This page compares the cost of running the current platform against the investment required to build and operate SS3.0.
Current Platform Cost#
The platform team has already been right-sized as part of this transition. 2 BAs and 2 QAs have been removed from the original pool.
| Role | Count | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Architect | 1 | $7,779 |
| Application Developers | 7 | $44,811 |
| Web Developers | 12 | $75,628 |
| Web Designers | 4 | $20,006 |
| QA | 6 | $28,896 |
| BA | 3 | $19,114 |
| AWS & DevOps | 3 | $18,062 |
| DBA | 2 | $12,224 |
| PM | 1 | $7,409 |
| Total | 39 | $233,929/mo |
Annual run cost: ~$2,807,148/year
These reductions save $22,374/month ($268,493/year) compared to the original 43-person, $256,303/month baseline.
SS3.0 Development Investment#
SS3.0 is built over a 4-month development window using two staffing sources.
Repurposed from the active team#
Six roles shift from maintaining the current platform to building SS3.0. No new cash outlay — cost attribution moves, not the payroll.
| Role | Monthly |
|---|---|
| 1× Enterprise Architect | $7,779 |
| 3× Developers (2 BE + 1 FE) | $19,205 |
| 1× BA | $6,371 |
| 1× Infra / DevOps | $6,021 |
| Subtotal | $39,376/mo |
Current platform cost during development: $233,929 − $39,376 = $194,553/mo
New hires#
All remaining SS3.0 roles are filled as new hires. This is the only true incremental cash spend.
| Role | Monthly |
|---|---|
| 1× PM | $7,409 |
| 1× DBA | $6,112 |
| 2× QA | $9,632 |
| 3× Developers | $19,205 |
| 1× UX Engineer | ~$5,002 |
| 1× BA | $6,371 |
| 1× Infra / DevOps | $6,021 |
| Subtotal | $59,752/mo |
One-time investment: $59,752 × 4 months = ~$239,008
Net Cost During Development#
| Baseline | During SS3.0 build | |
|---|---|---|
| Current platform (6 repurposed out) | $233,929/mo | $194,553/mo |
| New hires | — | $59,752/mo |
| Monthly total | $233,929 | $254,305 |
| 4-month total | $935,716 | $1,017,220 |
Net incremental spend over 4 months: ~$81,504
The new-hire investment is ~$239K. The net additional burn above the current baseline is ~$82K, because the repurposed 6 are already on payroll.
Post-Launch Savings#
Post-launch team composition is to be defined. The table below illustrates the range of outcomes based on how lean the SS3.0 operating team is.
| Team reduction | Monthly saving | Annual saving | Payback on $239K |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15% (~6 roles) | ~$35,089 | ~$421K | ~6.8 months |
| 25% (~10 roles) | ~$58,482 | ~$702K | ~4.1 months |
| 35% (~14 roles) | ~$81,875 | ~$983K | ~2.9 months |
Industry benchmarks for modern platform migrations put maintenance headcount reduction at 20–30%, driven by reduced tech debt, automated CI/CD pipelines, and reusable per-store modules.
Savings not captured in the table above:
- Faster release cycles reduce manual deployment overhead
- Modular services lower QA effort per change
- Improved observability reduces incident response time and cost
- Per-store module reuse reduces onboarding cost for each new store
Summary#
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Original annual run cost (43 people) | $3,075,636 |
| Revised annual run cost (39 people) | $2,807,148 |
| Saving already realised (BA/QA reduction) | $268,493/year |
| SS3.0 new-hire investment (4 months) | ~$239,008 |
| Net incremental spend above revised baseline | ~$81,504 |
| Peak monthly during development | $254,305 |
| Post-launch annual saving | TBD — est. $421K–$983K |
| Estimated payback period | TBD — est. 3–7 months |
The platform has already been trimmed by 4 roles, saving $268K/year. SS3.0 development requires a new-hire investment of ~$239K over 4 months, with a net additional burn of only ~$82K above the current baseline. At a conservative 25% post-launch team reduction, the investment pays back in ~4 months.