MACH interview with GrandVision

Anurag reveals that his experience with MACH began at a previous company that was struggling to modernize its 90s-era monolithic applications. He discusses how the switch to a service-oriented architecture (SOA) and then to MACH facilitated a more efficient and leaner codebase, enabling faster roll-outs of new features and leading to considerable cost savings.

Anurag shares an example of how his current project benefited from the use of MACH, detailing a particularly successful implementation of an appointment booking system during the COVID-19 pandemic. The task was completed in just one-sixth of the estimated time it would have taken using a monolithic system. He also discusses the challenges and trade-offs businesses often face when transitioning from a monolithic to a MACH system, the perceived limitations of MACH, and the questions he would like to pose to other companies embarking on the MACH journey. His insights provide a unique perspective on the transformational potential of MACH for businesses.

Could you share with me some insights about your company and your journey with MACH?

I first encountered MACH at a previous company, where we were still relying on monolithic applications from the 90s. The organization was somewhat resistant to change, despite the constantly evolving business environment and the incessant demand for new features. At some point, we decided to explore microservices and service-oriented architecture (SOA), which eventually led me to MACH because of its unique approach to addressing these challenges.

In the current project, we’ve been using MACH for about 4.5 years. We’ve been able to leverage its best-of-breed capabilities for our banner systems, and it’s been an easy plug-and-play experience. Our new stakeholders are also realizing the benefits of MACH, especially the speed at which it allows us to roll out updates.

The time to market with MACH is incredibly fast; we’ve been able to deploy to 15 countries within just two weeks. We had an opportunity to test a new feature – a virtual, AI-enabled 360-degree glasses try-on service – and could do so swiftly. It allowed us to recommend products based on the customer’s facial shape and suggest lenses with slight alterations, like being 2mm longer.

MACH has empowered us to experiment with new features, even when we lack concrete data to prove their potential benefits upfront. Plus, it helps to keep our codebase lean, which significantly cuts costs.

The predictability MACH offers is powerful. It’s allowed us to retain talent with a proven track record and smoothly integrate analytics into our operations.

We first tested MACH with an appointment booking system, a project that was born during the COVID-19 pandemic. The old system was rooted in a monolith, which made any change complex and time-consuming. But with MACH and a frontend team working with ReactJS components, we were able to complete the task in one-sixth of the estimated time. We soon realized the need to innovate further due to the pandemic, leading us to provide prescription glasses online. The whole process – from concept to minimum viable product (MVP) – took just a few months.

This experience with MACH made our project timelines, resource requirements, and feature delivery more predictable, which has greatly simplified our business case. Unsurprisingly, our business users and investors were delighted.

Was there a trade-off for business users?

Indeed, there’s always a trade-off between the vast feature set of a monolith and the nimbleness of MACH. The business side always wants every feature implemented immediately. We have to constantly discuss the absolutely necessary features, what will make it to the MVP, and what features can wait. It’s crucial to always remain aware of our technical capabilities and limitations.

Are the business users more understanding now about why you are doing this?

As we transition into a new company still using the Waterfall model, agility has become a priority for our business users. When they require a new vendor, they bring their requirements and preferred vendors to the IT team for evaluation. This streamlined approach bypasses the traditional Request for Proposal (RFP) process, enabling faster action.

More and more people are joining this new way of working. In previous companies, there was some frustration because senior leadership considered the shift to MACH as both risky and expensive.

What are the limitations of MACH?

There are certain products we will never build ourselves, like some of the robust e-commerce platforms like Commercetools. We also won’t attempt to recreate Product Inventory Management (PIM) and CMS systems. We prefer to use the best-in-class platforms for these tasks. For instance, we utilize platforms with plugins for Identity and Access Management, which allow us to interact with customers in an omni-channel manner.

However, we’re currently tethered to a JS-based system. Ideally, we’d prefer a pure headless CMS.

What questions would you like to ask other brands embarking on the MACH journey?

I’m curious to know how they manage their budgets, considering the continuous desire to do more and improve the platform. How do they prioritize? Additionally, how do they take advantage of offloading DevOps?

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