Each API should ideally have a dedicated product as well as an engineering owner, with other stakeholders across the API lifecycle defined in an easy to access human readable location, but also defined in a machine-readable API to help automate coordination amongst owners and stakeholders.
APIs Always Have Well-Defined Owners and Stakeholders
Policies
Teams
Requiring at least one product and one engineering, as well as other potential stakeholders involved through the API lifecycle from define to production, ensuring there is always someone actively o...
Experiences
Alignment
Achieving alignment between teams producing APIs and their consumers is a persistent challenge in API operations. Effective collaboration between business and technical stakeholders requires ongoin...
Automation
Automating business operations is a primary driver for adopting and governing APIs, enabling organizations to achieve the scale, speed, and quality needed to remain competitive in global markets. A...
Change
Managing and effectively communicating changes across one or more APIs is a leading cause of instability and friction in enterprise operations. While these changes often surface in applications use...
Communication
Consistent communication about the production and consumption of APIs is critical for effective enterprise governance. APIs are inherently difficult to visualize, making it essential to invest in m...
Consistency
Achieving consistency in the design, delivery, and maintenance of HTTP APIs across an enterprise is a significant challenge—one that often complicates API operations. Small differences, such as var...
Onboarding
Transitioning from API discovery to integration as a consumer requires a well-defined and streamlined API onboarding process. Onboarding begins with discovery and relies heavily on clear documentat...
Quality
The quality of HTTP APIs powering an enterprise tends to decline as the number of ungoverned APIs grows across internal, partner, and public landscapes. Low-quality APIs lead to poor downstream exp...
Reliability
If an API isn’t reliable, consumers will eventually look for alternatives. Reliability starts with the platform and infrastructure where the API is deployed, but it also depends heavily on the pace...
Security
API security is a top priority for any enterprise, with even higher standards for externally available APIs. However, security doesn’t end with the APIs an enterprise produces—it also applies to co...
Self-Service
Self-service is the experience of a consumer being able to discover, access, and integrate an API without having to talk to a human. Portals, sign-up flows, documentation, and keys let developers g...
