Construction software integration checklist

Before asking whether two construction systems can connect, define the handoff between them. Which record should move, who approves it and what should the next person be able to do? That brief gives a vendor or developer something concrete to assess.

Use this checklist with the people who manage the field workflow, office system and software accounts. It works for a supported connector, a scheduled file transfer or a custom integration.

1. Describe one complete handoff

Write a single sentence: “When [event] happens in [source system], send [record] to [destination] so [person] can [next action].” Decide what is outside that first connection.

For example, an approved time entry might need to reach payroll with the correct employee, project and cost code. Sending it before approval creates a different process. Agree whether the destination receives a draft, an approved record or a final posting.

2. Check the access your actual products allow

• Record each product name, edition, account region and subscription.
• Check existing vendor integrations before commissioning a new connection.
• Confirm whether the required records and actions are available through an API, webhook or supported import.
• Identify who can grant access and which permissions are required.
• Ask about additional fees, vendor approval and a test account.

An API being available does not establish that it exposes the exact fields you need. Ask the person assessing the integration to demonstrate a representative record. Do not assume that access available in one product edition also exists in another.

3. Agree which system controls each record

For employees, projects, equipment and cost codes, decide where a record is created and where corrections happen. Match stable identifiers rather than relying on names alone. Two projects can have similar names; one employee can appear with different spelling.

For every field that moves, record its source, destination, format and required status. Include dates, time zones, units, currency, rounding and empty values where relevant. Agree what happens when a project is closed, a worker leaves or a code becomes inactive.

4. Set timing and correction rules

Specify the maximum acceptable delay. A scheduled transfer may suit an approved payroll batch; an operational status may need more frequent updates. “Real time” is not a complete requirement.

Decide how the integration detects changes, prevents duplicate records and handles a correction after the first transfer. If both systems permit edits, agree which change wins. Historical imports need a separate start date and reconciliation plan.

External systems can limit how quickly requests are processed. Procore’s API guidance, for example, describes request limits and how an integration should pause and retry. Test the expected workload against the actual vendor limits.

5. Give failures an owner

Ask how someone will see a rejected record, lost connection or delayed transfer. The useful view shows what failed, why it failed, who can correct it and whether resending could create a duplicate.

• Record when the source sent the item and what the destination accepted.
• Separate a temporary outage from a record that needs human correction.
• Define who receives alerts and how the backlog is recovered.
• Agree the manual fallback if an important deadline arrives first.

If webhooks trigger updates, check the vendor’s authentication, delivery and retry behaviour. GitHub’s webhook guidance illustrates why validating deliveries and recovering missed events matter. Each connected product needs its own documented behaviour checked.

6. Test the exceptions before rollout

Use representative test data to check a normal transfer, missing project, inactive worker, duplicate submission, rejected approval, later correction, expired access and interrupted connection. Include a large batch if the process has deadline-driven peaks.

Compare source and destination totals, identifiers and statuses. Ask the operational owner to accept the result, then confirm who monitors the connection after launch. Keep the existing process available until the agreed acceptance checks pass.

Copy this integration brief

• Handoff: trigger, source, destination and required outcome.
• Access: product editions, permissions, fees and vendor contact.
• Data: records, field mapping, identifiers and source of truth.
• Timing: frequency, acceptable delay and expected volume.
• Exceptions: duplicates, corrections, retries and manual fallback.
• Acceptance: test records, reconciliation checks and sign-off owner.
• Operations: monitoring, support, credentials and change notices.

D25 Works assesses construction software integrations against the access your vendors provide. If the missing piece also needs new forms or approvals, include that in the wider software requirements. Use the cost worksheet to compare the connection, ongoing support and any subscriptions you retain.