Is It Out of Scope? — Web design
Is integrating a new third-party API out of scope for a web design project?
Yes. API integration is a development task even when it's triggered by a design decision (e.g. a new booking widget) — design scoped the visual system, not backend integration work.
The engagement is scoped as design — visual design and possibly design-system implementation, not backend integration work. A request comes in to integrate some third-party service: a booking widget, a live-chat tool, a CRM form. It's frequently framed as a design task because the visible surface is a UI element, but the actual work — API keys, webhook handling, data mapping between systems — is development, not design, regardless of how the request is phrased.
Is it out of scope?
Yes. The visible widget might need design input (styling it to match the brand), but wiring the integration itself is development work. If the engagement is design-only, this needs a developer — either the client's own or a referral — even if the agency also happens to offer dev services separately.
Clause typically implicated
Clause typically implicated
Deliverables clause→ — A design-only engagement's deliverables list covers visual design, not backend integration — API work sits outside it by definition.
Example contract wording
Example contract wording (illustrative, not legal advice)
I can style the [tool] widget to match the site's design — that's a quick add on our end. The actual integration (API setup, connecting it to your [CRM/booking system]) is development work outside this design engagement. If you need a developer for that piece, I'm happy to make a recommendation.
How MarginFlow flags it
For design-only contracts, MarginFlow flags API/integration requests outside_scope even when they're phrased around a visible UI element, because the classifier weighs the underlying work type (backend integration) against the contract's deliverables, not just the surface-level ask — the explanation separates the stylable part from the integration part so the account manager can offer the design half without overcommitting on the dev half.