API Strategy - How to develop a API strategy ?

API’s are essential component of a platform & apps ecosystem.  However, many companies look at APIs as an afterthought. Especially, the established Enterprise vendors.  The standard response (which I’m sure you are familiar with) by a software vendor who hasn't put a thoughtful API design is ...Yes. We have a bunch of APIs which enable you to do anything we do through standard interfaces. Just give us a buzz and we will get you started with a $ services engagement for custom development. Such vendors are slowly disappearing and are getting replaced by tech start-ups with innovative solutions and standards based API support, SDK’s , API applications to configure , build or extend the base software / services or the platform easily. These vendors focus on answers to five key questions to help shape up their API strategy :

 

• What is the business purpose and the intended audience of the API?
• What type of functionality & interfaces should the APIs expose?
• What is the community & support framework?
• What is the GTM model ?
• What is the API governance model?

Sharing a few simple thoughts and a framework to help develop and API strategy . As always, I’ll go the basics to define a framework for the API strategy. Lets start with the definition :

API: An interface designed to accept a broad class of apps in ways that allow app developers to use the platform’s capabilities without having to concern themselves with how those capabilities are implemented in the platform (src : Tiwana, Amrit (2013-11-12). Platform Ecosystems: Aligning Architecture, Governance, and Strategy)

API Reference Framework: This is a high level framework that focuses on the five key questions listed above. It’s a conceptual model that should aid the evolution of the API design strategy.  

The most important component of this framework is - API types. One should think long and hard enough on this topic - Why APIs & For Whom? This decision/strategy dictates every downstream activity and things will automatically flow if you get this right.