build-vs-buy-analyzer
Transform "gut feeling" into data-driven build-vs-buy decisions with TCO estimates and risk analysis.
- Compare self-hosting OSS vs. using a managed cloud service (SaaS)
- Justify engineering spend to stakeholders with 3-year TCO projections
- Perform vendor lock-in analysis for critical infrastructure components
Secure checkout via Stripe
Included in download
- Compare self-hosting OSS vs. using a managed cloud service (SaaS)
- Justify engineering spend to stakeholders with 3-year TCO projections
- file_write, file_read automation included
- Ready for Works with VS Code
Sample Output
A real example of what this skill produces.
BUILD-VS-BUY DECISION RECORD ════════════════════════════════════════ Component: Transactional email delivery Decision: BUY Confidence: HIGH ════════════════════════════════════════
SCORECARD ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Criterion Weight Score Weighted Rationale Core Competency 20% 1 0.20 Email delivery is not the product; it's infrastructure Strategic Differentiation 20% 1 0.20 No competitive edge from custom SMTP handling Total Cost of Ownership 15% 2 0.30 Build requires DKIM/SPF, bounce handling, IP warmup — months of work Time to Market 15% 1 0.15 SendGrid API is 1 day to integrate; building is 6–8 weeks minimum Integration Complexity 10% 1 0.10 REST API, SDK available, drop-in for all major languages Vendor Lock-in Risk 10% 2 0.20 Email APIs are commodity; switching to Postmark/SES takes < 1 week Team Capability 5% 2 0.10 Team could build it, but it's not a good use of 4 engineers Long-term Maintenance 5% 1 0.05 Team wants zero maintenance on deliverability infrastructure ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── WEIGHTED TOTAL: 1.3 / 5.0
Threshold: < 2.5 = BUY | 2.5–3.5 = HYBRID | > 3.5 = BUILD
3-YEAR TCO ESTIMATE ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── [... abbreviated ...]
build-vs-buy-analyzer
Transform "gut feeling" into data-driven build-vs-buy decisions with TCO estimates and risk analysis.
Secure checkout via Stripe
Included in download
- Compare self-hosting OSS vs. using a managed cloud service (SaaS)
- Justify engineering spend to stakeholders with 3-year TCO projections
- file_write, file_read automation included
- Ready for Works with VS Code
- Instant install
Sample Output
A real example of what this skill produces.
BUILD-VS-BUY DECISION RECORD ════════════════════════════════════════ Component: Transactional email delivery Decision: BUY Confidence: HIGH ════════════════════════════════════════
SCORECARD ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Criterion Weight Score Weighted Rationale Core Competency 20% 1 0.20 Email delivery is not the product; it's infrastructure Strategic Differentiation 20% 1 0.20 No competitive edge from custom SMTP handling Total Cost of Ownership 15% 2 0.30 Build requires DKIM/SPF, bounce handling, IP warmup — months of work Time to Market 15% 1 0.15 SendGrid API is 1 day to integrate; building is 6–8 weeks minimum Integration Complexity 10% 1 0.10 REST API, SDK available, drop-in for all major languages Vendor Lock-in Risk 10% 2 0.20 Email APIs are commodity; switching to Postmark/SES takes < 1 week Team Capability 5% 2 0.10 Team could build it, but it's not a good use of 4 engineers Long-term Maintenance 5% 1 0.05 Team wants zero maintenance on deliverability infrastructure ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── WEIGHTED TOTAL: 1.3 / 5.0
Threshold: < 2.5 = BUY | 2.5–3.5 = HYBRID | > 3.5 = BUILD
3-YEAR TCO ESTIMATE ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── [... abbreviated ...]
About This Skill
Stop Gueesing, Start Analyzing
Every engineering team eventually asks: "Should we build this in-house or pay for a service?" Most of the time, the answer is based on gut feeling or developer preference. The Build-vs-Buy Analyzer replaces intuition with a structured, data-driven framework designed by senior engineering strategists.
How it Works
This skill guides your AI agent through a rigorous 8-point inspection—covering core competency, TCO, time-to-market, and vendor lock-in. It doesn't just give you a "yes" or "no"; it provides a scored Decision Record including a 3-year TCO comparison and a prioritized risk mitigation plan.
Key Features
- Weighted Scoring: Evaluates 8 critical criteria from 1-5 to determine if a project is Build, Buy, or Hybrid.
- 3-Year TCO Modeling: Automatically calculates engineering hours, maintenance, infrastructure, and licensing costs.
- Risk & Mitigation: Identifies top 3 risks for each path (e.g., IP reputation for email, vendor price hikes).
- Actionable Roadmap: Concludes with three concrete next steps to move from decision to implementation.
Professional Output
The output is a formatted Decision Record ready to be dropped into your internal documentation (ADRs), presented to stakeholders, or shared in a Slack channel to align the team.
📖 Learn more: Best Frontend & Design Skills for Claude Code →
Use Cases
- Compare self-hosting OSS vs. using a managed cloud service (SaaS)
- Justify engineering spend to stakeholders with 3-year TCO projections
- Perform vendor lock-in analysis for critical infrastructure components
- Decide whether to build custom internal tools or buy off-the-shelf software
- Should I build this or use a third-party service?
- Make vs buy decision for my auth / payments / search / email system
- Is it worth building our own [component]?
Known Limitations
Highly regulated industry (healthcare, finance):: **Open-source alternative exists (no licensing cost):** OSS tools lower the Buy TCO significantly but add hidden maintenance costs (security patches, version upgrades, self-hosting).
How to Install
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && curl -sL https://www.agensi.io/api/install/build-vs-buy-analyzer | tar xz -C ~/.claude/skills/Free skills install directly. Paid skills require purchase - use the download button above after buying.
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Permissions
Works with VS Code/GitHub Copilot, Cursor, OpenAI Codex, Google Antigravity, Claude Code, and any agent supporting the AgentSkills open standard. Install at .agents/skills/build-vs-buy-analyzer/SKILL.md.