Ready-made software or a custom application: how to choose

Describe the workflow before comparing features

Write down who creates a record, who changes it, who approves it, and what happens when something goes wrong. For an order process, this might be request, stock check, approval, dispatch, payment, and return. A long feature list does not show whether these steps connect in your business. Ask a supplier to demonstrate one complete example using representative sample data, including a cancellation or correction.

Compare the lifetime cost of each option

For a product, confirm subscription or licence costs, users, branches, migration, integrations, support, and export. For a custom application, include discovery, design, implementation, testing, hosting, maintenance, third-party services, and future changes. An inexpensive initial build can still be difficult to maintain. A product subscription can be poor value if staff must keep running a second manual system.

Use a small acceptance test

Choose a single workflow and agree what success means before committing to a larger rollout. For example: a staff member can create an order, a manager can approve it, and an owner can export the record. Record gaps as configuration, integration, process change, or new development. This makes the decision concrete without assuming that custom software is always better or that an existing product will meet every requirement.

Questions for your brief

• What must work on day one?
• Which gaps are essential rather than preferences?
• Can the business export its records if it changes supplier?