Insights

Should you build the automation yourself or hire someone?

Matthew Alaimo · Founder, Ownerside

Compare the time and software needed to build and maintain the system yourself with the cost of equivalent outside help. DIY can be a good choice. The comparison becomes misleading when your own time is counted as free.

What would you do with the time instead?

You might otherwise be doing paid work, following up with customers, training staff, or spending an evening away from the business. Those are different uses of time, and you are best placed to judge their value.

If the work replaces a billable hour, use the contribution that hour would have made after its direct costs. If it replaces time off, do not assume the value is zero simply because no invoice would have been sent.

Count four kinds of work

Learning. Choosing tools, understanding their limits, and working out how the process should operate.
Building. Configuring the first version and connecting the required information.
Testing. Checking unusual replies, duplicate events, changed records, and failed connections.
Maintenance. Reviewing failures and making changes as the business and its software change.

A first successful test does not tell you how much of the other work remains. Include it in both the DIY estimate and the scope you ask an outside builder to quote.

A worked example

Suppose you value an hour of your time at $150. Learning and building take 20 hours, testing takes another 10, and maintenance takes three hours a month.

That is $4,500 of initial time and $450 a month of ongoing time, before software charges. These are illustrative assumptions, not typical project costs. Your project may take much less or more time, and your hourly estimate may be different.

Compare that with a quote covering the same tasks and responsibilities. An outside build will also require some of your time to explain the process, review the work, and help staff use it.

When does DIY make sense?

It is a reasonable option when you enjoy the work, the scope is small, mistakes are manageable, and you have time to maintain it. A simple prototype can also help you understand the requirements before hiring someone.

If you use a prototype to learn, decide what must be checked before it handles normal customer work. Do not let a useful experiment become a critical process without assigning maintenance.

When is outside help worth considering?

Outside help may be worthwhile when your time is better used elsewhere, the connections are difficult, or failures would be consequential. Ask who will test the system, respond to problems, and keep the documentation current.

You can divide the work too. You might define the process and manage the day-to-day use while someone else builds or maintains the connections. Compare the arrangements that fit your business rather than assuming the choice must be entirely DIY or entirely managed.