Magento Discovery Design

Scope creep, missed requirements, and post-launch surprises on Magento projects are almost always traceable to decisions not made before development started. Shero's Magento discovery process produces a signed-off specification with every requirement, integration, and custom feature documented before any code is written.

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Shopify Premier Partner

16+

Years in business

500+

Projects Delivered

50+

Team Members

98%

Client Retention

16+

years running Magento discovery phases

Shero has delivered Magento discovery and design projects since the platform launched. Magento support is available for brands that complete a discovery and need ongoing maintenance alongside or instead of a full build engagement.

2-4

weeks from kickoff to complete scope document

A Shero Magento discovery engagement produces a documented scope, timeline, user stories, and responsibility matrix within 2-4 weeks

100%

of Shero Magento projects start with discovery

Shero does not begin Magento development without a completed discovery phase. The discovery deliverable is the contract the development is held against

0

scope surprises after a completed discovery

When every major decision is documented before development starts, the surprises that inflate cost and delay launch do not occur

"I wanted to thank you all for a very successful launch. Our accounting and sales teams are thrilled to have this functionality working, and our customers are taking full advantage of these enhancements. We appreciate the partnership and look forward to more."

Bren Rafaelly, Head of Digital Transformation, Benchmade

What Magento discovery covers

The discovery deliverable is the document against which the development project is built. It covers scope, technology decisions, including hosting, integrations, and third-party services, design requirements, and delegated responsibilities across every team involved in the project.

• Stakeholder and team alignment
• Customer persona and user story documentation
• Magento platform capability review
• Project scope and timeline definition
• Integration and technology decisions
• Design and UX requirements

Why Magento merchants start with Shero's discovery process

The most expensive Magento projects are the ones that started development without a complete scope. Discovery is not overhead. It is the phase that determines whether the development budget is spent building the right thing.

01

Smaller scope beats ambitious scope on Magento

Shero's discovery philosophy is that smaller projects are more successful. We avoid adding anything to the Magento project scope that is not necessary or critical for launch. Everything that is nice to have but not required goes to a post-launch roadmap. This keeps the development phase focused and prevents the scope creep that pushes launch dates.

02

Stakeholder alignment documented before development begins

Magento projects involve multiple decision makers: internal teams, third-party integrators, hosting providers, and often an ERP or WMS vendor. Shero identifies every stakeholder, documents their role, and defines the decision-making process before development starts. When a decision needs to be made during development, everyone already knows who makes it.

03

User stories and success criteria written before design begins

Design and development decisions on Magento are better when they are grounded in documented user stories. Shero documents what actions buyers and administrators need to take on the site, what defines a successful completion of each action, and how the site should behave in edge cases. These stories become the acceptance criteria for UAT.

04

Magento platform training included for merchants new to the platform

For merchants migrating to Magento 2 from another platform, Shero includes a platform review session in discovery. This covers Magento's capabilities, its limitations, the decisions that need to be made before configuration begins, and how to evaluate third-party extensions against the project requirements. Merchants who understand the platform make better decisions during development.

05

Technology decisions finalized before development starts

ERP integration approach, third-party extension selection, and B2B configuration decisions are all finalized during discovery. ERP integration complexity is the most common variable that causes Magento build timelines to extend when left unscoped at the start.

06

The discovery deliverable becomes the development specification

The discovery deliverable at Shero is a fixed-scope specification that the build team works from directly. Migration to Shopify uses the same discovery methodology — Magento discovery clients who decide to migrate have their requirements already documented for the Shopify build.

Our Work

View All
Well-known American knife manufacturer

Benchmade

For more than three decades, Benchmade has been known for producing high-quality knives for everyday carry, hunting, rescue, and outdoor use. Launched on Magento Commerce Cloud in 2018, the brand partnered with Shero to tap into the surge in outdoor consumer demand and scale their online presence.

Benchmade
Provide solutions for industrial safety protection

Justrite

JustRite Safety Group is a leading manufacturer of workplace safety products with roots going back to 1906. The brand partnered with Shero to merge four separate Magento stores into a single multi-store megasite, allowing customers to shop across all brands with one shared cart.

Justrite
Musical instruments and audio equipment

Alto Music

A long-standing musical instrument retailer with a loyal customer base, Alto Music partnered with Shero to migrate from Magento 2 to Shopify, preserving their beloved Altobucks loyalty program and delivering a more manageable, cost-effective platform without sacrificing any of the features their customers loved.

Alto Music
Body jewelry and tattoo supplies

Painful Pleasures

Painful Pleasures is a long-standing supplier of body jewelry and tattoo supplies with a catalog of 40,000+ products. The brand partnered with Shero to complete a stalled Magento to Shopify migration and deliver the complex custom features their business depends on.

Painful Pleasures

Most Magento discovery engagements take 2-4 weeks and produce a complete scope, timeline, and specification document before any development spend is committed.

Start with discovery

How Shero runs a Magento discovery engagement

01

Kickoff: Stakeholder Identification and Goals

We identify every stakeholder involved in the project, document business goals, define the decision-making process, and establish the communication cadence for the discovery phase. We also collect access to any existing systems, documentation, and platform accounts needed for the review.

02

Research: Customer Personas and User Stories

We document who will use the site, what they need to accomplish, and what success looks like for each user type. For B2B Magento projects, this includes both buyer personas and administrator user stories covering the daily operations the site needs to support.

03

Platform Review: Magento Capabilities and Limitations

We conduct a thorough review of Magento's native capabilities against the project requirements, identifying where native features cover the requirement and where custom development or third-party extensions are needed. For merchants new to Magento, this session includes platform training.

04

Scope Definition: Features, Integrations, and Timeline

We produce the project scope document covering all required features, integration specifications, design requirements, technology decisions, and a realistic project timeline. The scope is reviewed and signed off by all stakeholders before development begins.

05

Handoff: Discovery Deliverable and Development Readiness

The discovery engagement concludes with delivery of the complete scope document, responsibility matrix, and project timeline. Development begins from a shared understanding of what is being built, who is building which parts, and what the success criteria are for every major feature.

Frequently asked questions.

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What our clients say.

We design experiences that make a difference. See what our clients have to say about working with us.

GEN-Y Hitch

"This has been the most impressive vendor partnership I have experienced. Every meeting felt purposeful, every milestone was clear, and the process was incredibly well-supported from start to finish. Shero delivered a seamless Shopify migration."

Kendra Borkholder

Kendra Borkholder - Operations Support / GEN-Y Hitch

Swag Golf / Strike 2

"We partnered with Shero for the development work on the SWAG site. The dev was highly nuanced, specialized and complex—and the brand demanded a UX that was smooth, straightforward and memorable. The Shero team went above and beyond from the jump. As a partner to us, they were collaborative, organized and professional. As a partner to our client, they consistently set expectations clearly—and usually exceeded them. We were immediately faced with the challenge of getting this site up on a faster timeline than any similar project we’ve done before. Because of Shero’s tight process and expert dev talent, hitting this deadline was a walk in the park. And most importantly they are a group of terrific people and were a delight to work with. I can’t wait for our agencies to partner again."

Matt Kaminsky

Co-founder & Managing Director / Swag Golf / Strike 2

Benchmade Knife Co.

"Working with Shero Commerce for the past three years has been a game-changer for our B2B eCommerce business.Their expertise in email marketing, website support, and eCommerce strategy has significantly improved our online presence and optimized our B2B operations.The team’s dedication to our success is evident, and we’re excited to continue our partnership with them. If you’re looking for a reliable and results-driven eCommerce agency, look no further than Shero."

Joe Prebich

VP of Marketing / Benchmade Knife Co.

Sarris

/ Sarris

And you?

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