API MATURITY MODEL: A STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH
We often get the question how to increase an organisation’s API maturity. Not an easy job as you need to change the daily behavior of people. It is not just a matter of training: you need to make people aware and convince them of the new way of working and thinking. So, you need some change management techniques to increase your maturity. In this blog we will explain how your maturity can grow step-by-step. This approach is formalised in our API maturity model.
What is API Maturity?
First of all, there is often a difference between the view of managers and (enterprise) architects, and the view of developers on API maturity. If you talk with the latter about API maturity, they mostly refer to the Maturity Model of Richardson about REST API design or other maturity models about API security. Managers and (enterprise) architects on the other hand, are interested whether the organisation is capable to apply API architecture and designs in the projects aligned with the way they want it to be executed.
In our framework we focus on the second viewpoint. Therefore we define API maturity as follows:
“API maturity is about the ability of the organisation to apply API architecture, design, development, testing and devops practices in projects according to the defined strategic objectives of your API initiative. The ability of the organisation must be reflected in having all involved roles at the right skill set and level of experience”
As you might have noticed in our definition, we do not refer to a top level of API architecture or a top level of platform implementation. This is because we believe that each organisation has his own set of goals they want to achieve. The different parts of your API framework will be organised accordingly. For example, an API initiative focussing only on public API’s will have other targets than an API initiative focussing on delivering internal API’s for a multi-channel approach.
The Added Value of an API Maturity Model
As explained in the introduction organisations often ask us to increase their API maturity. This is not such an easy assignment because you need to change the daily behaviour and thinking of your organisation. We believe you need to increase the maturity by using a step-by-step approach. Each step has its role in increasing the maturity in your organisation. For example, you can not start to roll out your API framework in the complete organisation before you have convinced your management or leads. This approach is translated in six stages.
The 6 Maturity Stages
We identify six phases, each with their own objective:
Organic: limited set of developers start developing REST API’s in their solution to realise ad-hoc project needs (e.g. API’s for a mobile application). There is no central steering or governance, it grows organically based on the realised projects.
Initiating: in this phase the organisation wants to validate the architecture and technology viability with a single confined case according to established success criteria. Very often a specific team consisting of different profiles (from business to infrastructure people) is composed to execute the POC. The purpose is to convince the future leads of the API initiative.
Exploratory: in this stage we are testing the first version of our API framework in a number of pilot projects. The results of these projects will be used to convince the future sponsors (business and IT) of the API initiative.
Emerging: after updating the API framework with the experience of the pilot projects, the API initiative will grow further by selecting believer projects or parts of the organisation.
Systematic: the lessons as learned in the emerging phase will lead to the first complete version of the API management framework. This framework will now be rolled out in the complete organisation.
Optimized: the API initiative and framework needs to be improved continuously. This stage embeds the continuous improving and learning cycle.
For each of the stages, we have described the different parts of our API management framework as well the scope and objective.
Read more: https://we-archers.com/news/blog/api-maturity-model
Source: I8C – Archers
TALKSHOW: API Maturity Model: A Step by Step Approach Applied at I8C Customers
During the online event, which starts on 10 December we will be hosting a talkshow. In this talkshow, we explain the different stages of the model and show how we have applied this at the customers of I8C, Archers, Integration Designers and Integration.team. Join us to learn more about the model!