End to end website api development project for business anal

End to End Website API Development Project for Business

Analysts Diwakar Singh

Project Name: Website API Development for

E-commerce Platform

Objective: The objective of this project was to develop

RESTful APIs to enhance the functionality of an

existing e-commerce platform by enabling third-party integrations, providing real-time inventory updates, user authentication, payment gateway integration,

and improving overall system performance and

scalability

Justification: The e-commerce platform needed to

expand its services by offering integrations to party services, allowing other websites and mobile

third-applications to use its functionality Additionally, the business sought to reduce the manual effort of

inventory updates, streamline payment processes, and enhance user experience through faster and more secure interactions

Business Problem: The existing platform was limited

in terms of integration with other systems, which

created operational bottlenecks Inventory updates were manual, leading to delays and inaccuracies in

stock availability The payment gateway was outdated and didn’t support multiple vendors Additionally,

there was a lack of proper user authentication and

session management

AS-IS State:

• Manual inventory updates and checks

• Limited third-party integrations

• Outdated payment gateway system with high

• Secure RESTful APIs to allow third-party

integrations (e.g., mobile apps, other e-commerce sites)

• Modernized payment gateway integration

supporting multiple vendors

• Real-time notifications to users for orders and inventory

• Robust user authentication and session

management with token-based authentication

Stakeholders:

• Product Owner: Responsible for ensuring the

business goals are met and signing off on API

functionalities

• Development Team: Backend API developers,

Frontend team integrating the APIs, and DevOps team for deployment

• Third-Party Vendors: External companies that

would use the API for integrating their services

• QA Team: Ensures the APIs work as expected and

meets the requirements

• Project Manager: Oversees the project timelines,

risks, and communication

• Security Team: Ensures API security compliance

and data privacy

RACI Matrix:

Task Respon

sible

Acco untab

Produ

ct Owne

r

Development Team

Stakeholders

API Design

Development Team

API Architect

Busines

s Analyst

Stakeholders

API Integration

Testing

QA Team

QA Lead

Busines

s Analyst

Development Team Payment

Gateway

Integration

Development Team

API Architect

Security Team

Busines

s Analyst

Inventory

Management

Automation

Development Team

Produ

ct Owne

r

Busines

s Analyst

Development Team

o Real-time updates and notifications

o API documentation for external developers

o Enable real-time inventory updates via API

o Integrate secure, multi-vendor payment

gateway

o Provide APIs for third-party vendors to

connect and sell through the platform

o Implement user authentication with based security

o Latency of API calls should be under 300ms

o Security compliance with GDPR and PCI-DSS for handling payments

• API and Integration Requirements:

o RESTful APIs with JSON response format

o API versioning to manage future updates

o Integrations with external payment systems like PayPal, Stripe

o Gradual rollout of new APIs in a sandbox

environment before going live

o Full documentation for third-party developers

to test API integrations

o A rollback plan in case of issues during API go-live

Data Dictionary:

Field

Name

Data Type Description

management Timesta

• Risk 1: Integration issues with third-party

payment gateways could delay the project

o Mitigation: Early testing and sandbox

environment setups for third-party vendors

• Risk 2: Performance bottlenecks during peak

o Mitigation: Use token-based authentication

and regularly audit the API for vulnerabilities

Dependencies:

• The availability of the external payment gateway

• Accurate product information from the inventory management team

• Security protocols from the security team

• The APIs must be backward-compatible with

existing system integrations

• The API development must be completed within 6 months to meet business timelines

Assumptions:

• Third-party vendors will adhere to API

documentation without major changes required

• Sufficient resources are available for testing and development throughout the project lifecycle

Glossary:

• CRUD: Create, Read, Update, Delete – basic

operations for managing data

• OAuth 2.0: A standard protocol for user

authentication

• PCI-DSS: Payment Card Industry Data Security

Standard, for handling payment transactions

Key Contributions as a Business Analyst:

• Collaborated with stakeholders to define

business requirements, ensuring that the APIs met business objectives

• Conducted requirement workshops with the

development team to break down business needs into functional and technical requirements

• Created detailed API documentation, including use cases, and user stories for external

developers and vendors

• Worked closely with the QA team to define test scenarios for API functionalities and assisted in the UAT process

• Supported the project manager in tracking the

progress and addressing risks, ensuring the

project stayed on schedule

• Facilitated discussions between the security team and developers to ensure that the API met

compliance and security standards

BUSINESS CASE

Business Case: Website API Development for commerce Platform

E-Project Sponsor: Head of Product Development

Prepared by: Radhika Joshi, Business Analyst

Date: October 2024

1 Executive Summary

The e-commerce industry is rapidly evolving, with increasing demand for third-party integrations and real-time services The current e-commerce platform has limited functionality for external integrations,

outdated inventory management, and an inefficient payment gateway, which limits its scalability The

Website API Development project aims to address

these challenges by developing RESTful APIs that will enhance system performance, improve user

experience, and facilitate seamless third-party

integrations This business case presents the

justification for investing in this project and outlines

the anticipated benefits, costs, risks, and a high-level project timeline

2 Business Problem

Current Situation:

• Manual Inventory Updates: The platform’s stock

availability is updated manually, leading to

delayed and inaccurate inventory information

• Limited Third-Party Integrations: The current

system is closed and lacks the capability to

integrate with third-party vendors or external

systems

• Outdated Payment Gateway: The existing

payment system is slow, outdated, and unable to support multiple vendors, leading to customer dissatisfaction and lost sales

• Lack of Secure User Authentication: Current

user login and authentication mechanisms are not secure, increasing the risk of data breaches

Business Impact:

• Reduced sales and customer churn due to

inaccurate product availability information

• Increased operational costs from manual

• Develop RESTful APIs to automate inventory

management and allow real-time updates

• Enable third-party integrations to allow external

vendors and systems to integrate seamlessly with the platform

• Upgrade the payment gateway to support

multi-vendor payments and enhance user satisfaction

• Implement OAuth 2.0 authentication to ensure

secure and scalable user authentication

• Provide API documentation for third-party

developers to ensure smooth integration and

usability

4 Benefits

Tangible Benefits:

1 Increased Sales: Real-time inventory updates will

reduce stock discrepancies, leading to improved customer trust and higher sales

2 Improved Vendor Collaboration: APIs will enable

integration with third-party vendors, expanding the platform’s reach and revenue streams

3 Reduced Operational Costs: Automating

inventory management will save manual labor

costs and reduce operational inefficiencies

4 Enhanced Security: A secure authentication

system will reduce the risk of fraud and data

breaches, saving potential legal and regulatory costs

Intangible Benefits:

1 Improved User Experience: Faster, secure

transactions and real-time notifications will lead

to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty

2 Scalability: The platform will become scalable

with APIs, supporting future growth and

technological advancements

3 Market Competitiveness: The platform will stay

competitive by offering modern integration

capabilities that other e-commerce platforms

already provide

5 Strategic Alignment

This project aligns with the company’s strategic goals

of expanding the e-commerce platform by introducing third-party integrations, reducing operational

overhead, and enhancing customer experience It

supports long-term growth by positioning the platform

as an industry leader capable of handling multi-vendor operations with a secure, scalable infrastructure

No improvements to

revenue, customer satisfactio

n, or security

High security risk, increase

d operation

al costs, stagnatio

Ineffective

in solving key issues like

scalability, vendor

integration

Limited improvements, system will still

be outdated soon

Higher initial developme

nt and implementation costs

Potential delays in third-party vendor onboardi

ng

Recommended Option:

The Develop New APIs option is recommended as it

addresses all the key business problems and aligns with the company’s growth strategy The initial

investment is justified by the long-term benefits of scalability, increased revenue, and improved

operational efficiency

7 Project Scope

In-Scope:

• Development of RESTful APIs for inventory

management, payment gateway, and user

authentication

• API documentation for third-party vendors

• Integration with payment gateway services such

as PayPal and Stripe

• Security measures for API requests, including OAuth 2.0 authentication

(Weeks )

Initiation and

Planning 4

Project Charter, Stakeholder Engagement Plan

Requirement

s Gathering 6

Business Requirements Document, Functional Requirements

• QA and Testing: $50,000

• Third-Party Integration Costs: $30,000

• Training and Documentation: $20,000

• Contingency: $25,000

Total Cost: $375,000

Expected ROI:

• Year 1: Increased sales by $500,000 due to

real-time inventory updates and third-party

integration

• Year 2: Continued growth from third-party

vendors and improved customer satisfaction with projected revenue growth of $750,000

10 Risk Management

Risk

Pro ba bili

ty

I m p a

ct

Mitigation

Delays in

Third-Party

Integration

Mediu

m

Hig

h

Early vendor engagement, set

up sandbox environments for testing

Performanc

e

Bottlenecks

Mediu

m

Mediu

h

Regular API audits, OAuth 2.0 authentication, encryption of sensitive data

11 Conclusion and Recommendations

The Website API Development project is essential

for the company’s continued growth and

competitiveness in the e-commerce sector The

project will address critical business issues such as operational inefficiency, limited integrations, and

outdated security It will also provide a scalable and future-proof infrastructure for third-party integrations and improved customer satisfaction With a clear plan

and tangible benefits, it is recommended that the project move forward for immediate initiation

PROJECT SCOPE DOCUMENT

integrations, real-time inventory updates, user

authentication, payment gateway integration, and

enhanced system performance and scalability The APIs will enable external developers and vendors to integrate with the platform seamlessly while ensuring security and system stability

Project Justification:

The current e-commerce platform suffers from limited third-party integration capabilities, manual inventory updates, outdated payment processing systems, and inadequate security This project is crucial for

modernizing the platform, automating processes, and

enabling the integration of third-party vendors and

services, ultimately leading to increased sales, better customer experience, and reduced operational costs

Project Stakeholders:

• Project Sponsor: Head of Product Development

• Product Owner: Responsible for ensuring

business goals are met

• Business Analyst (BA): Responsible for gathering

and defining requirements

• API Development Team: Responsible for the

development of RESTful APIs

• QA Team: Ensures API testing and validation

• Third-Party Vendors: External partners

integrating with the platform

• Project Manager: Oversees timelines, risks, and

communication

• Security Team: Ensures compliance with security

standards

AS-IS State:

• Inventory Management: Manual updates,

resulting in inaccurate stock information

• Third-Party Integration: Non-existent, limiting

platform expansion and collaboration with

external vendors

• Payment Processing: Outdated system that does

not support multi-vendor transactions, leading to slow and error-prone payment processing

• User Authentication: Weak security due to basic

authentication methods, risking user data

breaches

• Notifications: No real-time notifications for

customers regarding orders or inventory

TO-BE State:

• Inventory Management: Automated real-time

updates through APIs, eliminating manual

intervention and reducing errors

• Third-Party Integration: Secure RESTful APIs

enabling external vendors to integrate and access platform functionalities

• Payment Processing: Updated payment gateway

with multi-vendor support and faster processing times

• User Authentication: Token-based OAuth 2.0

authentication for secure login and user sessions

• Notifications: Real-time order and inventory

notifications sent to customers via API

integrations

Project In-Scope Use Cases:

1 Inventory Management API: Enable third-party

systems to access and update real-time inventory data

2 User Authentication API: Implement secure

token-based authentication using OAuth 2.0 for user login and sessions

3 Payment Gateway API: Integration with external

payment services (e.g., Stripe, PayPal) to support multi-vendor payments

4 Real-Time Notifications API: APIs for sending

real-time updates to customers regarding orders and inventory status

Project Out of Scope Use Cases:

1 Frontend Enhancements: The project will not

cover enhancements or redesign of the

e-commerce platform’s frontend

2 Mobile Application Development: APIs for

mobile apps will not be developed as part of this project

3 Data Migration: No legacy data migration will be

included, except for necessary database changes

to support API functionality

Other In-Scope Deliverables:

1 API Documentation: Complete technical

documentation for third-party developers

2 Security Enhancements: Implementation of

OAuth 2.0 for user authentication and secure

communication

3 API Monitoring Tools: Implementing API

monitoring tools to track performance and errors

4 Performance Testing: Testing to ensure APIs

meet performance benchmarks and handle the expected load

Other Out of Scope Deliverables:

1 User Interface Redesign: Any changes to the

website’s UI/UX

2 API Monetization: Pricing models or strategies for

monetizing the APIs

3 Custom Vendor Portals: Development of

vendor-specific UI/portals

Project Risks:

1 Third-Party Integration Delays: External vendors

may not be ready to integrate immediately,

causing delays

a Mitigation: Early vendor engagement and

setting up sandbox environments

2 Performance Issues at Scale: APIs may

experience performance bottlenecks during peak traffic

a Mitigation: Use of load balancing, caching,

and performance testing

3 API Security Breaches: Potential vulnerabilities

in API security, especially during user

authentication

a Mitigation: Implement OAuth 2.0 and conduct

regular API security audits

Project Assumptions:

1 Third-party vendors will follow the provided API documentation without requiring customizations

2 The e-commerce platform’s backend

infrastructure is capable of supporting the new APIs

3 Sufficient technical resources and budget will be allocated to ensure project completion

3 External vendor dependencies may affect the

project timeline if they are not ready for

integration

Project Issues:

1 Legacy System Compatibility: The existing

backend system may have limitations that affect the new API design

a Action: Conduct a technical assessment early

in the project to address any system limitations

2 Vendor Onboarding: Some third-party vendors

may face difficulties in adhering to API

specifications

a Action: Provide sandbox environments and

detailed documentation to ease the onboarding process

Project Dependencies:

1 External Payment Gateway: The availability and

readiness of third-party payment gateway

providers for integration

2 Development Resources: The availability of

experienced API developers to complete the

development within the timeline

3 Security Compliance: Ensuring the security team

provides timely feedback on OAuth 2.0 and other security mechanisms

Glossary:

• API: Application Programming Interface – a set of

functions allowing external systems to interact with the platform

• OAuth 2.0: An authorization framework that

enables secure, token-based authentication

• Third-Party Vendor: External entities or partners

that integrate with the e-commerce platform to sell products or services

• Inventory Management: A system that tracks the

stock levels of products and ensures accurate updates

• Real-Time Notifications: Instant updates sent to

customers regarding their orders or stock levels

STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS

Stakeholder analysis helps in identifying key

stakeholders, understanding their interests, power, and influence on the project, and determining how best to involve and communicate with them

throughout the project lifecycle

Stakeholder Identification

Here are the key stakeholders for this project:

1 Project Sponsor

a Role: Head of Product Development

b Interest: High (ensures the project aligns with business objectives)

c Influence: High (final decision-making power, allocates resources)

d Power: High (can approve or terminate the project)

c Influence: High (sets priorities for the project and signs off on deliverables)

d Power: High (critical to the success of the project)

3 Business Analyst (BA)

a Role: Gathers, analyzes, and documents

business and functional requirements

b Interest: High (key to ensuring project

requirements meet business needs)

c Influence: Medium (supports development but does not have final decision power)

d Power: Medium (influences scope,

requirements, and process changes)

4 Development Team

a Role: API developers responsible for coding and implementing the APIs

b Interest: High (responsible for creating a

functional API system)

c Influence: Medium (can impact delivery

timelines and technical feasibility)

d Power: Medium (has technical knowledge but relies on product and sponsor for decision-making)

5 Third-Party Vendors

a Role: External vendors who will integrate with the platform

b Interest: High (will benefit from using the APIs)

c Influence: Medium (can delay integration if requirements are not met)

d Power: Low (dependent on the platform)