#21DELIVERYSTAGE
Integration Tests
E2E and API tests against live environment
Medium
Overview
Automated tests that run against the staging environment. Includes end-to-end tests, API tests, and basic load tests.
Why It Matters
Test real behavior, not mocks. Catch integration issues that unit tests miss.
The Risk
Without integration testing, you only discover multi-service issues in production. API changes break dependent services. Database connection problems cause outages.
Implementation Components
A complete implementation of this capability includes:
- E2E test suite for critical user journeys
- API integration tests between services
- Tests run automatically after staging deploy
- Test data management for consistent test state
- Failures block production deployment
- Test reports showing pass/fail trends
Implementation Pattern
- 1Write integration test suite
- 2Run tests post-staging-deploy
- 3Test critical user journeys
- 4Block prod deploy on failures
Tool Examples
These are examples, not endorsements. Choose what fits your context.
Dependencies
Requires (must have first)
Enables (unlocks)
Same Phase
Other capabilities in this pipeline phase