Preparing a Magento upgrade: steps, budget and risks

1. Identify your installation and intended target

List the exact Magento edition and version, applied patches, theme, extensions and custom developments. Add the hosting environment and main connected software. This inventory is needed to discuss a realistic target.

Support, system requirements and compatibility must be checked in official documentation at the time of the project. An old article mentioning a version is not sufficient grounds to recommend that version today. Adobe publishes an upgrade preparation guide and a release schedule to consult.

2. Clarify the scope and dependencies

Ask which components need to change with the platform, which extensions have a compatible version and which custom modules need adaptation. Outstanding responses from vendors must be included in the schedule, as they may determine the next steps.

Distinguish the necessary upgrade from new features you would like to add. Both can be planned, but their validations must remain identifiable. This helps your teams understand the changes and isolate the cause of any problem.

3. Define acceptance scenarios with business teams

Acceptance testing must reflect your usage: products and variants, customer login, promotions, payment, shipping and order tracking. Add administrative tasks and ERP, CRM or PIM data flows. Tests are prepared in a suitable environment with test data and services where necessary.

For each scenario, specify the expected outcome and who can approve it. An order received in Magento but missing from the ERP is not a completed journey. Evidence of validation and outstanding defects must be available before the switchover decision.

• Catalogue, search, categories and product availability.
• Customer accounts, discounts and commercial rules.
• Payment, shipping and order processing.
• Imports, exports and exchanges with business tools.

4. Prepare for production deployment risks

Risks to examine include an incompatible component, a regression in a journey, interrupted data exchange or a configuration difference between environments. The aim is to anticipate them through checks and designated owners.

Plan backups and rollback conditions. If orders or other data have been created after the switchover, returning to an earlier state requires addressing their consistency. This must be described in the intervention plan, with the criteria that trigger a stop or rollback.

5. Define the budget and expected contributions

The scope depends on the gap between versions, module adaptations, integrations and required checks. Vendor services, licences and hosting must be distinguished from AXELITES' work. Incomplete information may justify an audit before an implementation proposal.

We offer competitive prices to prepare and carry out your Magento upgrade. Contact us for more details. Also specify your teams' availability for acceptance testing and the commercial periods to avoid: these help organise the intervention.

6. Decide on the switchover and monitor operations

Launch is decided based on validations, remaining defects and planned recovery conditions. A maintenance window suited to the business is agreed with the teams. Opening checks must cover sales and background processing.

After production deployment, monitor the first orders, errors, synchronisations and user feedback over the agreed period. Findings are compared with the previous situation. Installation documentation is updated to make the next intervention easier.

Sources and documentation

• Adobe: preparing the upgrade process