A useful integration brief explains the business workflow before choosing a technology. Start with what needs to move between systems, who owns the data and what should happen when a request fails. These decisions make estimates and testing more meaningful.
Describe the workflow in plain language
List the event that starts the process, the source system, the destination and the expected result. For example, an approved enquiry may need to create a CRM record. Specify whether the change must happen immediately or can be processed in a scheduled batch.
Check what the systems support
Review official API documentation, available endpoints, authentication, request limits and any account-level restrictions. Confirm whether a supported integration already exists. An API being available does not prove that it exposes every field or action the workflow needs.
Map data and ownership
For each field, define its source, format, required status and update rules. Decide which system is authoritative when values conflict. Plan how to handle missing information, duplicates and records that have been changed or removed.
Define failure behaviour
- How will temporary failures be retried?
- How will duplicate requests be recognised?
- Who will receive an actionable failure notification?
- What can be logged without exposing private data?
- How can a failed item be reviewed and safely reprocessed?
These are part of the product behaviour, not optional details to add after launch.
Write acceptance criteria
Use concrete examples with expected outputs. Include a successful record, a missing required field, a duplicate event and an unavailable destination. Confirm who can approve the results and what evidence will be provided during handover.
Agree access and handover
Document ownership of accounts, source code and configuration. Use the access needed for the agreed scope and a suitable way to manage secrets. Do not put passwords or private customer records in an initial project enquiry.
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