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Building vs Buying Project Management Tools

Development teams often consider building their own project management tools. While the appeal of customization is real, the hidden costs of building and maintaining custom tooling usually outweigh the benefits. This guide helps you make the right decision for your team.

The Build Temptation

Why Teams Consider BuildingReality Check
"We need something simple"Simple grows complex fast
"Existing tools don't fit"Most are highly configurable
"It'll be a quick project"Never is
"We know our needs best"Needs change constantly
"We can do it better"Can you maintain it forever?

True Cost Analysis

Building Your Own

BUILDING: HIDDEN COSTS
══════════════════════

INITIAL DEVELOPMENT:
├── Design: 40+ hours
├── Core features: 200+ hours
├── Testing: 40+ hours
├── Documentation: 20+ hours
└── Deployment: 8+ hours
──────────────────────────
Minimum: 300+ developer hours

ONGOING MAINTENANCE:
├── Bug fixes: 4 hrs/week
├── Feature requests: 8 hrs/week
├── Security updates: 2 hrs/week
├── User support: 4 hrs/week
├── Infrastructure: 2 hrs/week
└── Documentation: 2 hrs/week
──────────────────────────
Minimum: 22 hrs/week = 1,144 hrs/year

YEAR 1 TOTAL:
300 + 1,144 = 1,444+ developer hours
At $100/hr: $144,400+

Buying GitScrum

BUYING: TOTAL COSTS
═══════════════════

SUBSCRIPTION:
├── Team plan: $X/user/month
├── No development time
├── No maintenance burden
└── Immediate availability

SETUP TIME:
├── Configuration: 2-4 hours
├── Import existing data: 1-2 hours
├── Team training: 2-4 hours
├── Integration setup: 2-4 hours
└── Documentation: Included
──────────────────────────
Maximum: 14 hours

ONGOING:
├── Admin time: 1-2 hrs/week
├── Updates: Automatic
├── New features: Included
└── Support: Included

YEAR 1 TOTAL:
14 + (2 × 52) = 118 hours
At $100/hr: $11,800 + subscription

Feature Comparison

What You'd Have to Build

MINIMUM VIABLE PM TOOL
══════════════════════

TASK MANAGEMENT:
├── Create/edit/delete tasks
├── Assign to users
├── Set due dates
├── Add labels/tags
├── Task relationships
├── Subtasks/checklists
├── Search and filter
└── Bulk operations

BOARDS AND VIEWS:
├── Kanban board
├── List view
├── Calendar view
├── Timeline/Gantt
├── Custom fields
└── Saved views

COLLABORATION:
├── Comments
├── Mentions
├── File attachments
├── Activity history
├── Notifications
└── Email integration

REPORTING:
├── Dashboards
├── Velocity charts
├── Burndown
├── Custom reports
└── Export

INTEGRATIONS:
├── GitHub/GitLab
├── Slack
├── Calendar
├── SSO
└── API

That's 40+ features to build and maintain.

What GitScrum Provides

GITSCRUM INCLUDES:
══════════════════

✓ All features above (already built)
✓ Continuous improvement
✓ Professional support
✓ Security updates
✓ Performance optimization
✓ Mobile support
✓ API access
✓ Regular new features
✓ Community and resources
✓ Proven by thousands of teams

Decision Framework

When to Buy (Almost Always)

BUY IF:
═══════

✓ Your workflow fits 80%+ of the tool
✓ You want to focus on your product
✓ You don't have dedicated resources
✓ You value time-to-value
✓ You need integrations
✓ You want support
✓ You care about security
✓ Your team size is under 500

When to Build (Rarely)

CONSIDER BUILDING ONLY IF:
══════════════════════════

All of these are true:

□ Truly unique workflow requirements
  (not just "we do things differently")

□ Dedicated team for building AND
  ongoing maintenance forever

□ Project management IS your core
  product or deeply integrated

□ Evaluated all existing tools
  including their APIs/customization

□ Executive commitment to multi-year
  investment in internal tooling

□ Existing tools genuinely can't
  adapt to your needs

The Customization Myth

"We Need Custom Features"

COMMON "CUSTOM" NEEDS THAT TOOLS SOLVE
══════════════════════════════════════

"We need custom fields"
→ GitScrum: Custom fields supported

"We need our own workflow"  
→ GitScrum: Configurable workflows

"We need specific integrations"
→ GitScrum: API + existing integrations

"We need our branding"
→ GitScrum: White-label options

"We need special reports"
→ GitScrum: Custom dashboards + API

"We need unique permissions"
→ GitScrum: Flexible permissions

What "Custom" Usually Means

TRANSLATION TABLE
═════════════════

"We need custom" often means:
├── We haven't explored the tool fully
├── We want it exactly like old tool
├── One person has specific preference
├── We're used to our current process
└── We haven't considered adapting

QUESTIONS TO ASK:
├── Can the tool be configured?
├── Can we adapt our process?
├── Is "custom" worth the cost?
├── Who maintains "custom" forever?
└── What's the real requirement?

Hybrid Approach

Extend Rather Than Build

SMART CUSTOMIZATION
═══════════════════

USE GITSCRUM AS BASE:
├── Core PM functionality
├── User management
├── Notifications
├── Standard features
└── Integrations

BUILD ONLY:
├── Specific custom views (via API)
├── Specialized reports
├── Integration with internal systems
├── Automation scripts
└── Custom dashboards

THIS GIVES YOU:
├── 95% less to build
├── 99% less to maintain
├── Professional foundation
├── Focus on unique needs
└── Best of both worlds

Best Practices

For Making the Decision

  1. Calculate true costs — Include ongoing maintenance
  2. Try before you decide — Use free trials fully
  3. Involve the team — They'll use it daily
  4. Think long-term — Who maintains it in 3 years?
  5. Focus on your product — Don't get distracted

Anti-Patterns

BUILD DECISION MISTAKES:
✗ "It'll just be a quick project"
✗ "We're developers, we can build it"
✗ "This tool doesn't do X exactly right"
✗ Not calculating maintenance costs
✗ Building to avoid learning new tool
✗ Not-invented-here syndrome
✗ Building what already exists
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