Clientigent

Why you can benefit from custom software

Pros of custom software

Company is vendor independent using custom software and is not limited to features of existing software. You don't need to fit your bussiness to software, bud you can tailor the software to your needs. The company value grows with own custom software.

  • Client: Clientigent
  • Date: September 2021
  • Style: Hand-drawn

Main ideas

A custom software makes the company independent of vendors and is not limited to features of existing software.

  1. Emancipation, no dependency on vendors of packaged software (what if the support ends, the software changes, …?).
  2. With packaged software companies often (sooner rather than later) hit its limits and have to adapt their processes to it.
  3. Things that annoy you cannot be changed in packaged software.
  4. Software should adapt to business, not vice versa.
  5. Own software increases the value of the company.

Script

The whole story is about a jigsaw puzzle: the guy tries to put together a picture of a house (his company) and faces many problems.

  1. Vendor lock-in: square joints instead of round ones (everything has to be remade)
    • a house is put together piece by piece from a box with a round-jointed piece and the label SW
    • the finished part consists of pieces with round joints
    • a new box pushes the old one away, on the new box there is a piece with square joints
    • the new pieces have square joints, the guy gets an idea to cut the existing joints into squares
  2. Limits: we need a longer piece with many joints
    • a solid foundation needs one long piece with many joints, the guy dreams of a long super-piece
    • but there is no such piece, so he has to make do with many small ones (the foundation is not so solid)
  3. Rigidity: we need straight edges, but the scissors break
    • the building should have straight edges, but parts of the pieces stick out, they need to be cut off and the holes taped
    • but the scissors break and the taped holes fall apart
  4. Flexibility: cutting the company (the finished picture) vs. cutting the software (the piece needed)
    • in the middle of the house there is a hole for an unusual piece which does not exist
    • a custom piece is cut out of paper with scissors and fits exactly into the empty place
  5. Value: more custom pieces, higher company value
    • special pieces in the shape of trees, flowers, a chimney, a fence, … appear around the house
    • a price tag hangs on the house and on all new pieces too

At the end there is a summary: a growing chart (x: packaged software → custom software, y: company value). Below the chart two columns of values (⇦ vendor lock-in, limits, rigidity; ⇨ flexibility, competitiveness, company value).

Storyboard

Storyboard