TEAM API: The explicit interface a team exposes to other teams

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                          TEAM API                               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐          │
│  │   Code &     │  │  Versioning  │  │  Service     │          │
│  │   Artifacts  │  │   & Releases │  │   Catalog    │          │
│  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘          │
│                                                                 │
│  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐          │
│  │   Wiki &     │  │  Practices   │  │   Ways of    │          │
│  │   Docs       │  │   & Runbooks │  │   Working    │          │
│  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘          │
│                                                                 │
│  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐          │
│  │   Chat &     │  │   Office     │  │   Support    │          │
│  │   Channels   │  │   Hours      │  │   Rotation   │          │
│  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘          │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

PURPOSE: Make team interactions explicit, predictable, and sustainable

TECHNICAL INTERFACE:

Repositories:
• Main repo location (URL)
• Contributing guidelines
• Code review expectations
• Branch naming conventions

APIs:
• OpenAPI/AsyncAPI specs
• Authentication requirements
• Rate limits and quotas
• Deprecation policy

Artifacts:
• Package registry location
• Container image registry
• Artifact versioning scheme
• Release notes location

RELEASE INTERFACE:

Versioning:
• Semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH)
• Breaking change policy
• Deprecation timeline
• Migration guides

Release Schedule:
• Release cadence (weekly, bi-weekly, continuous)
• Release windows
• Hotfix process
• Rollback procedures

Compatibility:
• Supported versions
• EOL announcements
• Backward compatibility guarantees
• Forward compatibility approach

KNOWLEDGE INTERFACE:

Team Wiki:
• Team overview and mission
• Architecture decisions (ADRs)
• Design documents
• Onboarding guides

API Documentation:
• Getting started guides
• API reference
• Code examples
• FAQ and troubleshooting

Operational Docs:
• Runbooks
• Incident response procedures
• Monitoring dashboards
• Alert explanations

COMMUNICATION INTERFACE:

Asynchronous:
• Primary Slack/Teams channel
• Announcements channel
• Bug/issue tracker
• Email distribution list

Synchronous:
• Office hours schedule
• On-call rotation
• Escalation path
• Meeting cadence

Response Times:
• Slack: 4 business hours
• Issues: 1 business day
• Urgent: 1 hour
• Incident: 15 minutes

SERVICE INTERFACE:

Availability:
• Target uptime (99.9%)
• Maintenance windows
• Planned downtime notice period

Performance:
• Latency targets (p50, p99)
• Throughput limits
• Error rate targets

Support:
• Business hours support
• On-call availability
• Incident severity levels
• Resolution time targets

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TEAM API CREATION PROCESS:

1. DRAFT
   □ Use template above
   □ Fill in all sections
   □ Get team consensus

2. REVIEW
   □ Review with stakeholders
   □ Validate with consumers
   □ Check completeness

3. PUBLISH
   □ Store in team wiki/repo
   □ Register in service catalog
   □ Announce to organization

4. MAINTAIN
   □ Review quarterly
   □ Update on changes
   □ Gather feedback

MATURITY MODEL:

LEVEL 1: BASIC
□ Team contact information exists
□ Primary service documented
□ Basic Slack channel

LEVEL 2: DEFINED
□ Full team API document
□ Response time expectations
□ Versioning policy defined
□ Basic SLEs documented

LEVEL 3: MEASURED
□ SLEs tracked and reported
□ Consumer feedback collected
□ Dependencies mapped
□ Regular API reviews

LEVEL 4: OPTIMIZED
□ Team API continuously improved
□ Automation for API updates
□ Consumer satisfaction tracked
□ Industry best practices adopted

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TEAM API HEALTH CHECK:

DISCOVERABILITY
□ Team API document exists and is findable
□ Registered in service catalog
□ Links work and content is current

COMPLETENESS
□ All sections filled in
□ Contact information accurate
□ Dependencies documented
□ SLEs defined

CLARITY
□ Non-team members can understand
□ No jargon or undefined terms
□ Clear call-to-action for consumers
□ Examples provided

MAINTENANCE
□ Last updated within 3 months
□ Regular review scheduled
□ Feedback mechanism exists
□ Ownership clearly assigned

EFFECTIVENESS
□ Consumers find what they need
□ Response times being met
□ Fewer repeated questions
□ Team satisfaction with API