Should you build your own platform?
/Should you build your own platform?
Here is a list of considerations and advice shared by experts from around the world
Building and maintaining a software platform for thousands of users requires a significant and ongoing investment. Especially in contexts in which software development is a relatively expensive resource, hiring and retaining several developers for the time it takes to build a platform will be a challenge and inevitably present opportunity costs.
As you can see in the platform matrix, there is a lot of competition in this space. Funders will point to the readily available open source platforms, asking whether you need to build a new one rather than adapt an existing option.
Your resources may be better spent on outreach and community-building than on developing original technology.
If you want to seek public sector funding of your project, you may not be ready or willing to go through the hurdles of becoming an eligible government contractor.
Many developers who have later tried to transfer digital participation platform ownership to local governments have been disappointed by their ability to accept and operate it.
For additional perspectives on the drawbacks of building your own platform, as well as how to build it well if you decide to develop one anyway, see “Don’t Build It: A Guide For Practitioners In Civic Tech / Tech For Development.”