A piece of cake. A huge piece of NIH cake
This is so tempting to start something afresh, something that only we will use, so it fits our needs like a glove.
It is so tempting because it seems so easy to develop exactly what we need – it must be a piece of cake to custom build it for us.
And of course what exists out there does not serve the purpose well enough, simply because it was NIH – Not Invented Here.
Image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/rabanito/
So here are ten reasons NOT to develop internally what exists off the shelf:
1. It is already tested by more customers
2. You enjoy from features you didn’t think of; you will enjoy future features you cannot imagine today
3. You are good at what you do business wise. So why try to become proficient in something other organizations are already experts in?
4. Conversely, by investing in existing tools you produce less of what you are uniquely good at
5. Once you deploy your tool you will need to maintain it, making even less of what you are good at
6. When you or the market evolve you will need to expand also the tool – what tool providers do anyway for their own survival
7. Changing the tool becomes much harder. For starters, the tool will be someone’s “baby”. You might also find that you need to lay off really good people to replace it, turning decision making harder still.
8. People always blame tools. Always. It is easier to defend a Rolls Royce or a Chevy than it is to defend a home made cart
9. Some tools (not yours!) are crap for real. It is easier for someone to admit that they’ve bought a piece of crap than to admit that they are making crap.
10. Think twice and thrice before you reinvent the wheel. If you are already making the Rolls Royce of your business, why service it with second grade tools?
What is your view? Are you developing tools that are commercially available?
Becoming agile 