Shopify Headless Scope of Work (Template for Hydrogen, Storefront API, and Complex Builds)

Headless Shopify projects do not fail because the technology is unclear.

They fail because the scope is not explicit about architecture decisions, integration boundaries, and what “feature complete” means across two separate systems.

This scope of work template is designed for Shopify Plus agencies scoping headless builds in Google Docs, with the detail you need to control risk without writing a novel.

Search results for “Shopify headless” are usually platform and technical explainers (Shopify pages, agency blogs) covering:

• what headless is
• benefits and trade-offs
• Hydrogen examples

What is missing is a practical, agency-ready scope structure that defines:

• the architecture choices and their implications
• integration responsibilities across services
• performance targets and what is excluded
• phased delivery so you can launch without scoping the universe

That is what this template focuses on.

Before you list any features, lock down the decisions that shape everything.

Key decisions to capture:

• Storefront approach: Hydrogen, custom frontend, or a hybrid
• Hosting: where the storefront runs and who manages it
• Content: Shopify only, or Shopify + CMS (Sanity, Contentful, Strapi)
• Search: Shopify search, third-party search, or custom
• Checkout: Shopify checkout, custom checkout (rare), or mixed flows
• Auth and accounts: native customer accounts vs custom
• B2B: whether B2B features are required and which model applies

If these are implicit, the scope will be rewritten mid-project.

Clients often treat Hydrogen as “faster”. It can be, but it does not remove scope.

Write the implications into the scope:

Hydrogen (and Shopify’s headless tooling) can reduce effort for:

• standard storefront patterns
• data fetching patterns aligned with Shopify
• getting a baseline storefront live quickly

Custom builds increase effort when:

• you need complex personalisation
• you have non-standard content modelling
• you have heavy integration logic in the storefront layer
• you require unusual routing, multi-store behaviour, or advanced merchandising

Your scope should include a clear statement:

• “This project includes [Hydrogen/custom] storefront implementation. Any change to the chosen architecture requires a change request.”

A headless build is a system. If you try to scope it as one big launch, you will either oversell or overbuild.

A practical phase model:

• Phase 1: Discovery, architecture, and baseline scope sign-off
• Phase 2: MVP storefront (core templates and checkout flow)
• Phase 3: Integrations, CMS, and advanced merchandising
• Phase 4: Optimisation, performance hardening, and roll-out

This makes change control easier: “that is Phase 3, not Phase 2” is clearer than “that is out of scope”.

Performance is often the reason headless is chosen, which means it must be scoped carefully.

In the scope, specify:

• which pages are in the performance standard (home, collection, product, cart)
• what you will measure (lab metrics, real user monitoring)
• what is in your control (front-end code, caching strategy)
• what is not in your control (third-party scripts, client marketing tags)

Avoid guaranteeing a score you cannot control. Instead:

• define a performance budget and an agreed testing process

Headless projects tend to accumulate integrations:

• subscriptions
• reviews
• loyalty
• personalisation
• CRM and email
• fulfilment and ERP

A scope should:

• list the integrations explicitly
• define who owns configuration vs development
• define test cases (what “working” means)
• define what is excluded (new integrations, expanded requirements)

Field	Value
Client	[Client name]
Project	Shopify headless build
Version	v[0.1]
Date	[DD Month YYYY]
Prepared by	[Name]

[Why headless, and what business outcome it supports.]

• Storefront framework: [Hydrogen / Next.js / other]
• Hosting provider: [provider, environment]
• Content system: [Shopify only / Shopify + CMS]
• Search approach: [native / third party]
• Checkout approach: [Shopify checkout]
• Accounts/auth: [approach]
• Markets/languages: [list]

• Architecture workshop and decision log
• Technical design document (routing, data fetching, caching)
• Finalised template list and component list (Appendix A/B)
• Non-functional requirements: performance, security, observability

• Implement core templates: home, collection, product, cart
• Implement navigation, search, and core merchandising
• Implement checkout handoff to Shopify
• Implement error handling and empty states

• Content model design
• CMS setup and schema configuration
• Content entry and migration for: [X items/pages]

Integrations in scope (Appendix C). For each integration:

• configuration responsibilities
• data requirements
• test cases

• QA against acceptance checklist (Section 6)
• UAT support for [X] feedback rounds
• Deployment pipeline and environment setup
• Launch plan and rollback plan
• Handover documentation and training

Unless explicitly listed, the following are excluded:

• New integrations not listed in Appendix C
• Custom checkout build (beyond Shopify-supported approach)
• Bespoke backend services and custom app development (unless scoped)
• Content production (copywriting, photography, video)
• Performance score guarantees outside agreed testing approach
• Ongoing maintenance and support beyond the post-launch window

Milestone	Target
Discovery complete and scope sign-off	[date]
MVP storefront ready for UAT	[date]
Integrations complete	[date]
Performance hardening complete	[date]
Launch	[date]

• Build the scoped storefront and integrations
• Provide QA, deployment support, and handover

• Provide access to Shopify admin and third-party services
• Provide content and assets by agreed dates
• Provide consolidated feedback within [X] business days
• Own decisions on architecture options where trade-offs exist

Work is accepted when:

• Scoped templates and components are implemented
• Checkout flow completes successfully via Shopify
• Integrations pass agreed test cases
• Performance testing is completed using the agreed method
• No critical defects remain

A change request is required when:

• Architecture decisions change (framework, hosting, CMS)
• Additional templates/components are added
• Integrations are added or requirements expand
• Markets/languages expand beyond the agreed list
• Performance requirements change materially

Process:

1. Change described in writing
2. Impact assessed (scope, timeline, fees)
3. Approval in writing
4. Work scheduled

• Home
• Collection
• Product
• Cart
• [Additional templates]

• Header/navigation
• Footer
• Product media gallery
• Variant selector
• Add to cart
• [Additional components]

For each: owner, responsibilities, test cases.

• [Subscriptions]
• [Reviews]
• [Loyalty]

Yes. A theme build is largely bounded by Shopify’s theme model, while headless introduces separate hosting, frameworks, and integration boundaries. Your scope must explicitly capture architecture decisions and non-functional requirements.

You should still scope it explicitly. Hydrogen can accelerate common patterns, but it does not remove decisions about content, integrations, performance budgets, and the template model.

Include a performance testing method and a budget, not a guarantee you cannot control. Define what you will measure, on which pages, and what inputs can change the results (third-party scripts, tracking tags).

In Google Docs, as the source of truth for delivery. RuleDox is designed to assemble headless scopes in Google Docs from variables and approved modules, which is useful when scope complexity is high.

Turn the approved scope into a delivery plan with milestones, responsibilities, and change triggers. If you also need a more general Shopify scope baseline, use /content/shopify/shopify-scope-of-work-template.

Headless scope is a risk management exercise. If you want to make it repeatable, pair this with /content/ai/automate-scope-of-work-google-docs and /content/ai/proposal-tools-vs-scope-assembly.