Build vs buy: a practical decision guide

Not everything should be custom. Some problems are solved perfectly well by off-the-shelf products, and building your own would be a waste. The skill is knowing which is which.

A simple framework

Ask two questions: is this process a source of competitive advantage, and is it unusual to your business? If both answers are yes, custom software is often worth it. If both are no, buy something proven. In between, the answer is frequently to integrate — connect existing tools rather than build or replace them.

• Buy when the process is standard and not a differentiator.
• Build when the process is core to how you compete and genuinely unusual.
• Integrate when good tools exist but do not talk to each other.
• Never build to avoid a subscription — build to create advantage.

The honest answer

A good partner will sometimes tell you not to build. We would rather recommend the right off-the-shelf tool and integrate it well than sell you a custom system you do not need. Context-first means being honest about when custom is the wrong call.

The best software decision is sometimes to not build software.