Platform & API Product Management

Platform & API Product Management

Platform & API Product Management is a specialized field focused on creating and managing products that other teams or developers use to build their own end-user products. Instead of building the final product, like a Lego castle, Platform Product Managers create the reusable components, or Lego bricks, that help teams build faster and more efficiently.

Benefits

Platform & API Product Management offers several key advantages:

• Increased Development Velocity:Teams can build products faster by using pre-made components instead of starting from scratch.
• Improved Reliability & Consistency:Centralized services ensure a stable and consistent experience for all users.
• Reduced Costs & Redundancy:Eliminates duplicate work, saving time and money.
• Enables Innovation:Frees up teams to focus on new ideas and user experiences.
• Enhanced Governance & Security:Ensures all products meet the same security and compliance standards.

Use Cases

Platform & API Product Management is used in various settings:

• Internal Platforms:Used within a company to support different teams, such as a design system for internal designers and engineers.
• External Platforms:Used by external developers, like Stripe for payment processing or AWS for cloud computing services.

Vibes

Platform & API Product Management is highly valued for its impact on development speed, reliability, and cost savings. It is seen as a crucial role in enabling innovation and ensuring consistent, secure products. The role requires a unique combination of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence and support internal teams.

Additional Information

Platform Product Management emerged as companies grew and noticed the inefficiency of multiple teams building the same solutions. Centralized platform teams were created to build common services once, making them robust and reliable for the entire organization. The role of the Platform Product Manager was born out of the need to guide these teams, treating these internal services as legitimate products with their own roadmaps, customers, and success metrics.