Let’s get this part out of the way - I don’t have the right answer to build vs. buy. For some companies, building will make sense, for others, buying is clearly better. However, for most, the answer lies somewhere in the middle. “It depends” is a deeply frustrating answer, but it is also the truth. The problem is that leaves a company straddling the fence on a decision, without fully committing one way or the other. My focus for today is how to get off the fence, and move toward a decision. I make no claims that there is a “right” decision.
I strongly resonate with the competitive advantage confusion. That's the fence. When you are able to disambiguate your competitive advantage and the value proposition to your data, you can get off the fence. In today's data ecosystems and with cloud tools available, every company should use tools that others create & sustain. If this is not your competitive advantage, then outsource as much as you can but know and monitor the costs.
“They clearly understood if the data product was part of their competitive advantage” 💯💯
I’ve had this conversation so many times now - unless if we definitely *need* a capability and for some reason can’t go with a pre-made solution, investing time and effort to develop the relevant expertise and maintain the product over time will be both a waste of time and a continuous distraction for them team(s) involved.
Building vs Buying Data Products: Don't Get Stuck in the Middle
I strongly resonate with the competitive advantage confusion. That's the fence. When you are able to disambiguate your competitive advantage and the value proposition to your data, you can get off the fence. In today's data ecosystems and with cloud tools available, every company should use tools that others create & sustain. If this is not your competitive advantage, then outsource as much as you can but know and monitor the costs.
“They clearly understood if the data product was part of their competitive advantage” 💯💯
I’ve had this conversation so many times now - unless if we definitely *need* a capability and for some reason can’t go with a pre-made solution, investing time and effort to develop the relevant expertise and maintain the product over time will be both a waste of time and a continuous distraction for them team(s) involved.