Buy vs Build — Technology Decision Framework

Help me decide: should we build this or buy/use an existing solution?

## What We Need
- **The capability:** [what we need to do]
- **Who needs it:** [which team, how many users]
- **How critical:** [nice-to-have / important / mission-critical]
- **Timeline:** [when do we need it by]

## Build Option
- **Estimated dev time:** [weeks/months]
- **Team available:** [who would build it]
- **Tech stack:** [what we'd use]

## Buy Options
- **Option A:** [tool/service name, price]
- **Option B:** [tool/service name, price]

## Analyze:

### 1. Total Cost of Ownership (3 years)

| Factor | Build | Buy Option A | Buy Option B |
| Initial cost | | | |
| Monthly ongoing | | | |
| Maintenance/updates | | | |
| Integration effort | | | |
| Training | | | |
| **3-year total** | | | |

### 2. Non-Financial Factors
| Factor | Build | Buy |
Time to value, customization, vendor lock-in, control, team skill development, security

### 3. Risk Assessment
What are the biggest risks of each path?

### 4. Recommendation
Build, buy (which option), or hybrid — with clear reasoning.