What's Wrong with Roll Your Own?

In my various roles over the years I often encounter people that say "We can build that" when asked about a particular project. While this answer is probably technically true ... assuming they have the skills ... the reality is that they may not have the time or money.

But wait .. there’s more …

There are a few other factors that need to be considered too. Read on.

There is an old saying ...

"Anything is possible ... if you have enough time & money"

This is especially true with Roll Your Own solutions.

So, the answer to the question is ... There is Nothing wrong with a Roll Your Ownsolution mentality. However, make sure you have enough Time and Money to do it right. Also, make sure you consider the "other" factors.

The Other Factors

There is nothing wrong with a Roll Your Own mentality as long as you realize that you have to consider the Lifecycle of the Project. While this is completely doable and happens every day in countless businesses ... just be aware. You will be responsible for at least the following factors. Probably a lot more than this. (Drop your favorite "other" factors in the comments).

• Training - Surprise! Most people will need to be trained.
• Support - Who's going to take all those calls and emails?
• Maintenance - Who's going to fix the bugs? (there WILL be bugs!)
• v.next - What's the first thing that happens when a solution is rolled out? Someone wants to change it.

Who will own the change management efforts? Who will own the Lifecycle of the Project?

These challenges are met every day - directly and with partners. The question you need to ask yourself is ... Can we Roll Our Own or should we work with a partner?

What "other" factors have you seen when people have tried to Roll Their Own?

Drop a note in the comments and share your experiences with Roll Your Own.

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This was originally posted on LinkedIn here.

Image Credit: Wikimedia (Fair Use)

Jeff is an expert in the Enterprise Content Management industry. He brings over 20 years of Channel Sales, Partner Marketing and Alliance expertise to audiences around the world in speaking engagements and via his writing. He has worked for Microsoft, Kodak, K2 and Gimmal. Tweet him @jshuey or connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Google+

He is a contributing author to Entrepreneur, Elite Daily, Yahoo, US News and to the Personal Branding Blog.