The document discusses building an API strategy and culture within a large organization. It emphasizes that an API strategy requires more than just defining technical aspects - it requires establishing an organizational culture around APIs through evangelism, identifying use cases, designing teams, and training. It provides examples of roles needed like an API Evangelist to bridge technical and business needs, and outlines steps to build an API business case for teams to pilot APIs, define success metrics, and establish style guides and standards.

1. -
Building an API
Strategy Culture…
inside a big organization
Pauline Pham
Fintech Director, Five by Five
Co-Director, StartHer
@Yutcam

2. 2
Building an
API Strategy
Culture inside
a big Organization

3. Building an
API
Culture inside
a big Organization
—
3
Who is this girl?
I am not an engineer
but yes I work with APIs at big
organizations
What is an API Strategy in a big
organization?
Building an API strategy has
everything to do with having a
culture around it

4. 4
API Frenzy
Platform model
—
Programming Interface (API) has
become a hot buzzword in the tech
world
PSD2
—
PSD2 is driving European banks to a
defining moment forcing them to
make a key strategic decision and to
open their model

5. They lead the way

6. They want to build their API Strategy but
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25
35
45
55
65
75
year
averagelifetimeofS&P500companies

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What comes to your mind when talking about an API Strategy
API defined and agreed
A dedicated team
Use cases identified
and business model defined
Design/prototype of API
Beta testing & early release
Production

8. •
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•
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What we see when building an API Strategy with a big org
API defined and agreed
A dedicated team
Use cases identified
and business model defined
Design/prototype of API
Beta testing & early release
Production
There is an agreed governance
model
The organization can do this
without developer engagement
Buy-in from CEO all the way down to
business units + empowerment
If you build it, developers will come
Internal processes and API
standards are in place

9. Building an API
Culture
inside a big Organization
—
9
Why is building an API culture
(super) important?
API culture means API Strategy
in real life
In real life, API Strategy is a wild
carnival: exhilarating
sometimes, and scary and
chaotic at other times.

10. 10
What we do at Five by Five
From 0 to 1
—
Where to play?
What are the best use cases to test &
explore ?
Who are my users? - personae
What is my (product) value
proposition & my potential business
model?
API Strategy in Real Life inside a large
entreprise
—
Market research AND a lot of interviews
internally
A lot of evangelization and pitching
Use case generation
User testing of the use cases and product
mentality vs Project management
Training and coaching

11. What does it mean actually
You need to think about it this way
to build a platform
11
Building a shared language
How people think about API
Some mysterious technology

12. 12
API Strategy starts with a bowling game
Pitch deck
Onboarding script
Individual meeting calendar
Stakeholders map

13. Follow by some Product mindset training
Squeeze the lemon
of product design
insight onto the
page…
๏ Benchmark
๏ Use cases
๏ Personas
๏ User interviews
๏ Value proposition
définition
๏ Business model
exploration
๏ Team design
How to know what you don’t know?

14. 14
Building an
API
Culture inside a
big Organization
—
They might know
what to do eventually, but not
how to do it and with whom?
They are not a startup,
they are not starting
from scratch

15. 15
Creating hybrid and evolving teams
From 1 to 2
—
How do I get there?
Who I need to train, recruit, work
with?
How to I adapt my processes?
Hybrid people and specific tools
—
Shadow team
Team design, Talent and Partner sourcing
Creation of tools, onboarding teams and
training

16. 16
How do we work with our clients
Core team
Entrepreneurs in Residence
Experts

17. The new Bankers // train hybrid talents
API (internal) Evangelist
API Product Owner
API Onboarding Biz & Tech

18. API (internal) Evangelist
About the job
You are a business expert with serious API technical depth or an API technologist with a passion for business and
strategy.
Your mission will be to bridge the knowledge and cultural gaps between technical and business worlds to enable
virtuous cycles for innovation. You will be an integral liaison to both worlds, clearly communicating business
requirements or technical concerns to each side. You will guide our business team in understanding and fully
leveraging APIs as part of a platform business.
The right candidate will be well-rounded in APIs, business and products, with a finesse for building great developer
experiences.
About you
You are a problem solver at heart with a passion for APIs and elegant DX design.
You are especially fluent in tech, business and project management.
You’re an outstanding communicator with a special talent for making the technical feel human (i.e. you can explain
what an API is to your grandparents). You also excel at presenting in front of both technical and not-so-technical
audiences.
You can anticipate challenges companies implementing their API strategy face, and have empathy for those who
face them (e.g. technical constraints that API architects face, code breakthroughs from developers, etc.)
You are flexible, have a healthy disrespect for the impossible and feel at ease in complex environments.
Required Qualifications
• At least 3 years of product management, software development or IT consulting experience
• At least 3 years of experience working in a fast-paced environment
• Above average technical and business communication skills, with the ability to fluidly interface with any audience
(stakeholders, project teams, developers, etc.)
• Experience building, consuming, documenting or supporting web APIs
• Excellent presentation skills and high level of comfort with presenting to senior leadership
• Proven ability to write insightful content and produce high-quality deliverables that increase the value of our
analysis and research (e.g. benchmarks, marketing, research, etc.)
• Strong attention to detail, combined with ability to see and explain the big picture
• Ability to deal with ambiguity, change, and shifting priorities

19. 1
—
Help each team build their API business case
Define the (Product)
Team
• Biz lead
• Tech lead
• DX Advocate + 1 or 2 Developers
• 1 Scrum Master
• Executive Sponsor
2
—
Define the Product
API Name & Value proposition
Use cases description, logo, description of the value proposition
API Users & Market
Market Benchmark
Segment description API Business Objectives
How will this API contribute the organization current overall
business strategy?
API Roadmap
Technical part
• Complementary technology and services, developers will need
to use
• Key functionalities and level of risk
• API Style guide check

20. Create an API Style Guide
Now, as teams start building APIs,
the concern is that each API will be made
slightly differently to each other.
Each line of business wants to own the process
so completely that they go ahead and do their
own thing, as they know best.
—

21. 3
—
Define Success metrics
• Brand awareness: Build brand reputation amongst developer
communities
• Extend market reach: Increase reach of bank's services/
products to new markets (new revenue sources)
• Improve customer stickiness: Enable third parties to build
new value-added services and products for existing
customers
• Introduce automation: increase workflows internally or with
partners
• Reduce costs/time: Speed up product development
internally
• Enter into new ecosystems: Provide banking services as a
component in emerging ecosystems
API Documentation & Legal
• List of any supporting documents
• Code samples
• Contract and General Conditions of Use check
4
—

22. Merci >^.^<
We are hiring!!!!
Pauline Pham
Fintech Director
Five by Five
Co-Director @StartHer
pauline@fivebyfive.io
@yutcam