Beginning an IT project includes a fundamental skill of making the best product decision for your organization. One decision to make at the beginning of your project plan is to consider options available for your deliverable.

IT projects can be based on existing, off$-$the$-$shelf software that is customized to meet the needs of the project deliverables. In other cases, IT projects can be built from the ground up$,$ in$-$house.$$Imagine$$you and your colleagues are consultants who have been asked to weigh in on the custom vs$.$ off$-$the$-$shelf question at the beginning of an IT project at a Fortune $500$ company.

What are $2$ benefits of choosing and customizing off$-$the$-$shelf software to meet your project$$s needs vs$.$ building the entire project in$-$house?

What are the drawbacks?

Consider cost, the impact on the in$-$house team$$s development staff, the software$$s ability to grow with future project requirements, and how the choice will affect project support and maintenance.