Development Decisions: When to Build, Partner, and Buy

Learn whether to solve your problem with a custom or off-the-shelf solution

When you want to automate a process or solve a business problem using Autodesk Platform Services, you come to a fork in the road: should you develop a custom solution with your own team, partner with a service provider to create it, or buy an existing off-the-shelf solution? According to Josh Girvin, co-founder and CEO of O3 Solutions, the correct answer depends on your situation. If the challenge you face is unique to your organization, that’s typically something that you’re going to have to build yourself if you have the team and the expertise in-house. If you don’t, you’ll likely need to partner with another company. If it’s a common problem in your industry, though, it often makes more sense to go with an off-the-shelf solution, since these solutions have usually been tested, proven, and iterated based on feedback, and the associated development costs are amortized across many clients. Off-the-shelf solutions also accelerate your time to market, since you don’t have to spend the weeks or months creating something new. Ultimately, Girvin points out, in-house development and integration efforts can be expensive and risky, and frequently are unsuccessful, whereas off-the-shelf solutions are far more predictable and usually more cost effective. So just because you can do it yourself doesn’t mean that you should when it comes to application development.

About the speaker

Josh Girvin is the co-founder and CEO of 03 Solutions, and is responsible for managing the teams that are building and deploying industry-leading construction project management solutions. Prior to 03 Solutions, Girvin worked at Atlas RFID as SVP of product and market strategy. He holds a degree from Princeton University. 

Related learning

Ready to learn more about construction project management? Check out this related learning: 

How Autodesk Forge Makes Your Life Easier Using Your 4D Project Data 

Are you displaying your 4D data in your 3D models? Time analysis is a key factor to success, after all. Join Antonio Hipolito and Sebastian Zaje to learn how to implement custom workflows that reduce risk and boost productivity.  

Forge Data APIs: Standardized Granular Data Extraction to Reduce Code Base 

Learn how Stantec developed a custom solution for extracting data from Revit for various purposes using the Forge Data APIs, removing the compute demands on both local desktops and their corporate network, and simplifying the internal code base.  

How Data Enhances Data Center Project’s Construction Workforce Efficiency 

Better data management on your construction projects improves outcomes and increases understanding of job site trends. Steve Baret and Hussein Cholkamy take a deep dive into construction data, and how it can be harnessed to enhance workforces and site security.