CUSTOM MADE vs OFF-THE-SHELF SOFTWARE
Custom made Software
Pros:
- You can start with the minimum necessary requirements and add on later
- Can be tailored to your exact business needs and processes
- Changes can be made quickly
Cons:
- High initial cost
- All changes and feature requests will be billable
- May incur additional costs ramping up new developers
Off-the-shelf Software
Pros:
- Lower up-front cost
- Contains many features, often more than you need
- Support is often included or can be added with a maintenance contract
- Upgrades may be provided for free or at reduced cost
- If it's software-as-a-service (SaaS) there is no hardware or software to install
Cons:
- Slow to adapt or change to industry needs
- Your feature request may get ignored if it doesn't benefit the larger customer base
- May require you to change your process to fit the software
- Higher customization fees