TEI 180: Why and how APIs should be managed as a product – with Bryan Hicks

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you the next
episode of... The Everyday Innovator with host Chad McAllister,
PhD. The podcast is all about helping people involved in innovation
and managing products become more successful, grow their careers,
and STANDOUT from their peers. About the Episode: Today’s topic is
the product management of APIs — application program interfaces
that enable software systems to share information and interact. In
the past I have thought of APIs as a part of a software system.
It’s another activity on a project schedule to complete in the
process of creating a software system that needs or provides an
API. Our guest convinced me to think differently about APIs–to
think of them as a product and to manage them as such. He has been
involved in a few API projects, currently working for Ford and
creating an API for Lyft (and others) that will be used by
autonomous vehicles. Our guest is Bryan Hicks, senior product
manager at Ford Motor Company. He has also worked at SAP, AT&T,
and has been an innovation consultant. Even if you are not a
software product manager, I expect you’ll find the discussion
valuable, particularly in examining the different categories of
customers for a product.