How to Tackle the Unique Challenges of Interface Projects
Where Do the Challenges Lie in Interface Projects?
In this video, we talk about interface projects: What defines them, what are the possibilities and the challenges? And we provide a brief checklist to help structure and document such a project.
When we consider the IT landscape in large companies and the diverse systems typically in use, the scenario might sound familiar: each system has its own permissions and features, yet they still need subsets of each other's data.
Examples: You have a careers section on your website where data should be dynamically pulled from your HR database. Or you have an online catalog that pulls product data from your PIM and media data from your MAM – in other words, systems working together.
“Interface projects: not always easy!”
In general: if you want to digitalize your marketing processes and rely on high-performance individual systems – keyword: “Best of Breed” – then interface projects are inevitable. And they’re not always simple!
What to Watch Out for in Interface Projects
At first glance, interface projects seem simple: two systems exchange data. Technologically, this is rarely a problem – and if the project management provides clear specifications and the developers have the necessary skills, then everything should go smoothly!
Still, even in ideal cases, preparation is key – otherwise, you might get stuck halfway! An example: data and format are well documented and understood, the output is clear, the data has already been imported and reviewed – everything looks good, and the go-live date is in sight!
“Clarify critical project aspects from the beginning!”
The closer that date gets, the more everyone relies on it – and suddenly, something doesn’t fit! Then you realize: the import strategy wasn’t fully thought through, it can’t handle deltas, the export timing doesn’t match the maintenance schedule, and so on. Which means the critical aspects of the project clearly weren’t defined early on!
How Do I Plan an Interface Project?
How do you plan an interface project? There are always deadlines in every project – and the effort is usually known. That’s why it’s especially important to focus on the critical path when planning these types of projects!
Because even when working in an agile way, it will definitely come back to bite you if you start running without knowing your direction. So, invest enough time in planning at the beginning! That’s my first tip.
The second is this: Interface projects often involve people from different organizations. And they usually have other tasks and priorities as well, which means that small things often take longer – not necessarily in effort, but simply in elapsed time.
“Focus on the critical path!”
And the actual effort – especially in coordination, communication, and testing – is always higher than in other projects. So schedule alignment meetings, test phases, and review sessions accordingly, so you don’t run out of time! It may take longer and be more complex than expected, but if it works in the end, it’s worth it!
Why It's Worth Looking at the Big Picture in Interface Projects!
At the beginning of an interface project – often a subproject – you usually already have a good idea of what the interface should do and how it’s supposed to work. So far, so good.
Still, it’s worth taking a step back and calmly viewing the project as a whole, following the principle: “To move fast, take your time.” Which systems actually need to communicate with each other – and in what order? If the interface is interactive, meaning data is exchanged back and forth, exactly which data needs to flow and when? What are the failure scenarios and how are they handled? Is a failure critical or acceptable? Can a product go live without an image – or not? What constraints are in place? That’s just the part of the process that deals with the big picture.
“To move fast, take your time!”
My most important tips: Identify critical aspects right from the start, ensure clear communication between everyone involved – and ideally, bring someone on board who has already implemented a similar project or worked with the data before!
Why You Should Know Your Content
Always remember: your interface project is closely tied to your content!
Because your content is the actual reason for the project – you either don’t want to or can’t maintain data in multiple systems, or it simply makes more sense to create data in one place and display it in another. That’s why the rule is: The better you understand your content and the systems involved, the fewer problems you’ll run into!
“Your content is the reason for your interface project!”
Examples: What triggers a data transfer? Is it daily, event-based, or change-based? And what counts as a change? Is it defined the same way in both systems? Do we know the data volumes? Is there experience with transfer rates? What kinds of data do the systems hold that could become relevant later on? You’ll want to keep options open. If data needs to be transformed or modified, who’s responsible? What’s the data’s security level? And what’s the worst-case scenario?
You see – lots and lots of questions. But I promise: every extra minute spent on this upfront will pay off!
The Five Standard Topics in Interface Projects
No matter what kind of project or data transfer you're working with – interface projects almost always involve five standard topics:
Content – we’ve already covered that. Then there’s the format – usually the first thing that comes to mind – ideally the native format of either the sending or receiving system. The delivery interval – do I need the data in real time, hourly, daily? Is a delta sufficient, or is it a full export?
Then there’s the transfer method: How do I transmit the data? How do I secure the transfer? How do I monitor it and detect if something has gone wrong? And finally, the processing rules – data between two systems is often transformed.
“5 topics you’ll encounter again and again in interface projects.”
So you need to decide: Who's responsible? And how will the data be visualized in the end? Content, format, interval, transfer method, processing rules – these are the five key topics!
What Comes Next in Testing?
Maybe everything has gone smoothly in your project so far up to implementation and testing: the interface is implemented, the data is understood, and the first review looks good.
If you've been pushing data into your test system over and over again, now is the time to take a structured approach: Stop development, freeze all changes to relevant parameters, reset the test system, transfer data, test.
“Choose a clear approach for your testing!”
And if the data to be transferred is now present end-to-end and in the correct format, then the checklist remains the same as above: Are the contents transferred as expected? Is the transfer stable? Have you considered a security check? Same topics: content, format, transmission, processing.
No Stable Development Without Documentation!
If you’re familiar with the Agile Manifesto, you know the saying: “Working code is more important than comprehensive documentation.”
And that’s true. But you don’t always have to choose between “it works” and “it’s fully documented.” Once it works and things have stabilized, document it in a way that someone else can understand!
“Central documentation – the foundation for stable development!”
This is especially crucial in interface projects – it forms the foundation for stable future development. It also frees your team from knowledge silos, so you're still capable of acting even if the original developer is unavailable. Sounds good, right? Many companies already do this well, using tools like Swagger for API documentation or project spaces for documenting business logic.
And that’s when documentation becomes useful and even enjoyable: when it avoids stating the obvious (it’s not a diary) and is stored centrally. If your documentation lives in code comments, Word docs, or chat threads, you might say “it’s written down somewhere” – but it’s no fun to find. So, document centrally!
What Does Your Target Data Model Look Like?
In interface projects—especially large ones—one topic is absolutely essential right from the start: What does the target data model look like? So, the question is not “How will the data come in?” but rather: “What do they need to become?”
If that’s clarified early on, development and interface implementation can run in parallel. In the end, proper data transformation ensures that the delivered data matches the expected format.
“The target data model – critical for your interface project!”
Here’s an example: We’re automating a catalog based on data we receive via an interface. Instead of waiting for the interface project to finish and letting delays affect the catalog timeline, a better approach would be: Define the data model based on the layout, validate it content-wise, program accordingly, run the interface project, and finally match and map the incoming data to the expected structure through transformation.
Why Interface Projects Are Easily Underestimated
To sum up what makes interface projects different and how to approach them effectively: They’re different because they involve more stakeholders and more unknowns.
They are also often underestimated, which turns them into a major driver of effort and cost in many projects. So, take the time upfront to understand the system landscape, the data flows, and the data itself – it's worth it, promise!
“Bring in someone who knows how to successfully manage interface projects.”
Ask the right questions early and involve someone experienced specifically in data and interface projects. In your planning, assume that coordination and testing will take more effort than in other projects, and expect time gaps between work packages.
Document things – not excessively, but adequately! Define your target data model as early as possible to reduce dependencies. And now, best of luck!