Signs it is time to revisit build versus buy

Every audit we run turns up some version of this. A few signals that build versus buy is due some attention.

The projects that go badly are rarely the ones with the hardest technical problems. It is the sort of thing that looks like polish right up until it costs you an enquiry.

The signals

• Nobody can say when it was last reviewed
• The answer depends on who you ask
• Build what makes you different, buy the rest
• Off-the-shelf is cheaper until the customisation starts

How to approach it

Count ongoing maintenance in the build column. The reasoning matters more than the rule, because the rule has exceptions. If it only works because one person remembers to do something, it does not work yet.

How to tell if yours is fine

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

If you are not sure where your systems currently stand on this, it takes us about an hour to find out.