When custom software is the right call
Date Published
Build when the workflow is the product. Buy when it is not.
The workflow is the business
If the process is how you make money or stay compliant, a generic tool will keep asking you to change the process. Custom software is justified when the workflow is the asset.
Buy the commodity parts
Email, payroll, and commodity CRM are rarely worth writing. Spend engineering time on the rules that are yours.
Cost shows up after launch
The first version is cheap compared with years of workarounds, exports, and staff who exist to feed the tool. Count that, not just the build invoice.
You must be able to operate it
Custom software needs owners: data, deploys, and the next change. If nobody will own it, do not start.
A small, correct first version
Ship the path that hurts today. Leave room to replace the rest. A rewrite of everything is usually a stall.