The phrase 'we have an API' says very little about whether a product can participate in a dependable enterprise workflow.
Teams often discover after purchase that critical actions are missing, exports are delayed, rate limits block volume, or webhooks do not carry enough context. Integration risk becomes visible only after the commercial commitment.
What good engineering looks like
Treat interface capability as part of procurement due diligence. Ask for documentation, a sandbox and evidence of versioning. Test the exact high-value workflow, including errors, retries, permissions and reconciliation.
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Does the API cover every required read and write action?
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How are identities, tenants and permissions enforced?
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What are the rate, payload and retention limits?
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How are breaking changes announced and supported?
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Can events be replayed and outcomes reconciled?
A practical starting point
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Write one end-to-end integration scenario.
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Run it against the sandbox with realistic data volume.
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Record gaps and required manual work.
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Include interface commitments in the implementation agreement.
The decision to make
The goal is not to award points for having an API. It is to know whether the product can be operated as part of your system landscape.