As part of the realisation of the OCAPI platform, Digipolis and V-ICT-OR entered into a partnership with PIP to have a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) developed in the short term (phase 1) and to subsequently have the MVP tested in a test environment (in a number of pilot cities and applied to a number of specific use cases) (phase 2).

Initially it was planned to have five components (three tools and two engines) developed along the same number of tracks for the realisation of the OCAPI MVP:

• Track 1: the OCAPI Online tool as a marketplace that meets current and future needs regarding the offer of products tailored to the user;
• Track 2: the OCAPI Workplace tool for an innovative and highly automated Development Operations (DevOps) workplace that meets current and future needs for software development and the testing and production of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs);
• Track 3: the API Manager tool that helps make data and services available on the marketplace;
• Track 4: the Smart API Gateway engine to ensure the reliable processing of requests between consumer and supplier in a micro-service-oriented architecture;
• Track 5: the Identity Manager engine that is linked to a system that enables to log on in any way and that gives the user full control over his identity and data.

When putting together the design insights of the first five tracks, it immediately became apparent that an extension with a sixth track would be indispensable: the realisation of a user-oriented set-up of the OCAPI Online Portal to make the OCAPI platform sufficiently accessible and user-friendly.

Subsequently, in function of a number of adjustments and additions that appeared necessary from an interim analysis (up to the first quarter of 2019) of the realisation of the OCAPI MVP, three more tracks were added:

• Track 7: optimisation of the Smart API Gateway, with the aim of further optimising the developed Smart Gateway concept so that it can also be deployed operationally on a larger scale;
• Track 8: adjustment of the development of the Identity Manager. This track was necessary to guarantee the already developed (crucial) Identity Manager components and to build on them after it was decided in mutual consultation to stop the development of the Identity Manager by the supplier Juru;
• Track 9: extension of the API Manager, with the aim of capturing additional scope questions within the framework of the OCAPI coherence within the existing contract.