A build strategy decides which capabilities an organization should develop internally and which it should obtain externally. Build where the organization’s intellectual property, secret sauce, or distinctive integration creates competitive value; buy or reuse solved commodity capabilities elsewhere. section 8.2
Evaluate each capability against its business context:
- Build when customization, control, rapid response, or ownership of the complete solution’s intellectual property matters. section 8.2.2
- Buy or reuse off-the-shelf services and open-source components when the capability is already solved and does not differentiate the business. section 8.2
- Account for development infrastructure, staffing, planning effort, time to build, testing, and the need for in-house support. section 8.2.2
- Treat hybrid platforms cautiously: assess customization, portability, vendor lock-in, downtime exposure, and dependence on the provider. section 8.2.3
From restaurant software to enterprise systems
An average restaurant can use online services and integrations, while a global franchise such as McDonald’s may require a custom solution. Even a custom system can use third-party email delivery and business-intelligence services for commodity functions. section 8.2 section 8.2.2
A practical enterprise starting point
Start by assuming each problem will be built, then divide the enterprise into manageable spaces. As requirements become clearer, identify buy candidates and commodity components without treating the decision as binary. section 8.2.3
Use the build-versus-buy figure to compare the two approaches before selecting a mixed strategy. section 8.2
