05.13.08
Not Invented Here Duct Tape
The term “NIH” is very familiar to IT professionals. Even when there may be good industry solutions available, there are always those that feel they have differences that set them apart. When selecting business solutions most IT analysts are grateful if 60% of their requirements are met by an off-the-shelf solution. They are ecstatic if they can get 80%. For core business functions, there are often differences that set the organization apart from their competitors.
So, this entry is not about business systems but rather infrastructure components. The “NIH” attitude towards infrastructure can be very expensive.
One organization believed their business processes to be so unique that they constructed their own business process management system. The justification given was that it would perform better than generic products.
The product was built and deployed in production very successfully. Since the software was built in house, the documentation and training materials were very limited. This was not too serious at the time since the original architects were available to answer all questions. There were good times until the original architects moved on to other projects. Some actually left the company for greater opportunity elsewhere.
Not being able to retain the original architects should have been expected. Architects are very creative and have a need to continue to be creative. There was not any real challenge in just keeping the developed software running, so they moved on.
Needless to say, the company spent way more than needed for the homegrown solution. In the end, the company had to purchase a commercially available infrastructure product. This meant converting all the work done on the homegrown solution to the off-the-shelf product.
Businesses do need to identify where they provide distinct value to their customers. Seldom is this in basic IT infrastructure. When “NIT” is expanded to infrastructure, it usually means that duct tape is being applied when good and durable solutions could be utilized. The business approach should be to consider the total cost of ownership of any infrastructure components.
