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Contractors Increase in Complexity of an IT Project

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We know that the acquisition of software is not a simple process; whether we build it or buy it. On top of that some organizations choose to use contractors in the process of acquiring software. Why and how does the use of contractors increase the complexity of an IT project?

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The expert examines why and how the use of contractors increases the complexity of an IT project.

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We know that the acquisition of software is not a simple process; whether we build it or buy it. On top of that some organizations choose to use contractors in the process of acquiring software. Why and how does the use of contractors increase the complexity of an IT project?

Approx 400 to 500 words. Please include references

The decision to buy or build software is a difficult and important decision. Designing the software in house allows an organization to design in exactly the functionality they need. However, designing applications, especially enterprise applications such as Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) or Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRM) are time consuming, expensive and require very specialized talent. Enterprise applications purchased "off the shelf" save companies thousands of desing hours and have much of the required functionality built in.
Consultants and contractors often have years or decades of experience designing and or implementing particular enterprise applications such as ERP. Oftentimes, they have specialized in a specific industry and have a great breadth and depth of knowledge on implementation and design methodologies as well as industry specific requirements. For example, there are companies who specialize in implementing enterprise systems in manufacturing or financial companies.
Consultants and contractors can greatly simply the design and implementation process. Their knowledge and experience allows them to anticipate and deal with issues ahead of time, greatly reducing the learning curve. Furthermore, consultants are independent, thereby offering an unbiased view of a company's readiness to install enterprise applications and how it should be implemented.
There are many benefits to hiring a consultant, especially for large projects such as enterprise system implementations.
1) The consultant has (or should have) years of experience implementation and/or design.
2) The consultant has a ...

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