Build or Buy?

 

The idea that you can buy a computer application off the shelf and tweak it to fit your needs has gotten a great deal of attention during the last several years. There is even an acronym for Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) applications. (All meant to help institutionalize the concept, I'm sure...)

The COTS solution differs from the traditional approach heard in various IT organizations stating that business needs are so unique it must be developed in-house. Otherwise, we will spend all of our time and money fruitlessly searching for the "Holy Grail" application.

In this article, we will assume that business management and the executive sponsor have delegated the task of making the build-versus-buy decision for the enterprise to the project manager and team. They feel comfortable with them coming up with the most cost-effective solution. As an aside, the project management office (PMO) sometimes makes the build/buy decision, but only after a consultant has studied and recommended the "best" approach. However, in this case the PMO has also deferred to the project manager and team because it is heavily represented by the business units who represent the functional business support requirement expected to be delivered in the application.

Project Team Approach

There isn't any question that a project team review of computer application …

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