Project Work: Performing a Buy vs. Build

Picking up on the last post about Build vs. Buy Basics, here is how to start approaching the buy vs. build decision:

1. Research

Given your requirements, identify as many options as possible using search engines, word-of-mouth references, and phone calls. This is your chance to find anything even remotely close to what you need. In fact, experiment with performing searches using different keywords, or find things similar to your problem but not exactly the same. You never know when a solution from another industry or by a different name may match your problem closer than you think. You should be capturing: cost, any of the requirements it fulfills, any of the requirements it fails to deliver, the website or brochures, contact information of anyone that helped or referred you, and any additional notes about the solution that may not be a direct requirement but helpful.

2. Rate

Identify the top 3 advantages and top 3 disadvantages for each decision and list them. Be honest, and make sure you did enough research to back your beliefs. You may even want to build a matrix using a spreadsheet to cross-ref your requirements with the product, along with other interesting tidbits such as price and warranties/support.

3. Revisit and Categorize

Group the options into 3 categories:

• Best for the cost – solutions that would provide the most value to the church
• Best for the budget – solutions that would be the most cost efficient, typically the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO)
• Best for the team – solutions that free you and your team up to support your staff, members, and visitors and possibly reduce the barrier to entry for new volunteers to join (vs. solutions that may require more time and/or attention from your team)

At the end of the process, you should have 1-3 candidates of varying cost and options, from which you and your ministry/staff can pray over and make the right decision. Spending a little time up front can save hours, days, or even weeks of pain and frustration and prevent you from spending too much time or money on a solution that doesn’t fit your needs.

[tags]Buy vs. Build, project planning, project plans[/tags]

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