apidays LIVE Hong Kong 2021 - API Ecosystem & Data Interchange August 25 & 26, 2021 Getting API Management adopted: the hearts and minds beyond the technology Claire Barrett, Director at APIsFirst

1. Enabling the programmable economy
Getting API Management
Adopted
The people behind the technology
August 2021
www.apisfirst.com
© APIsFirst Ltd All rights reserved 2021

2. Introduction
Claire Barrett
Director, APIsFirst
www.linkedin.com/in/claire-global
www.apisfirst.com
Consultant and technology leader
who makes strategy happen
Strategy translator and change
agent for API strategies and plans
Researcher and educator into the
human aspects of API-enabled
transformation and change at
mature organizations
Global Women In APIs community
leader

3. www.theapicollective.com

4. Enabling the programmable economy
Getting API Management
Adopted
The people behind the technology

5. API management (APIM)
potential everywhere…
...why so hard?

6. Why does this matter?
● A lot of people are investing in API management (APIM) technologies
● Without considering the people factors :
○ API-ification opportunities are bypassed
○ Take-up is slower than planned
○ Supporting capabilities are misaligned
Examples: Training and education; Communication; API evangelisation;
Organisational change management; Operating models; Ways of working

7. “You can’t please all the people all of the time”

8. Enabling the programmable economy
1. Setting the right
expectations up front

9. “The global API management (APIM) market...
...is expected to grow from US $1.2 billion in 2018
to US $5.1 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 32.9%” 1
...stood at more than US $1.3 billion in 2019 and is projected
to grow at a CAGR of over 22% during 2021-2026” 2
...will grow from US $3.87 billion in 2020 to
US $7.54 billion in 2026...CAGR of about 34%... ” 3
1
API Management Market (March 2019) 2
TechSciResearch (March 2021) 3
MarketDataForecast (April 2021)

10. Open up new distribution
channels and markets
Make it easier to innovate and
get new products to market
Make it easier and faster
to make IT changes
Re-design customer journeys
and remove pain points
Generate revenue from
productized APIs
Digitise / automate
business processes
Examples of APIM objectives

11. Open up new distribution
channels and markets
Make it easier to innovate and
get new products to market
Make it easier and faster
to make IT changes
Re-design customer journeys
and remove pain points
Generate revenue from
productized APIs
Digitise / automate
business processes
Examples of APIM objectives
indirect
^

12. Open up new distribution
channels and markets
Make it easier to innovate and
get new products to market
Make it easier and faster
to make IT changes
Re-design customer journeys
and remove pain points
Generate revenue from
productized APIs
Digitise / automate
business processes
Which is the most
important ?
Examples of APIM objectives
indirect
^
What else needs
doing ?

13. So what APIM objectives are more realistic ?

14. Improve API portal
developer experience (DX)
Raise levels of API compliance
Improve API discoverability
Automate API
consumer onboarding
Accelerate progress towards
long term IT architecture goals
Build API awareness and skills
Examples of more direct APIM objectives
Which is the most
important ?

15. Indirect APIM objectives Direct APIM objectives
Make it easier and
faster to make IT
changes
Improve API
discoverability
Make it easier to
innovate and get new
products to market
Automate API
consumer onboarding
Raise levels of API
design compliance

16. Indirect APIM objectives Direct APIM objectives
Make it easier and
faster to make IT
changes
Improve API
discoverability
Make it easier to
innovate and get new
products to market
Automate API
consumer onboarding
Raise levels of API
design compliance
direct business
^

17. The API
Benefits Two-step
Image from www.unsplash.com

18. Enabling the programmable economy
2. Knowing your
stakeholders

19. Introducing a fictional mature company

20. Karl
Enterprise Architect
API comments:
● It feels good to be the API expert now that more people ‘get it’.
● Our standards and guidelines aren’t right yet : APIs are proliferating.
● If only the APIM was fully implemented...

21. Sanjay
Program Director, Digital Transformation
API comments:
● Digitisation, digitisation, digitisation.
● AI, cloud and cybersecurity are our priorities right now.
● When they’re ready, APIs will speed up integration and
reduce the cost of IT changes.

22. Jennifer
Managing Director, Key Customer Accounts
API comments:
● Our more tech-savvy customers want more business via APIs.
● It’s up to the digital team and the CTO/CIO to make it happen.
● What are our other companies doing?

23. Sponsors Transformers
Technologists

24. Sponsors Transformers
Explorers
Elders
Navigators
Technologists

25. Sponsors Transformers
Technologists

26. Dylan
Citizen developer
Freelance programmer doing mobile app tech support for
four days a week ; working on a green start-up to reduce
miles in online home deliveries
API comments:
● “What’s an API?” - is that a trick question?!
● It’s all about making a difference
● If their APIs were easy to find and use, I’d probably go there first

27. Sponsors Transformers
Technologists

28. Indirect APIM objectives Direct APIM objectives
Make it easier and
faster to make IT
changes
Improve API
discoverability
Make it easier to
innovate and get new
products to market
Automate API
consumer onboarding
Raise levels of API
design compliance
direct business
^

29. So how will they stay engaged?

30. Enabling the programmable economy
3. Getting the right
measures

31. # of APIs
# of API calls
# of registered developers
# of developers per application
# of applications reused
# of users via ecosystem
Ratio of API-enabled apps driving new revenues

32. Return on investment
Productivity
Customer retention

33. New metrics :
bar-setting
Current metrics :
bar-raising

34. New metrics :
bar-setting
Current metrics :
bar-raising
60% 40%

35. How long to wait between
results?
Image from www.unsplash.com

36. Increasing adoption
Focus on and measure direct APIM impacts
Know indirect impacts
Expect APIM success measures to evolve

37. Realising API potential
Find out more
Claire Barrett
Director, APIsFirst
www.linkedin.com/in/claire-global
www.apisfirst.com
www.theapicollective.com
© APIsFirst Ltd All rights reserved 2021