Config, Don’t Customize: Why Your Future Self Will Thank You

Author: Justin Chen

“How do I make life easier?” This is a question people have all the time, and when it comes to configuration versus customization for software products, I have the answers. As you can probably already predict, this blog will cover why in most cases, configuration is the way to go.

Defining Configuration and Customization

First, before we compare the two, it would be good to define what exactly configuration and customization are. For this blog, these two concepts are defined as follows:

Configuration: Making changes to a software product to fit your business requirements using the tools built into the product.

Customization: Making internal modifications to a software product to fit your business requirements, resulting in a unique product that diverges from the original design.

Think of configuration as a box of Legos that you buy in the store. You can use the pieces from the box to build whatever you want as long as those pieces can create it. Customization on the other hand is like taking the pieces from that box of Legos and modifying them to make new custom pieces. You can now use your custom pieces to build that one thing you had in mind when purchasing these Legos.

What’s the Difference?

When reviewing the above pros and cons of the two, you can see that there is a higher cost when it comes to customization due to the need to make unique modifications. While yes, you typically end up with a better initial product with customization, the costs are usually not worth the advantages over the lifetime of the product. Because configuration only uses the OOB functionality of a software product, not only are more effort and money required for customization, but also more time to learn the inner workings of the software, extending the time it takes to implement the product.

If the product you get from customization is worth the price for you when you start, you also need to think of the long-term costs. As business requirements change and new versions of the product are pushed, you are likely going to need to rework your customizations. With each of these changes, your new changes make the product even more complicated, making long-term maintenance even more difficult, and leading to even more costs just to keep the product functioning. At some point, these building costs will overtake the advantages that the initial customization brought.

Configuration on the other hand is much easier. Because the base product has not been modified, there is plenty of support from the developers, resulting in fewer problems arising as you implement the product. Even if problems do arise, resolving them is much easier and cheaper. The product is also very easy to maintain because most of the work is on the software developers, with your only job being to stay up to date with their product information and documentation. Overall, the costs and effort on your part are lower and use of the product is much more efficient. While yes, it may not be an exact match to the vision you had, it can still become a good product that meets more of your requirements from version to version.

Conclusion

Customization can yield the best possible results for your specific business requirements. However, the costs and number of headaches you will suffer to create and maintain that product often outweigh the 10/10 product you end up with. On the other hand, configuration is much less expensive even if it may only produce an 8 or 9/10 product.

Configuration is not the end all be all of software products. Sometimes customization is indeed required. However, I strongly recommend it to be one of your last choices. I only suggest customization if configuration or just using a viable alternative product cannot meet a critical business requirement. At that point, the only way to meet that requirement may just be customization after you have exhausted all other less expensive and more practical solutions. In all other cases, configuration is just the way to go.

So, next time you’re facing this choice, think about what you are willing to trade for customization when the configuration option is right there. Here at ALL4, in the digital solutions practice team, we always look to provide the best solutions for you, often promoting solution best practices over customization, taking into account not only the present project but any future enhancements, evergreening, or upgrades. We are partnered with and have expertise in many software tools and can help you determine the best fit for your business process. If you have any questions or would like to connect, please feel free to reach out via email at jchen@all4inc.com.