New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: Should we bring software dev in-house?
Ask HN: Should we bring software dev in-house?
10 by 45HCPW | 13 comments on Hacker News.
I'm an executive at a mid-sized logistics company (~200 employees, $200-300M annual revenue) getting more and more frustrated with our software situation and am considering taking software development in-house. I've been lurking here for years, so looking at the HN community to talk me out of it. We're using a third-party product that functions, but barely. The provider is understaffed and unresponsive and the platform is stagnant. It's a fight getting basic bugs fixed let alone new features implemented. We're having to resort to a separate low-code platform to fill in the gaps. Our business operates in a specific niche and there are no other providers who cater specifically to our industry. As we are growing we're running in to the limits of what this product can offer. We're being hampered in our speed of execution and missing crucial insights. I feel like we could do much better with a product catered specifically to us. On the other hand, while our current solution seems like a straightforward CRUD app, I fear the devil is in the details. Will we get stuck at 80% completion? We do a lot of data exchange via EDIFACT, for instance, with various government institutions all over Europe. This feels like a quagmire in which development can quickly stall. Besides, can we even attract experienced developers to a non-glamorous industry like logistics? We'd particularly appreciate input on: Strategies for attracting and retaining tech talent in a non-tech industry Experiences transitioning from third-party to in-house software (success stories and cautionary tales). Potential pitfalls we might not be considering. Alternative solutions we should explore. Has anyone here navigated a similar transition? What worked? What didn't? Any advice would be appreciated.
10 by 45HCPW | 13 comments on Hacker News.
I'm an executive at a mid-sized logistics company (~200 employees, $200-300M annual revenue) getting more and more frustrated with our software situation and am considering taking software development in-house. I've been lurking here for years, so looking at the HN community to talk me out of it. We're using a third-party product that functions, but barely. The provider is understaffed and unresponsive and the platform is stagnant. It's a fight getting basic bugs fixed let alone new features implemented. We're having to resort to a separate low-code platform to fill in the gaps. Our business operates in a specific niche and there are no other providers who cater specifically to our industry. As we are growing we're running in to the limits of what this product can offer. We're being hampered in our speed of execution and missing crucial insights. I feel like we could do much better with a product catered specifically to us. On the other hand, while our current solution seems like a straightforward CRUD app, I fear the devil is in the details. Will we get stuck at 80% completion? We do a lot of data exchange via EDIFACT, for instance, with various government institutions all over Europe. This feels like a quagmire in which development can quickly stall. Besides, can we even attract experienced developers to a non-glamorous industry like logistics? We'd particularly appreciate input on: Strategies for attracting and retaining tech talent in a non-tech industry Experiences transitioning from third-party to in-house software (success stories and cautionary tales). Potential pitfalls we might not be considering. Alternative solutions we should explore. Has anyone here navigated a similar transition? What worked? What didn't? Any advice would be appreciated.
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