DDIY: Don’t Do It Yourself
Every few years, a social security administration reaches a tipping point. Technology budgets are growing. Internal teams are capable and motivated. The need for better solutions is high, while a bad experience with an existing software vendor has soured them on purchasing another software. However, it’s critical to improve processes, productivity and reduce fraud, so they start thinking of whether there is another way… a do-it-yourself way… And so the idea takes hold: why not build it ourselves? It’s a seductive idea. But for the vast majority of social security organizations, it is also a costly mistake — one that diverts critical resources, exposes the organization to serious risks, and almost always ends with an uncomfortable return to the vendor market, years and millions of dollars later. This article makes the case for why in-house development of core social security systems is, in almost every circumstance, the wrong choice —...