The number of APIs in circulation continues to grow exponentially. Fueling both Web 2.0 and Web3 iterations, APIs are working harder than ever to continually patch our digital architectures together and keep the web afloat. The importance of resilient and trustworthy digital infrastructures has only been made more evident by the pandemic, when work and other parts of life such as pre-booking an event and ordering items online also boomed.

While the restrictions of the pandemic may be easing, its legacy continues to shape our future. An increase in trends for remote working and global workforces means the need for efficient collaborative working tools is vital for the future of API governance. Moreover, an estimated 80% of technology products and services are expected to be produced by non-tech professionals by 2024. The need for easy-to-use, low-code software that can scale for large organizations and independent developers alike has never been more pressing.

What is Collaborative API Governance?

Collaborative API governance refers to the involvement of multiple individuals in the creation, application, and maintenance of a single API or larger ecosystem. A joint model of API governance centers consistency through the centralization and standardization of its processes, providing the consistency teams need to work together effectively.

Perhaps you know the problem well? You have multiple developers using their preferred tools to create APIs, which then slow down employees encountering these APIs for the first time. Overall, business agility slows, and information bottlenecks cause slower release times and prevent the reusability necessary to market your APIs in the growing API economy.

Why is collaborative API governance important?

1. Reduce Friction to Improve Efficiency

From the start to the end of their life cycles, good governance of APIs helps reduce errors that would otherwise spark friction in the users’ experience and waste valuable employee time. Good collaborative management goes further towards improving the company’s bottom line by forming a system that more people can work on seamlessly, improving the time from development-to-use as well as overall efficiency.

2. Make Access Easier

Centralization through a single API management platform makes it easy for teams to share data and information. A centralized and collaborative approach to governance often uses a single API management platform to consolidate this type of information in one place and breed familiarity across an organization. Low-code platforms also make it even simpler for developers to standardize how they build and deploy APIs so employees can confidently encounter an API at any stage of its lifecycle.

3. Build Confidence and Productivity

The standardization of blueprints, templates, and patterns creates the organization-wide consistency needed for fast and efficient problem-solving. A collaborative approach to governance prevents individuals from becoming information silos for a project or organization. Standardization breeds the familiarization necessary to give people confidence when transferring across roles or teams. This familiarity improves overall business productivity by reducing project downtime when people are learning the ropes.

Companies can leverage collaborative governance to improve user experience, employee productivity, and their bottom line. Those that don’t keep up will ultimately fall behind as models for collective management continue to evolve.

A collaborative approach leans towards greater visibility and transparency within an organization, making processes less complicated and faster to repeat. With more people contributing to a project, additional benefits, such as greater scrutiny of security protocols and version controls, make for the best and most secure APIs. Despite any complications that working with large or multiple teams can bring, these challenges can be overcome easily with the right software management tools in place.

If you’re interested to discover how a collaborative approach to API governance can work for you, try a 14-day trial for free.

To see how APIwiz helps enterprises remain competitive today, and prepares you for future success in the API economy, simply book your demo.