LEARN. PRACTICE. GROW.Concept and mechanism
Buying or building needs comparison beyond initial price. Define a horizon and include implementation, integration, operation, evolution, and exit. Keep additional costs separate to avoid double-counting. In the two-year exercise, buying costs 20 for acquisition, 12 for integration, 28 for operations, and four for exit: €64k. Building costs 45 initially, 24 for operations, and three for exit: €72k. This simple comparison uses no financial discounting and demonstrates no return on investment. Benefits, suitability, skills, and risk still need evaluation. A more expensive option may be justified; arithmetic only makes part of the decision transparent.
Guided application
In multi-supplier services, clarify who coordinates the complete outcome. Two commitments to initial response within 30 minutes do not guarantee restoration within 60: diagnosis, repair, validation, and coverage may remain unagreed. Green local indicators may coexist with failure of the service users experience. Design handoffs and joint escalation, including hours and necessary information. Before selecting a solution with proprietary formats, check portability and transition responsibilities. Do not wait until the final contract week to discover how to recover data and knowledge. These cases are learning comparisons, not interpretations of actual contracts or legal obligations for particular suppliers.
09:00–18:00 coverage needs an explicit solution when service commitment includes night-failure response.
Common pitfalls
Price as total cost; lower cost as a complete decision; response as restoration; exit deferred until the end.
Related topics: Organization, culture, and value flow · People, capacity, and shift-left
Integrate costs, responsibilities, and exit conditions with the outcome promised to the customer.
Reference: PeopleCert CDS candidate syllabus, Jahou mirror · ITIL 4 CDS; observed syllabus v1.0 mirror, 2025 update comparison pending