Build vs Buy Skill

When evaluating whether to build in-house or adopt an external solution, follow this structured process. The goal is to make a clear, data-driven recommendation that accounts for the full lifecycle — not just the initial build.

IMPORTANT: Always save the output as a markdown file in the project-decisions/ directory at the project root. Create the directory if it doesn't exist.

0. Output Setup

# Create project-decisions directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p project-decisions

# File will be saved as:
# project-decisions/YYYY-MM-DD-build-vs-buy-[kebab-case-topic].md
# Example: project-decisions/2026-02-19-build-vs-buy-auth-system.md

1. Frame the Problem

Define the Need