"Should we build it or buy it?" is one of the most consequential — and most rushed — decisions a growing business makes. The honest answer is: it depends on how core the thing is to how you win.
Buy the commodity, build the edge
For commodity workflows, buy. You will never out-engineer a vendor whose entire company exists to solve that one problem. But for the workflows that are your competitive edge, off-the-shelf forces you to operate like everyone else.
- Buy when the process is standard and not a differentiator.
- Build when the workflow is the reason customers choose you.
- Integrate either way — nothing should live on an island.
The hidden cost of "free" customisation
Heavily customised off-the-shelf tools can end up costing more than a clean custom build, while being harder to maintain. Count the long-term cost of fighting a tool, not just the licence.