This document discusses using social practice theory to increase the success of API programs. It presents a three concept model of competence, tool, and meaning to understand how practices develop around technologies. APIs and devportals require ongoing maintenance practices to be truly successful. To maximize their potential, API programs must develop shared meanings among stakeholders and understand the competencies needed to utilize related tools. The document emphasizes that technologies are interfaces between teams and complex adaptive systems.

1. Pronovix - the devportal company
THIS IS YOUR
PRESENTATION
(or slidedoc) title
APIs from
consumption to
production
How to build a successful
API program using social
practice theory

2. Pronovix - the devportal company
THIS IS YOUR
PRESENTATION
(or slidedoc) title
┃2

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Collaborative
strategy!
Wardley mapping
Deliberate complexity
Complexity mapping Affordance
catalogue

4. Pronovix - the devportal company
THIS IS YOUR
PRESENTATION
(or slidedoc) title
┃4

5. Pronovix - the devportal company
Social practice
theory
A 3 concept
model to
increase API
program
success
┃5

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Social practice

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“Material” in the social
practice model
Social practice

8. Pronovix - the devportal company
THIS IS YOUR
PRESENTATION
(or slidedoc) title
Kristof
Van Tomme
CEO Pronovix
@kvantomme

9. Pronovix - the devportal company
THIS IS YOUR
PRESENTATION
(or slidedoc) title
PRONOVIX
The DevPortal
Company

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Tool

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APIs

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API gateways

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Devportals

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Tool utopia trap
If I buy this tool
it will solve the
problem for me
┃14

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How many times
have you
bought into a
product's
promise, and
then ended up
blaming
yourself for not
using it?
┃15
Missing practice

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Tool
What is the
product
promise?

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It is only through new practices that you can
achieve the product promise.

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Competence Tool
What
competencies
do you need?
What is the
product
promise?

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Tools always
requires specific
competences
for them to be
used, these might
be trivial, but often
they are hidden
┃19
Competences needed
to utilize a tool

20. Support
Marketing
Sales
Operations Product
Technical
writers
API
developers
Developer
advocate
Mature API teams
also have
tech writers and
advocates
Key roles
● API team
○ Developers
○ Product owner
● Tech writers
● Dev advocate
┃20
Pronovix confidential and proprietary

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Competence Tool Meaning

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Where do birds nests come from? How do
bird populations keep retaining the
competences to build birds nests?

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Nests are a
social construct
that has a
meaning for the
interactions in a
bird population
Shared social
meaning

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Social meaning
genetically encoded
mate selection child rearing
egg laying

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Social meaning
culturally encoded
Practice 2 Practice 3
Practice 1

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Fascinating story here
about the parallels and
differences between
animal and human
societies

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Shared meaning

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An affordance of
a product is also
a sociotechnical
construct
Affordances

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Affordance catalogues

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Social practice

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What does this mean for APIs & devportals?

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The more
turbulent the
environment
the tool lives in,
the faster it will
start decaying
┃33
Maintenance practice

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Maintenance practice
is key for APIs
APIs are even
more abstract
than software,
& especially
vulnerable once
humans are not
there to defend
them

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API production practice
API consumption practice

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When you think
of a tool, in your
mind’s eye you
should see the
teams that are
on both sides of
the interface
Tools are interfaces
between teams

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API build & Maintenance
API consumption practice

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Products are
interface
boxes around
and between
Complex
Adaptive
Systems
38
Complexity arises when a set of
agents have the right level of:
-Interconnection
-Interdependence
-Diversity
-Adaptivity
@kvantomme -

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39
Complexity mapping:
Wardley mapping
& Cynefin

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API build & Maintenance
Role of the devportal
Devportal

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What can we do with this model?

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Competence Tool Meaning
What is the
product
promise?

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Competence Tool Meaning
What
competencies
do you need?
What is the
product
promise?

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Competence Tool Meaning
What
competencies
do you need?
What is the
product
promise?
How will you
build shared
meaning?

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This highlights an important difference
between internal and external API programs
Internal API program
● domain model
● internal developer
advocate
External API program
● Devrel program
● External developer
advocate(s)

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In summary:
Don't take the product promise for granted, if you want to be
successful with your API program you will need a practice to
maintain and use your APIs. And the full potential of any API
program will only be fulfilled if you can change people's
minds and create a meaning that is shared by as many
people as possible in your organisation.

47. Pronovix - the devportal company
Thank you for
your
attention!
47
@kvantomme -

48. Pronovix - the devportal company
Thank you for
your
attention!
48
@kvantomme -
Check out:
▪ bit.ly/dev-portals
▪ pronovix.com/api-resilience
Want to unravel
the yarn?