Quick answer
“Connect these systems” leaves too much unanswered. Specify the records to exchange, such as customers, orders, stock or invoices. For each field, say which system creates it, which can edit it, and whether changes should appear immediately or on a schedule.
Practical scope
Show a sample record and describe what happens if the same customer exists twice, a payment is reversed or the connection fails. Confirm that each software provider offers an accessible API or other supported integration method; available permissions and usage limits can affect the design.
Ask for monitoring and a way to retry failed transfers. The proposal should state how credentials are stored, how personal data is handled and who investigates errors after launch. Test the integration using realistic exceptions, not just a perfect example. A small, dependable flow can save more work than a broad integration that nobody trusts.
What to define before requesting proposals
- Records and fields to exchange
- Source of truth and permitted edits
- Direction, frequency and latency
- Duplicates, failures, retries and monitoring
Questions to ask service providers
- Are supported APIs available with the required permissions?
- How are credentials and personal data protected?
- Who investigates failed or inconsistent records?
How to assess the answers
Test realistic exceptions and reconciliation, not only a successful transfer. A narrow dependable integration is more valuable than a broad unreliable one.
Name the external connection
Identify the exact systems and the supported connection method. “Integrated platform” can simply describe features inside one product; it does not confirm an external API connection. For each transfer, define the record identifier, direction, trigger and expected result.
Specify recovery and responsibility
- What happens if the destination is unavailable?
- How are duplicates and changed records recognised?
- Who sees an error and can retry a transfer?
- Who maintains the connection when a provider changes it?
Is a successful demo enough to accept an integration?
Include a failed transfer, a duplicate and a corrected record in the agreed tests. Check that staff can detect and recover from errors, not only that data moves once.
Integration field and failure mapping
Copy these items into your brief, adapt the requirements and assign an owner and status. Examples illustrate planning decisions, not customer case studies. Fill cost fields with HKD quotations you obtain and state the billing period.
| Decision / item | Information to provide | Acceptance / comparison check |
|---|---|---|
| Record transfer | Source, destination, identifier and editable fields | Document direction, trigger and expected result |
| Duplicate/correction | Matching rule, authoritative system and conflict owner | A repeated transfer does not silently create duplicates |
| Failure recovery | Alert recipient, retry rule and reconciliation | Staff can find and recover a failed transfer |
Download the editable worksheet (CSV)