manual and automated testing techniques, as well as an understanding of software quality standards. You can also consider including a dedicated person for covering the business flows with automated tests.
Overall, it’s important to have a team that is experienced and has a diverse set of skills to handle the various aspects of building an e-commerce platform using Magento 2.
Headless setup
Magento 2 in a headless mode may require additional human resources, depending on the complexity of your project and the skills of your existing team. In a headless setup, the front-end and back-end of your website are decoupled, with the front-end being powered by a JavaScript framework such as React or Angular, and the back-end is powered by Magento. This allows for greater flexibility and scalability, but it also requires a different set of skills and expertise to implement.
If your existing team is not experienced in working with JavaScript frameworks and has limited experience with headless architectures, you may need to bring in additional resources to handle the front-end development and integration with Magento. This could include hiring additional front-end developers and potentially a headless architect to lead the project and ensure that it is implemented correctly.
On the other hand, if your team is already experienced with JavaScript frameworks and has worked on headless projects before, you may not need to hire additional resources. In this case, your existing team should be able to handle the front-end development and integration with Magento without any additional support.
Overall, using Magento 2 in a headless mode can provide many benefits, but it also requires a different set of skills and expertise. Whether or not you need to hire additional human resources will depend on the specific needs of your project and the capabilities of your existing team.
There are a few potential ways to go, for example with AEM from Adobe or hyva theme. Or start from venia theme. There is no one size fits all type of approach here.
Do I need a dedicated Magento 2 Technical Architect?
A Technical Architect is a senior-level position that is responsible for designing and implementing the technical architecture of a software system. In the context of Magento 2, a Technical Architect would be responsible for creating a robust and scalable architecture for your e-commerce platform, taking into account factors such as performance, security, and integration with other systems.
If you have a complex project that requires a custom architecture and integration with multiple systems, you may benefit from having a Magento 2 Technical Architect on your team. This person would be responsible for leading the technical design and implementation of the project, and ensuring that it meets all functional and non-functional requirements. They would also be responsible for mentoring and guiding other members of the team, and ensuring that the architecture is well-documented and easy to maintain.
On the other hand, if you have a simple project with minimal customizations and no external integrations, you may not need a Magento 2 Technical Architect. In this case, your existing team should be able to handle the technical design and implementation without any additional support.
Overall, whether or not you need a Magento 2 Technical Architect will depend on the complexity of your project and the capabilities of your existing team. It’s important to assess your needs carefully and make sure that you have the right resources in place to ensure the success of your project.
Infrastructure and DevOps
Infrastructure refers to the physical or virtual resources that are required to support the operation of your e-commerce platform, such as servers, storage, and networking. Depending on the size and complexity of your platform, you may need to invest in a robust and scalable infrastructure that can support high levels of traffic and data.
Devops is the practice of combining software development and operations to ensure that your platform is delivered and maintained efficiently and effectively. This may involve automating processes, such as deployment and monitoring, to reduce the time and effort required to manage the platform.
Overall, when building an e-commerce platform using Magento 2, it’s important to consider not only the human resources that are needed, but also the infrastructure and devops support that are required to host and maintain the platform. This will help ensure that your platform is delivered on time and within budget, and that it is able to scale and evolve as your business grows.
If you want to use AWS, for example,and have in-house expertise, you may want to consider hiring a DevOps Engineer or a Cloud Solutions Architect.
A DevOps Engineer is a technical role that is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the infrastructure and processes that support the development, deployment, and operation of software systems. This could include automating the deployment and scaling of applications, monitoring and logging, and managing the integration of different systems. A DevOps Engineer who is experienced with AWS would be able to help you design and implement a scalable and reliable infrastructure on the AWS platform.
A Cloud Solutions Architect is a senior-level role that is responsible for designing and implementing cloud-based solutions that meet the business and technical requirements of an organization. This could include choosing the appropriate cloud services, designing the architecture and deployment of applications, and ensuring that the solution is secure and compliant. A Cloud Solutions Architect who is experienced with AWS would be able to help you design and implement a cloud-based solution on the AWS platform that meets the specific needs of your business.
Overall, a DevOps Engineer or a Cloud Solutions Architect who is experienced with AWS would be able to provide the in-house expertise that you need to successfully use the AWS platform for your e-commerce platform.
You can also use an external vendor to cover the infrastructure part. In some cases, this may prove a more reliable and cost-effective person instead of a full-time in-house resource dedicated only to DevOps.
