Maximizing the value of CX modernization with micro frontends

This post is part of a research collaboration between McKinsey and RAVL.

As McKinsey has written previously, using micro frontends—a development approach that divides a frontend application into small, self-contained modules that are built and deployed independently—can allow companies to rapidly upgrade aspects of their customer experience (CX), creating value and enhancing performance without adding capacity (that is, additional developers). Simply put, when implemented properly, micro frontends can help companies use existing resources more efficiently and effectively, doing more with what they already have.

In fact, McKinsey research shows that many organizations that have a CX-focused strategy to guide the implementation of micro frontends have achieved impressive outcomes, including the following:

  • reducing the time to build and deploy a new release from days to minutes
  • speeding up delivery by 30 to 50 percent with the same resources
  • a 40 to 75 percent improvement in frontend performance as measured by page load time1

The benefits of micro frontends are industry agnostic, as companies in various sectors have demonstrated (Exhibit 1).

Companies in a range of industries have enhanced scalability, sped up development, and added value with micro frontends.

Yet some companies that deploy micro frontends fail to attain these outcomes. What differentiates those that succeed from those whose efforts fall short? In our experience, it’s all about strategy and governance.

Setting the stage for success with a road map and guiding principles for micro frontends

Organizations that start with a clear road map reflecting customer feedback and priority CX upgrades (a CX journey strategy) have the advantage of knowing what they want to build. Without that clarity, even the best approach to building will fall short of maximizing customer impact. But when companies create a CX journey strategy and adhere to it, they define their financial goals and focus on CX upgrades that will help them achieve those goals. According to McKinsey analysis, companies that take this strategic approach to modernizing their CX have increased sales conversions by about 10 to 15 percent and boosted employee engagement by 20 to 30 percent. And a micro frontend approach to development can enable a time to market that is approximately 20 to 50 percent faster than a conventional frontend approach.2

The other key ingredient in capturing the full value of micro frontends? A deliberate focus on governance, best practices, and robust support systems. Transitioning from conventional to micro frontend–enabled ways of working requires organizations to adopt a development approach that mirrors one with a track record of success in backend microservices. Organizations that follow this approach address three operational dimensions—efficient and effective use of existing resources, faster time to market, and lower maintenance costs (Exhibit 2).

To ensure successful adoption of micro frontends, companies should establish governance models that address three key operational dimensions.

Getting the most out of the transition to micro frontends hinges on thoughtful planning and adherence to the model approach developed prior to launching this new way of working.

Governance and leading practices

Effective governance ensures consistency across micro frontends. Organizations must clearly define boundaries, establish shared design systems, and implement automated continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines. Guardrails and technical alignment are essential to maintain cohesion in a distributed system (Exhibit 3).

Adopting a centralized governance process ensures consistency and cross-functional collaboration between micro frontends.

Standardized communication and dependency management

Teams must manage shared dependencies and standardize how micro frontends interact to ensure seamless performance and avoid conflicts.

Performance optimization

Maintaining optimal performance and reliability depends on continuous monitoring and analytics coupled with automated testing.

Cross-functional collaboration

Successful adoption relies on breaking down silos and fostering collaboration among developers, designers, and product teams. This holistic approach ensures that adoption aligns with organizational CX goals.

Micro frontends, macro advantages: Postadoption gains

Micro frontends empower frontend teams to work in parallel, driving efficiency and faster innovation. Unlike standard approaches to development, micro frontends break large frontend applications into smaller, independently developed and deployed pieces that are each aligned with a specific domain. Teams can focus on their areas of business domain expertise and leverage the tools and frameworks that work best for them, provided they adhere to overarching architectural guardrails (Exhibit 4).

Micro frontends address key efficiency challenges that organizers face throughout large web application development cycles.

Unlocking the full potential of micro frontends requires thoughtful governance, strategic alignment, and a robust process map. But by positioning themselves for success in this endeavor, organizations can reap tremendous rewards:

  • Accelerated development. Micro frontends enable teams to work on separate parts of an application simultaneously, eliminating bottlenecks and accelerating time to market.
  • Scalability and flexibility. By modularizing the frontend, organizations can scale with substantially greater agility. New features or modules can be added without disrupting existing functionality, and testing is streamlined considerably.
  • Enhanced developer productivity. Cognitive load is reduced as developers focus on specific areas within clear boundaries. Decentralized ownership minimizes coordination challenges and fosters an environment of autonomy and creativity.

Done right, implementing micro frontends can provide the missing piece for organizations seeking to modernize their CX. This structured yet flexible approach to building frontend systems can open new possibilities for organizations to accelerate innovation while responding to customers’ evolving needs and mounting expectations.

Erez Eizenman and Rohit Bhapkar are senior partners in McKinsey’s Toronto office, where McGregor Faulkner is a partner and Thanou Thirakul is a senior expert; Jake McGuire is a partner in the Denver office.

The authors wish to thank RAVL CTO Dominic Wallace for his contributions to this blog post.

1 “Embracing scalability with micro frontend architecture,” ThinkSys, accessed April 10, 2025.
2 “Embracing scalability with micro frontend architecture,” ThinkSys, accessed April 10, 2025.