INT: Integration Specification

Document Type

Code: INT
Name: Integration Specification
Domain: Product & Service

Abstract

This specification defines the Integration Specification document type within the BSpec 1.0 Universal Business Specification Standard. It establishes normative requirements, structured templates, and implementation guidance for organizations documenting integration specification within the product-service domain. This specification enables systematic, machine-readable documentation that supports strategic planning, operational execution, and organizational alignment.

Purpose and Scope

The Integration Specification defines detailed technical and business requirements for connecting systems, applications, and services. It ensures reliable, secure, and performant data exchange and functionality sharing between integrated components while maintaining system integrity and compliance.

Document Metadata Schema

yaml

---
id: INT-{integration-name}
title: "Integration Specification — {Integration Name}"
type: INT
status: Draft|Review|Approved|Implemented|Deprecated
version: 1.0.0
owner: Integration-Owner|Integration-Team
stakeholders: [engineering-team, architecture-team, security-team, operations-team]
domain: product
priority: Critical|High|Medium|Low
scope: system-integration
horizon: current
visibility: internal

depends_on: [FEA-*, REQ-*, QUA-*]
enables: [SUP-*, PER-*, UXD-*]

integration_type: API|Database|File|Message|Event|Batch
integration_pattern: Synchronous|Asynchronous|Batch|Real-time|Event-driven
data_sensitivity: Public|Internal|Confidential|Restricted
compliance_requirements: [Compliance standard identifiers]

success_criteria:
  - "Integration reliably connects systems"
  - "Data integrity is maintained across systems"
  - "Performance requirements are met"
  - "Security and compliance standards are followed"

assumptions:
  - "Source and target systems are accessible"
  - "Integration infrastructure is available"
  - "Required permissions and access are granted"

constraints: [Technical and business integration constraints]
standards: [Integration standards and protocols]
review_cycle: sprint-based
---

Content Structure Template

markdown

# Integration Specification — {Integration Name}

## Integration Overview
**Purpose:** {Why this integration exists}
**Scope:** {What systems are integrated}
**Integration Type:** {API, database, file, message, etc.}
**Business Value:** {Value delivered through integration}

## Business Context

### Business Problem
- **Integration Need:** {Business problem requiring integration}
- **Current State:** {How this is handled today}
- **Desired State:** {What integration will enable}
- **Success Criteria:** {How integration success is measured}

### Stakeholders
- **Primary Stakeholders:** {Who directly benefits}
- **Secondary Stakeholders:** {Who is indirectly affected}
- **Integration Users:** {Who will use the integration}
- **Support Teams:** {Who will maintain the integration}

### Business Requirements
- **Functional Requirements:** {What the integration must do}
- **Performance Requirements:** {Speed, volume, availability needs}
- **Security Requirements:** {Data protection and access control}
- **Compliance Requirements:** {Regulatory and policy compliance}

## System Integration Architecture

### System Overview
- **Source System:** {System providing data/functionality}
  - **System Type:** {Application, database, service, etc.}
  - **Technology Stack:** {Programming language, platform, etc.}
  - **Data Model:** {How data is structured}
  - **Capabilities:** {What it can provide}
  - **Constraints:** {Limitations and restrictions}

- **Target System:** {System receiving data/functionality}
  - **System Type:** {Application, database, service, etc.}
  - **Technology Stack:** {Programming language, platform, etc.}
  - **Data Model:** {How data is structured}
  - **Requirements:** {What it needs from integration}
  - **Constraints:** {Limitations and restrictions}

### Integration Pattern
- **Integration Style:** {Point-to-point, hub-and-spoke, message bus}
- **Communication Pattern:** {Synchronous, asynchronous, batch}
- **Data Flow Direction:** {Unidirectional, bidirectional}
- **Coupling Level:** {Tight, loose, decoupled}

### Architecture Components
- **Integration Layer:** {Middleware, API gateway, ESB}
- **Data Transformation:** {Mapping, validation, enrichment}
- **Message Routing:** {How messages are directed}
- **Error Handling:** {How errors are managed}
- **Monitoring:** {How integration is monitored}

## Technical Specification

### API Specification
- **Protocol:** {REST, SOAP, GraphQL, gRPC, etc.}
- **Base URL:** {API endpoint base URL}
- **Authentication:** {API key, OAuth, JWT, etc.}
- **Content Type:** {JSON, XML, protobuf, etc.}
- **API Version:** {Versioning strategy}

### Data Exchange Format
- **Data Format:** {JSON, XML, CSV, binary, etc.}
- **Schema Definition:** {Data structure specification}
- **Field Mappings:** {Source to target field mappings}
- **Data Validation:** {Validation rules and constraints}
- **Data Transformation:** {Required data transformations}

### Interface Definitions
- **Endpoint 1:** {obtain /api/v1/resource}
  - **Description:** {What this endpoint does}
  - **Method:** {HTTP method}
  - **Parameters:**
    - **Path Parameters:** {Required path parameters}
    - **Query Parameters:** {Optional query parameters}
    - **Headers:** {Required headers}
  - **Request Body:** {Request payload structure}
  - **Response Body:** {Response payload structure}
  - **Error Responses:** {Error codes and messages}

### Security Specification
- **Authentication Method:** {How identity is verified}
- **Authorization Model:** {How access is controlled}
- **Data Encryption:** {In-transit and at-rest encryption}
- **API Security:** {Rate limiting, input validation}
- **Audit Requirements:** {What must be logged}

## Data Specification

### Data Model
- **Entity 1:** {Data entity name}
  - **Description:** {What this entity represents}
  - **Attributes:**
    - **Attribute 1:** {Name}
      - **Type:** {Data type}
      - **Required:** {Yes/No}
      - **Format:** {Format specification}
      - **Validation:** {Validation rules}
      - **Source:** {Where this data comes from}

### Data Flow
- **Data Source:** {Where data originates}
- **Data Processing:** {How data is processed}
- **Data Transformation:** {How data is modified}
- **Data Destination:** {Where data is stored/used}
- **Data Lifecycle:** {Data creation, update, deletion}

### Data Quality
- **Data Quality Requirements:** {Accuracy, completeness, timeliness}
- **Data Validation Rules:** {Business rule validation}
- **Data Cleansing:** {How data quality issues are handled}
- **Data Monitoring:** {How data quality is monitored}

## Integration Implementation

### Development Approach
- **Implementation Strategy:** {How integration will be built}
- **Development Phases:** {Phases and milestones}
- **Technology Choices:** {Specific technologies to use}
- **Testing Strategy:** {How integration will be tested}

### Configuration Management
- **Environment Configuration:** {Dev, test, production settings}
- **Connection Parameters:** {How systems connect}
- **Timeout Settings:** {Connection and response timeouts}
- **Retry Logic:** {How failed operations are retried}

### Deployment Strategy
- **Deployment Approach:** {Blue-green, rolling, canary}
- **Environment Promotion:** {How changes move through environments}
- **Rollback Strategy:** {How to undo problematic deployments}
- **Deployment Validation:** {How to verify successful deployment}

## Performance and Scalability

### Performance Requirements
- **Throughput:** {Messages/transactions per time period}
- **Latency:** {Maximum acceptable response time}
- **Availability:** {Uptime requirements}
- **Reliability:** {Error rate tolerance}

### Scalability Design
- **Load Balancing:** {How load is distributed}
- **Auto-scaling:** {How capacity adjusts to demand}
- **Resource Optimization:** {Efficient resource usage}
- **Bottleneck Management:** {Identifying and addressing constraints}

### Performance Monitoring
- **Metrics Collection:** {What performance data is gathered}
- **Performance Dashboards:** {Real-time performance visibility}
- **Alerting:** {Performance issue notifications}
- **Optimization:** {Continuous performance improvement}

## Error Handling and Recovery

### Error Management
- **Error Classification:** {Types of errors and their handling}
- **Error Recovery:** {Automatic and manual recovery procedures}
- **Error Logging:** {What error information is captured}
- **Error Notification:** {How errors are communicated}

### Resilience Patterns
- **Circuit Breaker:** {Preventing cascade failures}
- **Retry Mechanisms:** {Automatic retry strategies}
- **Timeout Management:** {Preventing hung operations}
- **Fallback Procedures:** {Alternative processing when systems fail}

### Data Consistency
- **Transaction Management:** {Ensuring data consistency}
- **Rollback Procedures:** {Undoing partial transactions}
- **Idempotency:** {Safe retry of operations}
- **Conflict Resolution:** {Handling data conflicts}

## Security and Compliance

### Security Architecture
- **Authentication:** {Identity verification mechanisms}
- **Authorization:** {Access control implementation}
- **Encryption:** {Data protection in transit and at rest}
- **Network Security:** {Network-level protections}

### Compliance Requirements
- **Data Privacy:** {Personal data protection requirements}
- **Regulatory Compliance:** {Industry-specific regulations}
- **Audit Requirements:** {Logging and monitoring for compliance}
- **Data Retention:** {Data lifecycle and retention policies}

### Security Monitoring
- **Security Logging:** {What security events are logged}
- **Threat Detection:** {Identifying security threats}
- **Incident Response:** {Responding to security incidents}
- **Vulnerability Management:** {Addressing security vulnerabilities}

## Testing and Validation

### Testing Strategy
- **Unit Testing:** {Testing individual integration components}
- **Integration Testing:** {End-to-end integration testing}
- **Performance Testing:** {Load and stress testing}
- **Security Testing:** {Security vulnerability testing}

### Test Scenarios
- **Happy Path Testing:** {Normal operation scenarios}
- **Error Scenario Testing:** {Failure and error conditions}
- **Load Testing:** {High-volume operation testing}
- **Edge Case Testing:** {Boundary and unusual conditions}

### Validation Criteria
- **Functional Validation:** {Correct operation verification}
- **Performance Validation:** {Meeting performance requirements}
- **Security Validation:** {Security controls verification}
- **Data Validation:** {Data integrity and quality verification}

## Operations and Maintenance

### Operational Procedures
- **Deployment Procedures:** {How integration updates are deployed}
- **Monitoring Procedures:** {How integration health is monitored}
- **Troubleshooting Procedures:** {How issues are diagnosed and resolved}
- **Maintenance Procedures:** {Regular maintenance activities}

### Support and Maintenance
- **Support Model:** {How integration support is provided}
- **Maintenance Schedule:** {Regular maintenance activities}
- **Update Procedures:** {How integration is updated}
- **Documentation Maintenance:** {Keeping documentation current}

### Change Management
- **Change Control:** {How changes are approved and implemented}
- **Version Management:** {Managing integration versions}
- **Backward Compatibility:** {Maintaining compatibility with existing systems}
- **Migration Planning:** {Planning for major changes}

## Validation
*Evidence that integration specification is complete, implementable, and secure*

Quality Standards

Bronze Level (Minimum Viable)

[ ] Integration overview with purpose, scope, and business value
[ ] Business context with problem definition and stakeholder identification
[ ] Basic technical specification with API and data exchange format
[ ] All required metadata fields completed

Silver Level (Investment Ready)

[ ] System integration architecture with comprehensive system overview and integration patterns
[ ] Detailed technical specification with complete API, data, and security specifications
[ ] Integration implementation approach with development and deployment strategy
[ ] Performance and scalability design with requirements and monitoring
[ ] Error handling and recovery with resilience patterns
[ ] Security and compliance with comprehensive protection measures

Gold Level (Operational Excellence)

[ ] Advanced testing and validation with comprehensive test coverage
[ ] Complete operations and maintenance procedures with support model
[ ] Sophisticated error handling with predictive failure detection
[ ] Real-time integration monitoring with automated optimization
[ ] Advanced security with threat detection and automated response
[ ] Integration ecosystem management with cross-system optimization

Common Pitfalls

Tight coupling between systems: Creating dependencies that make changes difficult
Inadequate error handling: Not planning for failure scenarios and recovery
Poor data quality management: Allowing bad data to propagate across systems
Insufficient security considerations: Exposing systems to security vulnerabilities

Success Patterns

Loose coupling with well-defined interfaces: Clear contracts between systems with minimal dependencies
Comprehensive error handling and recovery: Robust failure detection and recovery mechanisms
Data quality validation: Ensuring data integrity throughout the integration pipeline
Security by design: Building security considerations into every aspect of integration

Relationship Guidelines

Typical Dependencies

FEA (Feature Specification): Feature requirements drive integration needs
REQ (Requirements Specification): Technical requirements inform integration design
QUA (Quality Specification): Quality standards guide integration implementation

Typical Enablements

SUP (Support Specification): Integration capabilities inform support requirements
PER (Performance Specification): Integration design affects system performance
UXD (User Experience Design): Integration capabilities enable user experience features

Document Relationships

This document type commonly relates to:

Depends on: FEA (Feature Specification), REQ (Requirements Specification), QUA (Quality Specification)
Enables: SUP (Support Specification), PER (Performance Specification), UXD (User Experience Design)
Informs: System architecture, data architecture, security design
Guides: Development implementation, testing strategy, operations procedures

Validation Checklist

[ ] Integration overview with clear purpose, scope, type, and business value
[ ] Business context covering problem definition, stakeholders, and requirements
[ ] System integration architecture with comprehensive system overview and integration patterns
[ ] Technical specification with API, data exchange format, interface definitions, and security
[ ] Data specification with model, flow, and quality requirements
[ ] Integration implementation with development approach, configuration, and deployment strategy
[ ] Performance and scalability with requirements, design, and monitoring
[ ] Error handling and recovery with comprehensive error management and resilience patterns
[ ] Security and compliance with architecture, requirements, and monitoring
[ ] Testing and validation with strategy, scenarios, and criteria
[ ] Operations and maintenance with procedures, support model, and change management
[ ] Validation evidence of integration completeness, security, and operational readiness

INT: Integration Specification ​

Abstract ​

Purpose and Scope ​

Document Metadata Schema ​

Content Structure Template ​

Quality Standards ​

Bronze Level (Minimum Viable) ​

Silver Level (Investment Ready) ​

Gold Level (Operational Excellence) ​

Common Pitfalls ​

Success Patterns ​

Relationship Guidelines ​

Typical Dependencies ​

Typical Enablements ​

Document Relationships ​

Validation Checklist ​

Related Documents ​