Forrester’s recent report: API Product Management is Key for API Success highlights the need for a business led API strategy. This report provides a framework outlining the:
- pitfalls of an IT led strategy
- the benefits of a product management led approach
- and next steps on executing
THE MYTH “The industry says to just build APIs as your projects execute and you will end up with a beautiful coherent portfolio”.
THE REALITY “This approach leads to an incoherent junk drawer of APIs. When APIs are treated as an IT implementation concern, your API portfolio meanders haphazardly from one project to the next with no long-term vision.”
Instead use API Product Management to deliver results. Viewing your APIs as an interface into business capabilities not applications means you gain:
- New business opportunities
- Increased agility and quality
- Increased revenues
- Reduced IT costs from self-service onboarding
- Improved customer satisfaction
Additional benefits of a business led API strategy and using APIs to unlock business capabilities include:
- Improved design, documentation, discovery, and adoption…
- Which leads to increased reuse
- Improved architecture
- Increased consistency and speed to market
- Tailored governance models