Why an ACE Magento Commerce Business Practitioner Is Important to Every Adobe Commerce Project
Written by Jenna Warren, Vice-President and a Magento Certified Business Practitioner at Creatuity.
In 2014 the first Magento Certified Solution Specialist exam was released. After years of working with Magento, I was proud to become one of the first to earn this certificate.
Then in 2017, I was honored to be asked to join the Advisory Board that created the, Magento 2 Certified Solution Specialist (M2CSS) exam, which is now the Adobe Commerce Business Practitioner Expert Certification. With the release of the Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) Commerce exam, I wanted to share a bit more about why a Business Practitioner is critical to every Adobe Commerce project.
In this ACE Commerce Business Practitioner certification guide:
- What is an ACE Commerce Business Practitioner?
- Why are ACE Commerce Business Practitioners so important?
- ACE Commerce Business Practitioner Certification
- What does the future hold for ACE Commerce Business Practitioners?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is an ACE Commerce Business Practitioner?
An ACE Commerce Business Practitioner knows the features and architecture of the Adobe Commerce platform thoroughly, as well as the general ecommerce landscape, and can effectively apply this knowledge. Business Practitioners could work directly for a merchant, through an agency such as Creatuity or as freelance consultants.
Business Practitioners represent a cross-functional group of professionals who have often learned through experience over a long period of time. It’s no surprise that their exact job titles can vary quite a bit, along with their roles and responsibilities.
Adobe Commerce Business Practitioner job titles.
Job titles span:
- Adobe Commerce Architect
- Solution Consultant
- Ecommerce Manager
- Project Manager
- Digital Marketing Director
- Business Analyst
Many Business Practitioners work in the Admin Panel, managing day-to-day operations like merchandising and promotions. Some are involved in architecting the project initially before building the site, while others are Certified Developers who help implement the requirements.
Adobe Commerce Business Practitioner responsibilities.
Additional responsibilities of a Commerce Business Practitioner include:
- Gathering business requirements and making a project plan.
- Designing the architecture for a new site.
- Managing the project and the development team.
- Assisting developers with tasks like migrating data, completing quality assurance, and final testing.
- Providing training on how to use the new system(s) effectively.
- Managing deployment workflows to ensure a smooth final launch.
- Optimizing the site and adding new features.
- Managing website operations, such as advertising or customer experience.
Why are ACE Commerce Business Practitioners so important?
In my years of working with Adobe Commerce, powered by Magento, I have seen many real-world examples of mistakes and/or failures that could have been avoided by following the advice of a seasoned Business Practitioner.
For example – when a merchant called Creatuity panicking because their website was down. Our quick investigation showed that a non-certified marketing consultant had attempted to install an extension directly on the live site.
An experienced Commerce Business Practitioner would always recommend installing an extension on a development site first, for this exact reason. Additionally, this extension happened to be a feature (Google Tag Manager) that is already included in the merchant’s Adobe Commerce license – so it was completely unnecessary.
This is a great example of why everyone accessing your Adobe Commerce site should be certified. At the very least, they should consult with a certified individual prior to making changes. This example was quick to rollback, but the mistake still cost the merchant significantly.
Business Practitioners are trained at gathering business needs thoroughly, to define precise, measurable software requirements. They can identify requirements that are covered in core functionality, to avoid unnecessary additional costs.
Commerce Business Practitioners also know how to effectively manage software development processes to ensure the project is on-time and within budget. There are numerous examples of ways that hiring a Business Practitioner can save you time, money, and frustration.
It’s not uncommon to be charged higher rates for Business Practitioners than developers because their unique skill set is incredibly valuable to the merchant.
ACE Commerce Business Practitioner Certification.
Adobe Commerce recognizes the importance of a Business Practitioner to your project. It requires Solution Partners to employ Certified Business Practitioners in addition to Certified Developers.
Whether you’re building a new site or migrating to Adobe Commerce, a Business Practitioner has expertise that can help you achieve your goals — and we’ve organized a certification exam to verify their expertise.
The Adobe Commerce 2 Certified Business Practitioner exam covers a wide variety of skills that are important for the job, as well as applying that knowledge to real-world scenarios.
For example, it’s important to know how to set up a Shopping Cart Price Rule and how you can use it for specific promotion requirements that merchants need.
Topics covered can include:
- PCI Compliance
- Protecting ecommerce user data
- Software Development Life Cycle
- SMART requirements
- Creating layered navigation
- Guest customers
- Shipping methods
- Wishlists
- Differences between omni-channel and multichannel retailing
- Content Staging
Critical knowledge like security recommendations and Adobe Commerce architecture ensures the certified person working on the project avoids making costly mistakes.
How to Become an Adobe Commerce Business Practitioner.
Many of the questions in the test concern architecture and eCommerce.
- Architecture — layout, themes, customizations, and extensions.
- Ecommerce — order processing, promotions, shipping, and import/export.
Broadly speaking, passing the exam confirms that your knowledge of Adobe Commerce and eCommerce in general is up to date. You will prove that you can:
- Align a company’s objectives with the functionality of Adobe Commerce.
- Avoid timewasting with unnecessary customization.
- Optimize the use of native features.
There is a strong focus on practical knowledge, with questions that could directly impact on a project in the real world.
The test consists of 75 multiple-choice questions, 70 of which are scored, with 95 minutes allowed to answer them. The Business Practitioner test pass score is 75%, so around 53 questions need to be answered correctly.
What does the future hold for ACE Commerce Business Practitioners?
The world of ecommerce is changing constantly – and Adobe Commerce, powered by Magento continues to release even more innovative technology. From PWAs to the B2B Module, Commerce Business Practitioners must do more than just pass one exam.
They must continually improve and constantly seek new, better solutions. One of the best ways that the Business Practitioner community can continue to learn and innovate is through sharing our knowledge.
Please join the Adobe Commerce Community Hub to interact with Adobe Commerce experts and explore additional resources.
About the author – Jenna Warren, Creatuity.
Jenna Warren is Vice-President and an Adobe Certified Business Practitioner at Creatuity. Jenna advises eCommerce merchants on long-term eCommerce strategy and sustainable competitive advantage in an ever-changing digital environment.
Passionate about eCommerce, Jenna speaks and writes about Business Practitioner-related topics, such as Conversion Rate Optimization and Omni-Channel Strategies.
Creatuity is an award-winning Enterprise Solution Partner based in Dallas, Texas. They specialize in Adobe Commerce design, development, and optimization.
ACE Commerce Business Practitioner FAQs.
What do Business Practitioners do when they build an Adobe Commerce site?
Commerce Business Practitioners perform tasks including:
- Gathering requirements from stakeholders.
- Defining technical requirements.
- Managing the development team on the project.
- Recommending ways to increase ROI.
- Saving time and money by mapping requirements to core functionality, where possible.
- Ensuring PCI compliance.
Why do companies verify ACE Commerce Certification and why is it important?
Many small- and medium-sized businesses use Adobe Commerce. It’s important they have people on board that can prove they are qualified to work on big projects. Expertise in Adobe Commerce can take years, and businesses don’t want to be put at risk, so certification brings them peace of mind.
What’s the best way to prepare for the exam?
There are several things you can do to get ready for the Commerce Business Practitioner test:
- Make sure you’re clear on the basics.
- Train by using Adobe Digital Learning Services and Adobe Experience League.
- Work on live projects.
- Take practice tests.