Decide which system owns each record
Product, customer, order, and stock data need a named owner before the build starts.
If ownership is unclear, the project turns into reconciliation work.
Map the order path end to end
The storefront is only one step in the process. The team also needs to know how the order reaches finance, fulfilment, shipping, and support.
- Catalogue updates
- Order routing
- Shipping and fulfilment
Set the fallback before the failure happens
A failed sync needs a rule, not a guess.
Retry logic, alerting, and manual fallback should be part of the scope, not something added after launch.
Check the reporting chain early
If the store, ERP, and back office do not agree on totals, the business cannot trust the reporting.
That is the point where a buyer should ask whether the integration is feeding operations or creating more reconciliation.
Ask who handles support after go-live
The first-line owner, escalation path, and response window should be clear before the system goes live.
Otherwise the business ends up building its own support process under pressure.
Test the awkward cases with live samples
Use partial orders, cancelled payments, missing SKUs, and out-of-stock replacements to check the integration path.
The messy cases show whether the system is ready to trade, not just ready to demo.
Keep support ownership explicit
The support arrangement should say who sees the issue first, who can change the integration, and what gets escalated immediately.
That avoids a launch where everyone knows the problem is real but nobody knows who should act first.
Write the fallback into the release plan
If a sync fails or a payment response breaks, the team needs the manual path written down before launch.
That makes the release safer because the business can keep trading while the technical fix is being handled.