Developer portal strategies for complex landscapes -- conversation with Kristof van Tomme
Audio
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Video
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Topics discussed
Here are a few questions I asked Kristof during the podcast:
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How has Covid19 prompted companies to shift from physical proximity to digital proximity? Are APIs pivotal in the ability to make this transformation?
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In your presentation, you talk about a Cynefin framework that has different landscapes as metaphors, including a “dancing” landscape to reflect complexity. Are we in a dancing landscape right now?
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You mention how in complex landscapes, companies need to allow developers to adapt and modify the prescribed implementation. This is because often by the time they finish their implementation, the landscape may have already changed, introducing new factors not previously present. How does this constantly changing landscape influence our approach in documenting APIs?
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You talked about the pitfalls of spray and pray and the need for a larger, more coherent strategy for APIs. What is spray and pray? How does having a larger, more coherent strategy compare with the strategy about embracing adaptivity and letting developers use APIs in new and surprising ways?
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Teams within an enterprise often need to stay autonomous and nimble (like startups) to be able to move fast and pivot to meet the needs of a changing landscape. At the same time, you’ve also cautioned against organizational practices that lack a coherent strategy for how their APIs should be used to achieve business goals. How do you balance the constraints of strategy with autonomous groups that can operate independently of each other, somewhat blind to what each is doing?
Many of these talking points are based off a presentation Kristof recently gave titled The Role of Developer Portals in Digital Transformation at the API the Docs Virtual series in April 2020.
Resources
Here are some other resources mentioned during the podcast:
- A Role for Developer Portals in Digital Transformation,
- DevPortal Awards
- Cynefin framework
- Facilitating Organization Change: Lessons from Complexity Science
- API the Docs virtual series
- Developer portals & API docs newsletter
- The Design of Web APIs by API Handyman
Kristof also wanted to acknowledge and attribute various ideas to people:
- Matthias Biehl (coined “digital proximity”)
- Robin Meissner (impact of constraints between REST and SOAP)
- Matthias Buesher (devportals as a toolbox)
- Cristiano Betta a.k.a. Doctor DX (“building blocks” APIs you use and document together )
About Kristof van Tomme
Kristof van Tomme is CEO and co-founder of Pronovix, a company “dedicated to the research & development of developer portals.” Kristof and other event organizers at Pronovix recently hosted an online series of developer-portal related events called API the Docs virtual series, which has had tremendous success and reach. You can learn more about Kristof here.
About Tom Johnson
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