The Interoperability Chronicles: Episode 1
Episode 1: The Case of the Missing Sync
Where did that invoice go? (And why are we just now noticing?)
We didn’t set out to build a mystery novel.
But somewhere between the CRM, billing platform, support tools, and that one Zapier connection someone swears was “temporary,” something got… weird.
A sync failed.
No one noticed.
$50,000 in revenue floated into the abyss.
And it’s not just you. We see this story—or some flavor of it—at every SaaS firm that’s grown fast, shipped faster, and never got around to writing down which system talks to what.
“Working As Designed” (Until It Isn’t)
Your team probably did integrate things. But somewhere along the line, the quick fix became permanent. The webhook got brittle. The API endpoint changed. Or someone left—and took the map with them.
Welcome to the land of missing syncs:
Data pipelines that drift over time
Connectors built by memory, not documentation
“Source of truth” dashboards that don’t match each other—or reality
Field Note: One client lost weeks reconciling customer IDs because two systems defined “active user” differently. The kicker? Both were technically right.
Why Does This Keep Happening?
Because integrations are rarely treated like products. They’re patched, stacked, and layered under pressure. We prioritize launch velocity over lifecycle integrity—and suddenly the architecture is held together by best guesses and team lore.
And when something breaks?
The customer notices before you do
Your team scrambles to trace it
No one’s quite sure who owns the fix
Eventually, someone rewires it just enough to work again
We don’t blame you. Most scaling teams are too busy building. But here’s the thing: these invisible sync failures quietly erode trust, slow down launches, and inflate ops costs.
So How Do You Avoid the Next One?
You don’t need a six-month initiative. You just need a flashlight and a checklist. Start here:
1. Map What’s Actually Connected
Not what you think is connected. Actually map the APIs, webhooks, data flows, spreadsheets, cron jobs, and “temporary” integrations still running live.
2. Prioritize the High-Stakes Paths
Start with flows tied to money, customers, and compliance. (Hint: Billing, provisioning, and anything involving PII.)
3. Assign an Owner for Every System Handoff
Not a team. A name. If a data sync breaks, someone should know how to fix it—without Slack archaeology.
4. Create a Quarterly Review Rhythm
Every integration has a half-life. Check if your current-state architecture still reflects your actual workflows. Spoiler: It probably doesn’t.
TL;DR
Most “integration issues” are just visibility and ownership issues in disguise.
Your syncs will drift. Your docs will age. Plan for it.
Don’t wait for a data loss or audit scramble to care about interoperability.
Start small. Fix what’s fragile. Document what’s tribal.
Got a sync mystery of your own?
Tell us about it. We’ll swap stories, share playbooks, and maybe even help you close that audit faster next time.
📩 info@instructiq.us