In the digital world, success goes beyond simply creating technology. Really, it’s about how creativity blends harmoniously with those who put it into practice. This article, intended for software engineers and other professionals in the sector, delves into the importance of collaboration between business and technology teams, highlighting the essential role of API Evangelists in this interaction.
The Importance of APIs in Digital Transformation
Reflecting on my 25 years of experience in various roles – from software developer to API Evangelist I highlight the constant evolution of software. My experience highlights the relevance of guiding and accompanying digital product teams and fostering ecosystems for their productive development with the ultimate goal of achieving high performance.
Nothing that ignores the noise of the world stays alive for long.
Jorge Wagensberg.
Change is inherent to life. Ideas evolve, and with them, technologies. In this context, APIs act as catalysts, transforming ideas into practical solutions and fostering innovation through the interconnection of systems and people. Every technological advance opens the door to new ideas, and every innovative idea drives the development of new technologies.
APIs can serve as a bridge between ideas and their practical implementation. By sharing data and functionality, companies can develop new applications and solutions that can help them stay competitive in the ever-changing market, which in turn can lead to innovative and effective solutions.
The Cultural Evolution of API Governance
APIs are not a new concept; they have existed since the early years of computing. In the 60s and 70s, they were fundamental tools for software development, although their use was limited.
With the birth of the web in the 90s, APIs began to play a crucial role in connecting systems and applications.
But it is not with the arrival of smartphones that a new world of possibilities opened up. APIs allowed applications like Google Maps or Facebook to integrate into millions of devices, offering an interconnected and fluid user experience.
The current and future trend of treating APIs as products is increasingly common in the technology industry.
Companies are taking an “API-first” approach to product and service development, meaning that APIs are considered products in their own right and are designed, built, and managed similarly to other products.
This allows companies to deliver more consistent and scalable user experiences and also facilitates integration into other systems and applications.
APIs have come a long way since their creation. Being the glue that unites the digital world, and its evolution is a mirror of technological advancement. As we move towards a more connected future, APIs will continue to play a crucial role in shaping that future.
Challenges and Strategies in API Governance
However, being able to execute an API governance strategy should mean being able to deliver the type of customer experiences needed, whether it’s an Amazon Echo, web, or mobile device.
And the API governance strategy to adapt to change cannot be defined and executed magically. The culture must be prepared for that change. Any strategic initiative that is not aligned with the culture will eventually fail.
Culture eats strategy for breakfast.
Peter Drucker.
API governance faces cultural and strategic challenges. It is not enough to define a governance strategy; The organizational culture must be prepared to adopt and adapt to these changes. A successful API governance strategy requires a vision that aligns technology with user needs and experiences.
API Governance as Facilitator of Change
From these lines, we propose an alternative vision where the API governance is not restrictive but a facilitator of positive change. This involves redefining the relationship between software, equipment, and the corporate environment, creating a framework that allows innovation and fluid adaptation to change.
An API governance team oversees and directs the API strategy, ensuring it aligns with business objectives and user needs. This team is crucial to adapting the company to the demands of the digital market, acting as a bridge between technology, strategy, and organizational culture.
However, rigid API governance can stagnate this dynamism. Limiting technological options slows innovation. This risk-averse approach to API governance becomes a barrier to strategic evolution and positive cultural change. In a world where the only constant is change, an inflexible API governance transforms each challenge into a uniform problem.
A restrictive API governance limits innovation and encourages shadow IT practices, where teams look for “shortcuts” outside established protocols, reintroducing risks that the API governance aims to avoid.
The Path to Change MUST be a Journey of No Return
Why should teams follow the rules? The most ingrained assumption is that creating an API White Paper and guides on “how to write good APIs” is enough. Nothing is further from reality. Approaching change without a holistic view that allows us to see beyond the rigidity of the API governance does not allow for the cultural evolution we pursue. And over time, we return to the culture we wanted to change. It is the effect of the principle of elasticity applied to organizations.
That is why we propose three large blocks of action according to our experience. First of all, prepare the system in an appropriate way, that is, take care of that ecosystem where the teams will move towards the evolution of change. Secondly, approach the teams and the organization to accompany them in an empathetic and humble way, taking care of the culture of that moment, and finally, measuring our progress.
Change management is like growing a garden
The first step in our approach is to create an optimal environment (prepare the ground). By addressing policies for API development individually, we risk losing the big picture, unable to see the ecosystem as a whole.
We recognize the complexity and richness of the ecosystem we manage, identifying specific actions for its development and others that, like invasive species in a natural habitat, could be detrimental to its integrity.
The second step consists of determining the most effective way to guide our teams toward the established objectives, understanding that there are multiple ways to overcome obstacles. This process involves a recognition of the existing organizational culture.
Finally, the third key aspect is to ensure an accurate evaluation of our performance. The absence of an adequate performance measurement methodology prevents an API governance effort from determining its progress toward specific goals, evaluating the effectiveness of its initiatives, or clearly presenting its progress to executive leadership. This lack represents an inefficient approach to program delivery and tangible business value creation.
Let’s focus on support because the writing of an API White Paper as well as the rules that we must comply with and best practices to implement are all quite clear to us.
We talk about supporting the organization in a humble way and taking into account its culture, which is why the API governance team and its creation are essential to avoid falling into the same old mistakes again.
The Gardeners of Digital Transformation: The API Team
In the context of facilitating teams’ navigation through the complex world of API technology, it is crucial to recognize that simply publishing an API-style guide or distributing formal communications via email cannot replace valuable direct interaction. and staff with developers.
This interaction is essential, regardless of geographic location. Building a relationship of trust is a process that is most effectively done through face-to-face contact, fostering a belief that the API Team has the developers’ best interests at heart, and encouraging trust that developers will act appropriately. appropriate manner. The premise that “API” involves “adopting positive intent” is significantly strengthened when a mutual agreement has been established in person.
Individuals and interactions over process and tools
Manifesto for Agile Software Development
But not only that, API trainers must also accompany the leaders of the organization. These trainers are essential to transform one-time training into a constant and dynamic dialogue in their respective areas of expertise.
In an API governance standards should be a journey, not a destination. A common practice is to make decisions about business norms and team needs from an isolated and distant position. But there is another different way of doing things: getting involved and committing directly to those who work efficiently and effectively.
Our API team acts as the gardeners of this process, made up of cross-functional professionals with adequate skills to design and develop APIs. They not only encourage but also guide and train project leaders, developers, and API Evangelists so that the latter implement their knowledge in their respective teams. Additionally, they share access to the evolution of our standards with other API Evangelists.
In this way, standards are not imposed on teams; rather, it is the teams that drive the standards. These are not requirements imposed from outside but rather reflect the real needs and concerns of the teams. This becomes an extremely strong motivating factor for acceptance.
Selecting the right people for the API team is a priority decision. It is important to explain the purpose of the team and take into account its size since its function is to evangelize the construction of good software, not to build it. It is also important to foster team identity, for example through the team name, and motivate team members with clear messages about the goal and what is expected of them. It is necessary to eliminate any members with excessive egos since humility, empathy, and courage are highly valued values in these teams.
How Do We Accompany?
Once the team is defined, and we have the human and technological ecosystem defined, there are certain practices that help scale the model. Based on three main ideas.
- Promote continuous improvement by listening to the community, not just explaining the API governance to them, we need their point of view, and improve little by little with everyone’s contribution.
- Create new trainers. Grow other people to help in evangelization.
- New safe ecosystems. Create spaces for coexistence and collaboration that allow trust to be generated between teams and escalate decisions without the need for political conflicts.
API Evangelist Communities
The API Evangelist community is a representation of people who are passionate about getting APIs built with quality. As the maturity of the Evangelists grows, a group of people with the capacity to accompany others is created around them. We created small pockets of API Teams in other locations and Partners to improve efficiency.
When we are gone, they continue our work and are the accessible and friendly face that the developers work with. The ecosystem should never be left without care.
The Central Hypothesis: Holistic Digital Transformation
While API Evangelists and coaches accompany teams to incorporate new ways of thinking differently, there is prior work to build product teams necessary to correctly catalyze the change driven by the API Team.
The key to my conclusion lies in the controversial Conway’s Law: “Organizations create designs that replicate their communicative structure.” This principle suggests that code style can reflect internal communication dynamics, potentially leading to outdated or substandard products.
We identified a recurring pattern: department heads understand their domain, but often lack a holistic view of the software process. This can lead to misunderstandings, delivery delays, and software errors.
We propose to reverse Conway’s Law, building teams around business capabilities to foster interdepartmental collaboration and empathy. This approach seeks to connect departments, providing an integrated vision of the business process.
Practical Implementation and Reduction of Cognitive Load
Once a system based on autonomous services is established, teams are assigned to each service. So each team is autonomous in its delivery.
This approach, detailed in “Team Topologies” by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais, allows teams to focus on their specific service, reducing interdepartmental dependency and streamlining delivery. Limiting cognitive load is crucial to maintain efficiency and quality.
The importance of the product expert.
Once the product teams have been identified, the product offered and its functionalities must be clearly identified. An API-first approach will help achieve this. It is in this context where the API Team coaches can help and give context as a whole to the acceleration of the product that that team should work on.
Conclusion
At the heart of technological and digital transformation lies an immutable truth: innovation is not just about the tools and technologies we create, but about how they fit into the fabric of our culture and collaboration. The API governance, more than a regulatory body, becomes a careful gardener that cultivates an ecosystem of change, growth, and adaptability.
True digital transformation is not measured only by the APIs we develop, but by the way in which they reflect and enhance the interactions in the organization and the responses they give to the problems and needs of our clients.
Looking towards the future, we face a horizon where change is the only constant. But instead of fearing this change, we embrace it as the fertile ground for new ideas and solutions. The API governance team, as guides and gardeners of this change, not only cultivates technologies but also nurtures minds and hearts, ensuring that every step forward is a step towards a more integrated, empathetic, and connected future.
In short, our vision is not simply to build APIs, but to build bridges: bridges between technology and people, between ideas and realities, and between the present and a bright digital future full of possibilities. Together, on this journey, we transform not only our products, but ourselves and our organizations, forging a path that is a vibrant testament to the human capacity to adapt, innovate and thrive.
Read more articles:
APIs: The Secret Sauce Behind Financial Innovation
5 API Styles Any Decision Maker Should Know
Computer Engineer with more than 20 years of experience in the banking, insurance and telecommunications sectors. Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Master in Agile Methodologies from the University of La Salle. Postgraduate in banking business from Pompeu Fabra University. Lean & Agile coach, facilitator, and API Evangelist. Certified Advance Scrum Master by the Scrum Alliance, Certified SAFe Practitioner (Scaled Agile Framework), and Kanban Management Practitioner (Kanban University).
