Platform and API Product Management

About the book.

There's a lack of content on platform management. Most of what exists is aimed at developers.

This book is the first of its kind, designed specifically for Product Managers who don't have a technical background. It provides a clear understanding of how to manage platforms and APIs as products.

Written in a friendly and straightforward language, this practical guide is filled with real-world examples for those who want to transform technical resources into strategic products for businesses: APIs that meet the needs of internal teams, solve business problems, and align with company objectives.

What will you learn?

If you have difficulty finding educational and practical resources, the saga is over!

In this book, you'll learn how to apply common product management practices to platform and API management. You'll learn how to demonstrate value to internal stakeholders, align the platform with the company’s strategy, and establish appropriate metrics.

The book covers Design Thinking techniques from discovery and ideation to prototyping and API usability testing. It guides you through all stages of the platform development cycle, whether you're launching a new solution or improving an existing one.

Table of Contents

Part 1
Foundations of Platform and API Product Management

Chapter 1
What Is a Platform, After All?

• Platform Business

• Computing Platform

• Product Platform

• Technology Platform

• Putting It All Together

• Microservices

• Interface

• Backend

• Instance

• Putting It All Together

Chapter 2
Platform Anatomy

Chapter 3
Lifecycle Management

• Discovery

• Delivery

• Launch

• Monitoring

• Monetization

• API Lifecycle Management Platform

• Putting It All Together

• Shifting from Project to Product

• Nearly a Multidisciplinary Team

• Your First 90 Days

• Putting It All Together

Chapter 4
Starting On a New Team or Platform

Here, you’ll explore the technical aspects, examining platform characteristics (microservices, backend, synchronous and asynchronous APIs), the role of each team member — including the API Designer, a role that’s not yet widely known — and what Platform Product Managers should focus on during their first 90 days. You’ll also learn about the platform management lifecycle and what to pay attention to at each stage, which is explored in more detail throughout the book.

Part 2
Platform and API Strategy

Chapter 4
Looking for Platform-Market Fit

• Platform as a Company Strategy

• Defining Platform Strategy

• Lean Canvas for Platforms

• Monolith Is the Problem

• Microservices Are the Solution

• Putting It All Together

Chapter 5
Problems and Solutions

Chapter 6
Customer Segments and Channels

• Platform in the Value Chain

• Platform Customers and Users

• Channels for Delivering Value

• Putting It All Together

• Technology and Business Relationship

• Value Delivery Relies on Platform Architecture

• Cloud Technology Adds Value

• Use Cases as a Key Differentiator

• Why Don’t Stakeholders Recognize Value?

• What Value Is and How to Communicate It

• Putting It All Together

Chapter 7
Value Proposition and Use Cases

Chapter 8
Metrics

• Acquisition

• Activation

• Retention

• Revenue

• Referral

• Sharing OKRs

• Putting It All Together

• Infrastructure is Expensive

• Balancing Costs and Revenues

• Putting It All Together

Chapter 9
Cost Structure and Revenue Streams

With the foundation in place, the second part introduces the overall strategy. It guides you through the necessary steps to build a platform, including the value proposition, success metrics, and understanding use cases. By the end of Part 2, you’ll be able to outline a platform strategy using the Lean Canvas, which I’ve adapted for platforms.

Part 3
Platform and API Discovery

Chapter 10
Looking for Effectiveness

• Legacy of the Waterfall Model

• Misunderstanding of Some Concepts

• How to Do Platform Discovery

• Who to Empathize With?

• CSD Matrix for Defining Discovery

• Data Analysis

• Interviewing Customer Teams

• Survey

• Observation

• Warning!

Chapter 11
Empathize: Exploring Needs

Chapter 12
Define: Understanding Problems and Needs

• Analyzing and Synthesizing

• User Story Mapping

• Problem Statement

• How Might We…?

• Brainstorming

• Opportunity Solution Tree

Chapter 13
Ideate: Gathering Solution Ideas

Chapter 14
Prototype: Creating Solutions

• Low-Fidelity Prototypes

• High-Fidelity Prototypes

• Planning a Test

• Conducting Usability Tests

• Synthesizing Feedback

• Iterating, Pivoting, Adapting

Chapter 15
Test: Validating Hypotheses

Chapter 17
How Product Managers Can Test APIs

• APIs Work Like Restaurants

• What a Real API Looks Like and How It Works

• Testing APIs in Practice

• API Usability

• Usability Heuristics for API Design

• Ideation

• Prototyping

• Usability Testing

• Advanced Prototyping

Chapter 18
From Ideation to Usability Testing

Once the strategy is set, it’s time to validate the hypotheses outlined in the Lean Canvas. You’ll learn how to leverage Design Thinking to create a user-centered platform, and I’ll show you how I used well-known product tools like the CSD Matrix, User Story Mapping, and Wireframing. You’ll also learn concepts and best practices for designing REST APIs, along with how to prototype, test, and conduct usability testing for APIs.

Part 4
After Discovery

Chapter 19
Looking for...

• Looking for Efficiency in Delivery

• Looking for Adoption at Launch

• Looking for Retention after Adoption

• Platform as a Product

• Platforms Differ from Products

• Platformize Yourself

• Company Changes

• Productize, Platformize, Evangelize!

Chapter 20
Putting It All Together

To wrap up the journey, you’ll get an overview of the upcoming stages — Delivery, Launch, and Monitoring — along with insights into common challenges faced by Platform Product Managers, why these challenges happen, and how to address them.

About the author.

👋 Hello! I'm Sheila Chang, the author of Platform and API Product Management.

I've been working with digital products for over 20 years. I started as a product designer and, naturally, took on responsibilities as a product manager. My adventure into managing a platform happened by chance when I was hired at iFood to manage a so-called "technical product" that, only after being there, I discovered was APIs.

The beginning was frustrating. I felt that all the experience I had accumulated over the years as a product designer and product manager was useless. I was wrong! But I needed to expand my technical knowledge.

In the book, I share real-world cases from my experience managing the platform that processes iFood's orders, where I combined and applied my expertise in product design and product management with everything I needed to learn about technical aspects.

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