Audit scope before replatforming: what to check before budget

A large replatform often starts too early: the team is already debating stack, design and timelines before understanding the real constraints. In e-commerce this is risky. Catalog, search, checkout, ERP, CRM, payments, delivery, SEO and user roles affect budget more than framework choice.

Before estimation, you need a compact audit scope. Not a 100-page document, but a practical decision map for the owner, CTO and marketing team.

What belongs in the audit scope

• Critical flows. Category, product page, search, filters, cart, checkout, account and returning-user scenarios.
• Integrations. ERP, CRM, payments, delivery providers, marketplaces, analytics, email/SMS and external APIs that affect launch.
• Data and SEO. URL structure, canonical, sitemap, redirects, indexing, content fields and organic-traffic risk.
• Release path. Git Flow, staging, tests, rollback, acceptance owners and environment access.
• Baseline metrics. Speed of key pages, API errors, zero-result searches, conversion by step, lead form and analytics events.

What should not be promised before discovery

For custom development, a final fixed price should not be promised before scope, integrations, data, roles, workflows and acceptance criteria are clear. The healthier path is to separate base scope from optional/client-specific blocks, give a budget range and propose a small verifiable work slice.

Fixed pricing fits productized formats such as Frontbox subscription or a written pilot scope. Replatforming, integrations and non-standard websites need estimation from facts.

The next step that reduces risk

After audit scope, the right next step is usually not a full rewrite. It is a limited pilot, integration spike or release-support phase. The team gets a staging link, acceptance criteria and a measurable result. The client sees speed, communication quality and real risk before a large commitment.

WGP describes this route on the process page: 48-hour audit, scope before budget, Friday demos and zero-downtime launch. To compare formats, see pricing and delivery models or start with a pilot. For a concrete review, send the current site and 3-5 business goals through the contact form.