How to get build versus buy right
Teams tend to reach for this after something has already gone wrong. The short answer to build versus buy is that it is mostly a sequence of small decisions, not one big one.
Strategy work is mostly deciding what not to do, and writing it down so it stays decided. It is the sort of thing that looks like polish right up until it costs you an enquiry.
What it costs to ignore
Build what makes you different, buy the rest. That sounds obvious written down. It is still the thing most often skipped. The practical test is whether someone new to the project could tell, in a minute, that it had been handled.
The steps
- Establish what you have today before changing anything
- Off-the-shelf is cheaper until the customisation starts
- Count ongoing maintenance in the build column
- Write down the decision so the next person does not re-litigate it
Count ongoing maintenance in the build column. That sounds obvious written down. It is still the thing most often skipped. Assume whoever inherits this will have half your context and none of your patience.
Making it stick
In practice
Clear scope protects the client at least as much as it protects the agency. Three things worth confirming about build versus buy before you move on:
- Someone can say what the current setup is without going to look
- Count ongoing maintenance in the build column — and you know whether that is true here
- There is a way to tell whether the last change to this helped
Pick the one that would hurt most if it failed, and start there.