25_why_internal_developers.txt

Now some of you may be asking yourselves, why internal developers? Why not engage a rails expert team to write the apps for you?

Internal developers streamline the effort. Period. This is not money pinching, although it is definitely more cost effective. I use internal developers for the efficiencies it brings.

If were to contract this out, first we have to budget, to have some idea how much we want to spend. Next you have to shop the contract around. Finally when you select a consultant and you engage them. Probably 2 months have gone by. 2 months that you would have probably be well on your way to solving the problem. 

And even once you select the contractor, then you have the whole system requirements start. And it starts at zero level of business domain knowledge. And the business starts at zero knowledge of the toolset. Not a good combination.

When my internal developers are called into business meetings, they not only know this area of the business, they know other areas better than the group we meet with. We are able to leverage other applications and provide a better product.

One other efficiency, is that we are clear on WHO THE CUSTOMER IS. When you are a consultant, the customer is the person that pays the bill. And because you do not want to harm the hand that feeds you, you have to soften the approach to arriving at good solutions (when the customer is going in the wrong direction).

With Internal Development, the CUSTOMER IS THE BUSINESS. We all ask what is the best for the business, not just that department, not just the person we work with, but what is best for the business. This produces better business applications.

Combine all of this, and by doing the work with internal developers allow us to move very quickly. 

That is why I do it.