Tips for Making a Build vs. Buy Decision

Through the course of this series of articles, you’ve seen how important it is to make an informed decision when choosing whether to build a software solution from scratch, buy a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution, or go with a hybrid approach of buying and customizing a COTS application.

You have also seen that making the decision, let alone implementing a solution, is complex. You want to be thorough and decide based on facts and data, but you don’t want to end up in “analysis paralysis,” where you never decide.

 

Our Top Tips

By way of wrapping up this series, here are some tips to keep in mind when making the decision:

  • Don’t rule out any options (at first): Keep all your options on the table until you fully understand the pros, cons, costs, risks, and benefits of each. This applies not only to the decision on which path to take (build/buy/hybrid) but also to “buy” which vendor to choose.
  • Know each option’s initial and ongoing costs: Don’t forget the “hidden” costs of maintenance and support over the long term. Get as close to an “apples-to-apples” cost comparison for all options.
  • Talk to different software developers: Get different perspectives from developers who have been through this process before.
  • Focus on your top needs and understand your priorities: Solve the most significant challenges first, but balance your pain points and the system’s complexity. More complexity means higher risk, and limiting the first phase to your top needs increases your chances for success.
  • Think long-term: Digital transformation is a journey. You will not solve all your problems in one project. Establish a roadmap based on your current, prioritized pain points and your business’s expected growth and evolution.

 

Final Thoughts: Choosing a Software Development Firm

If you choose to build a solution from the ground up or buy and customize a COTS solution, you will be faced with another decision. Unless you have an in-house development team with the bandwidth and domain knowledge to build your solution, you must outsource the work to an external custom software development firm.

When choosing a firm for your custom software solution, keep the following in mind:

  • Experience in your industry: Choose a firm that knows the common pain points and has developed solutions for others in your space.
  • Technology repertoire: Choose a company with expertise in multiple technologies and the wisdom to choose the best one for your situation.
  • Development process: Ask each candidate firm to describe their development process and explain why it makes them successful.
  • Support and maintenance options: Ask about their long-term options for day-to-day support, training, incident response, and upgrades and enhancements.

 

How Solution Machine Can Help

For over 10 years, Solution Machine teams have been developing and delivering software solutions for businesses that operate across various industries, including manufacturing, retail, distribution, non-profits, media and entertainment, plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractors, and many others.

Contant us to see how Solution Machine allows your business to optimize business operations, increase employee and customer engagement, improve reporting and analytics for better decision-making, and give you a competitive advantage.

Author: James Mosqueda