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Technical notes. What I've learned by building.
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Business4 min read
Buy a system off the shelf, or build one?
Six criteria for choosing between a tool that already exists and one built for you, plus a simple rule for knowing which side you're on.
Business3 min read
The five questions I ask before writing a line of code.
I don't ask what you want the system to do. I ask five other things, and the answers decide whether the project goes well long before any technical choice.
Business3 min read
Why custom software projects fall apart.
Projects rarely fail because the work was hard. They fail on decisions nobody makes, and three signs show up long before it's too late.
Business4 min read
Why the same request can cost five times more.
You asked three suppliers for the same thing and got 3,000, 8,000 and 20,000. Two of them aren't ripping you off: you asked three different questions without realising.
Business4 min read
Your problem isn't that you're missing a system.
Many companies that ask for a system don't have a software problem. They have an order problem. And software on top of disorder multiplies it.