+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 5 of 5

Buy ready made solution that fits poorly or design your own from scratch?

  1. #1
    Forum Expert
    Join Date
    09-01-2012
    Location
    Norway
    MS-Off Ver
    Office 365
    Posts
    2,841

    Buy ready made solution that fits poorly or design your own from scratch?

    So here comes a loose question but I think some of you will still recognize the situation.
    The scenario is a small company that does jobs on a project basis. The company operates in a certain industry.

    A system for managing all the documents and store them in a systematic and searchable way is needed.
    One option is to buy such a system that a third party has developed in MS Access for a company in a different industry. Because the system is made for a different industry a lot of functionality is unusable and some functionality is missing but it still covers the basics.
    Another option is to simply start from scratch and have someone design a system (for instance in MS Access) that does exactly what is needed, no more, no less.

    The basic functionality is to have a place to store documents categorized in a certain way and with certain metadata. A system for checking documents in or out to prevent editing conflicts is required.


    What are your thoughts about this? Have you experienced going down one path just to regret it later?
    <----- If you were helped by my posts you can say "Thank you" by clicking the star symbol down to the left

    If the problem is solved, finish of the thread by clicking SOLVED under Thread Tools
    I don't wish to leave you with no answer, yet I sometimes miss posts. If you feel I forgot you, remind me with a PM or just bump the thread.

  2. #2
    Forum Moderator alansidman's Avatar
    Join Date
    02-02-2010
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    MS-Off Ver
    MS Office 365 Version 2403 Win 11 Home 64 Bit
    Posts
    23,810

    Re: Buy ready made solution that fits poorly or design your own from scratch?

    Having built a good number of Access DB, I would urge the company to go down the road of building from scratch with an experienced developer. It will save lots of aggravation so long as it monitored closely to assure that you are getting exactly what is needed. It will be helpful if a paper schema or flow chart is developed in advance to let the developer clearly understand what is required. Good Luck with this project.

    Alan
    Alan עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי


    Change an Ugly Report with Power Query
    Database Normalization
    Complete Guide to Power Query
    Man's Mind Stretched to New Dimensions Never Returns to Its Original Form

  3. #3
    Administrator FDibbins's Avatar
    Join Date
    12-29-2011
    Location
    Duncansville, PA USA
    MS-Off Ver
    Excel 7/10/13/16/365 (PC ver 2310)
    Posts
    52,917

    Re: Buy ready made solution that fits poorly or design your own from scratch?

    fwiw, I fully agree with Alan, it is almost always better to have something custom designed that suites YOUR needs, rather than trying fit something designed for someone else, to your needs.
    1. Use code tags for VBA. [code] Your Code [/code] (or use the # button)
    2. If your question is resolved, mark it SOLVED using the thread tools
    3. Click on the star if you think someone helped you

    Regards
    Ford

  4. #4
    Forum Expert
    Join Date
    09-01-2012
    Location
    Norway
    MS-Off Ver
    Office 365
    Posts
    2,841

    Re: Buy ready made solution that fits poorly or design your own from scratch?

    Thanks for the feedback guys, really appreciate it. Yes, that was my feeling too but I have no experience outside of Excel.

    What about size? And cost? Will it become too large of a project for a small company? And wouldn't it be much more expensive compared to a solution that is sold to many clients?
    Again, very open questions here so I don't expect anything more than open answers.

  5. #5
    Forum Moderator alansidman's Avatar
    Join Date
    02-02-2010
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    MS-Off Ver
    MS Office 365 Version 2403 Win 11 Home 64 Bit
    Posts
    23,810

    Re: Buy ready made solution that fits poorly or design your own from scratch?

    That is difficult to determine. I don't know what a good Developer in Norway charges, but when I did this type of stuff (haven't done any for pay development in 7 years), the billing rate ran from $60 US to $100 US per hour. You will have to disccuss with a developer what they charge and how long it will take. As I indicated earlier, a flow chart or schema done in advance will help that developer to determine the time needed to build. There was an old Commercial on TV years ago in the US for an oil filter (for cars) where the mechanic said, you can pay me now or pay me later. Buying something that will work for you up front may save you aggravation and costs down the road. Getting what you need and having it work is worth the upfront costs in my mind.

+ Reply to Thread

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 1
    Last Post: 10-07-2016, 08:07 PM
  2. Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-24-2014, 07:45 PM
  3. Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-24-2014, 05:58 PM
  4. Replies: 10
    Last Post: 11-22-2013, 04:58 AM
  5. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 10-10-2011, 06:56 PM
  6. How can be made this spreadsheet more design appealing
    By marianpa in forum Excel General
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 01-12-2008, 03:23 AM
  7. Ready-made named sheets
    By refp16 in forum Excel General
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 09-07-2006, 12:26 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts

Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0 RC 1