The project needs an integration, but the API has no documentation. How should we estimate?
Unknown interface effortTreat the missing contract as uncertainty requiring discovery. Validate access, behavior, limits, errors, and support with the provider before making a detailed delivery commitment.
What to do now
- Obtain authorized interface access
- Test representative calls and failures
- Document confirmed behavior and gaps
- Update the estimate and integration agreement
When to escalate
Escalate when
A critical behavior remains unverifiable or unsupported.
Who decides
The technical owner and authorized release decision maker
Example
A short investigation reveals authentication and rate-limit work missing from the original estimate.
Mistake to avoid
Estimating solely from the number of visible endpoints.
Prevent a repeat
Review real execution evidence and maintainability alongside feature completion; do not treat an unrun test as passed.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Tasks
- Documents
- Approvals
Track delivery tasks and attach engineering evidence; keep source control, build execution and technical controls in their actual engineering systems. See the platform
Related cases
- We discover integration problems only before release. How can we improve?Late integration feedback
- The architecture is getting more complex than the business needs. What should we review?Unjustified technical complexity
- My team confuses effort with duration. How should we estimate?Effort-duration confusion
- A shared API changes without notice. What should happen?Uncontrolled interface change