Date: August 17, 2025 Status: Accepted Deciders: Principal Architect, Chief Architect, Chief of Staff Classification: Operational/Architectural (Hybrid)
Product Managers use diverse tools that don’t naturally interoperate: GitHub for code, Jira for enterprise tracking, Linear for modern workflows, Notion for documentation, Slack for communication. Each tool has its own data model, API patterns, and conceptual framework.
Through implementing PM-033c/d and PM-074 (Slack spatial intelligence), we’ve achieved successful federation across multiple platforms. The term “multi-federation” emerged when we realized we’re not just integrating tools—we’re creating a unified intelligence layer that understands how work flows across all of them.
The breakthrough: federation isn’t about data synchronization, it’s about semantic understanding across tool boundaries.
We formalize the multi-federation architecture that enables Piper Morgan to operate as a semantic bridge across the fragmented PM tool ecosystem, maintaining authoritative understanding while respecting each tool’s native patterns.
federation_topology:
code_layer:
primary: GitHub
alternatives: [GitLab, Bitbucket]
semantics: [commits, PRs, issues, branches]
enterprise_tracking:
primary: Jira
alternatives: [Azure DevOps]
semantics: [epics, stories, workflows]
modern_tracking:
primary: Linear
alternatives: [Height, Shortcut]
semantics: [cycles, projects, initiatives]
documentation:
primary: Notion
alternatives: [Confluence, Coda]
semantics: [pages, databases, properties]
communication:
primary: Slack
alternatives: [Teams, Discord]
semantics: [channels, threads, reactions]
spatial: true # PM-074's spatial intelligence
class UniversalWorkItem:
"""The semantic bridge across all PM tools."""
# Core identity
id: UUID # Piper's universal ID
source_ids: Dict[Platform, str] # Native IDs in each system
# Semantic properties (tool-agnostic)
intent: str
status: WorkflowState
stakeholders: List[Person]
dependencies: List[UUID]
# Platform-specific extensions
github_data: Optional[GitHubIssue]
jira_data: Optional[JiraStory]
linear_data: Optional[LinearIssue]
notion_data: Optional[NotionPage]
slack_context: Optional[SpatialContext] # From PM-074
def translate_to(self, platform: Platform) -> PlatformSpecificItem:
"""Semantic translation to platform-native format."""
return self.translators[platform].translate(self)
Approach: Force all data into one primary system Why Rejected: Teams won’t abandon their preferred tools. Forcing consolidation creates resistance and shadow IT.
Approach: Extract all data into central warehouse Why Rejected: Loses real-time nature. Creates stale data problems. Massive storage and sync overhead.
Approach: Direct integrations between each tool pair Why Rejected: N×N complexity explosion. Brittle. Inconsistent patterns.
Multi-federation represents a philosophical stance: PM tools will remain fragmented, but intelligence can be unified. Rather than fighting tool proliferation, we embrace it through semantic federation.
The breakthrough wasn’t technical—it was conceptual. Once we stopped trying to sync data and started federating meaning, the architecture became elegant. Each tool does what it does best, and Piper provides the semantic glue.
The spatial intelligence from PM-074 proved crucial. By giving abstract work items spatial metaphors, we created an intuitive way to understand relationships across tool boundaries. A GitHub PR isn’t just linked to a Jira ticket—it exists in the same conceptual “room.”
“Federation isn’t about moving data—it’s about preserving meaning across boundaries.”