When a SaaS workflow stops fitting, compare replacing it, extending it and building only the missing capability. First eliminate options that fail mandatory requirements. Then compare delivery time, operating responsibility and total cost under the same assumptions. A custom build needs evidence that its benefits justify the work it displaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decision in brief:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Decide on a bounded capability, not the whole company stack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Replace our software” is too broad. “Support approval exceptions without re-entering customer records” is a testable problem. Write down who uses that workflow, where it fails and what a successful outcome would look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Compare buying or configuring another product, extending the current one and building the missing capability. Include doing nothing if the current inconvenience may cost less than a change. A differentiated product can still depend on standard services; an ordinary workflow can have unusual constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reject an option that cannot meet a genuine must-have before assigning preference scores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turn each must-have into an acceptance test and name the person who can approve the evidence. Examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An untested requirement is unresolved, not a pass. For a build, an architecture promise is not equivalent to a demonstrated capability: use a focused prototype and identify what remains unproven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UK Government Digital Service recommends testing a small but difficult problem and integration with current products before buying. Its purchasing-strategy guidance<\/a> concerns public procurement; those testing principles are useful here without treating government purchasing rules as universal requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose the option whose fit and operating demands match the business, rather than assuming ownership or speed settles the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen should we buy, build or use a hybrid?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n