The document discusses embedding an API-as-a-product culture within an organization. It addresses common resistance to thinking of APIs as products and provides tips for product managers to establish APIs as true products. This includes establishing frameworks, guidelines and governance around API design, development and management. Leadership support is key to ensuring adherence to processes and a long-term focus is needed to fully embed an API-as-a-product mindset.

1. EMBEDDING
API-AS-A-PRODUCT CULTURE
RAHUL DIGHE
CHECKOUT API PRODUCT @ PAYPAL

2. API’S ARE PRODUCTS TOO
CULTURE CHANGE
▸ Why the resistance (or
ignorance) to think of APIs
as a Product
▸ How to watch out for
biases?
▸ What can you do about it?
©RahulDighe

3. IF YOU ARE BORN IN THE
WORLD OF API’S THAT
BECOMES THE BASELINE.
BE MINDFUL, NOT ALL
BUSINESS PROBLEMS
WILL HAVE AN API
SOLUTION.
INTERNAL APIS
YET TO BE BUILT API’S
API-AS-A-PRODUCT
API-IS-A-PRODUCT
API’S WITH NO PRODUCT OWNERSHIP
FIRST CLASS

4. API-AS-A-PRODUCT SKEPTIC
DON’T RECITE PHILOSOPHY, COME UP WITH A CONVINCING ARGUMENT
IT’S JUST FOR OUR PARTNER, A ONE-OFF CUSTOM INTEGRATION AND NEEDED TO GO LIVE YESTERDAY
IT JUST A CAPABILITY, A TECHNICAL INTERFACE TO EXPOSE OUR DATA, OUR TECHNOLOGY TEAM CAN MANAGE IT
IT’S JUST A DELIVERY CHANNEL, A WAY FOR SOMEONE TO INTEGRATE
IT’S JUST AN INTERNAL API NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO EVER USE IT
OUR COMPETITORS ARE NOT DOING IT, WE ARE NOT ONE OF THOSE FAANG COMPANIES
WE ARE IN THE ____ BUSINESS, API’S ARE NOT REALLY OUR PRODUCT
FEEDBACK IS POSITIVE (FROM THE BUSINESS PERSON) I SHOWED OUR API’S TOO, IT DOES EVERYTHING THEY WANT IT TO DO
DEVELOPERS ARE NOT DECISION MAKERS WHEN IT COMES TO BUYING OUR PRODUCT
PRIORITY IS TO LAUNCH A NEW MOBILE APP, AND OPTIMIZE OUR WEBSITE

5. PRODUCT OWNER NEEDS TO STAND IN FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS A.K.A DEVELOPER
HTTP STATUS 404
▸ Do you have Product Managers with the right skill/mind-set in an
API Product role?
▸ What resources are available for Product Managers who are
taking on ownership of APIs?
▸ Why are Product managers delegating definition of field / object
names, documentation, error messages to developers/architects?
dilbert.com

6. NOW HIRING ! - API / BACKEND ENGINEERS
API IS THE NEW FRONT END
▸ Does your engineering team care about:
▸ Great API interface.
▸ Equally great documentation (that matches
the spec).
▸ Error messages that are helpful.
▸ Does you and your engineering share a common
understanding of the “persona” of a developer.
▸ Do you have engineers who can just code? or are
they truly passionate about building a great APIs
and a great developer integration experience.
▸ Do you need an “API (front-end) engineer”?
©RahulDighe

7. INCONSISTENCY ⍺ NO. OF TEAMS THAT WORK ON THE API
FRAMEWORK/GUIDELINE
▸ Setup a framework / guidelines encompassing the
product life cycle:
▸ Design
▸ Develop
▸ Document
▸ Launch/Release
▸ Manage lifecycle, of your APIs
▸ If you do not have the resources to define your own
be inspired by others [https://github.com/paypal/
api-standards]
▸ Such approach provides guiding principles and
solutions, taking the mystery out of building API
products and make them more accessible.
©RahulDighe

8. HOW TO ENSURE ADHERENCE TO YOUR API FRAMEWORK/GUIDELINES
LEADERSHIP SUPPORT
▸ Ensuring adherence requires leadership
support and a willingness to hold off launch till
governance criteria is met.
▸ At PayPal it is achieved through a API
Product Maturity Level.
▸ Leadership has a simple directive no APIs
can be launched without a specific Maturity
Level.
▸ Without a specified Maturity Level API
components cannot even get access to
outside-in network traffic.
▸ A top-down approach will help you scale and
kick start the process faster.
Conway’s Law
ANY ORGANIZATION
THAT DESIGNS A
SYSTEM (DEFINED
BROADLY WILL
PRODUCE A DESIGN
WHO STRUCTURE IS
A COPY OF THE
ORGANIZATION’S
COMMUNICATION
STRUCTURE

9. YOU NEED TO MASTER MARKETING - COMPLEXITY
EDUCATE / SHARE STORIES
▸ Use every conceivable opportunity to talk in
a jargon free language about APIs and how
they add value to the organization.
▸ Share stories about:
▸ How APIs have solved customer pain
points in ways your web/mobile products
could not have?
▸ How API product thinking has
transformed your APIs?
▸ How APIs power “products” that others
in the company relate to?
▸ How APIs contributes to company metric
(revenue, cost, retention)? BASF Corporate Slogan
WE DON’T MAKE
A LOT OF
PRODUCTS YOU
BUY
WE MAKE A LOT
OF PRODUCTS
YOU BUY BETTER

10. TRY NOT TO SURF IN CALM WATERS
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
▸ Did you just take on a new role and
people are more receptive to hearing
new ideas from you?
▸ Is there a new leader that has joined the
organization that has a passion for APIs?
▸ Did one of your competitors just launch
an API?
▸ Company is in a growth mode and is
open to investment for a Proof of
Concept.
▸ A major partner just asked for an API.
©RahulDighe

11. EMBEDDING API-AS-A-
PRODUCT CULTURE IS A LONG
MULTI YEAR JOURNEY
BEST OF LUCK !
RDIGHE@PAYPAL.COM
LINKEDIN.COM/IN/RAHULDIGHE
TWITTER.COM/RAHULDIGHE
National Museum of the USAF
JOIN MY TEAM, I’M HIRING !