You made the decision: you’re going to use software to tackle your EHSQ challenges. But are you going to buy from a third-party vendor or build it yourself?

We asked EHSQ experts in the field to share their experience with building and buying EHSQ software. What aspects do they consider when evaluating and choosing EHSQ software? Which advantages does one solution hold over the other in their opinion? How did they solve the hurdles they came across?

Building your own EHSQ software from scratch

Some of the EHSQ experts we asked have either already built their own solution or had serious thoughts about doing so. From their experience, here are some advantages of this approach:

• You can keep it small and effective by adding only the features you need.
• Fewer maintenance costs because you have your own, dedicated team.
• You can add more specific features, related to your situation and company; it is tailor-made just for you.

Sounds good… in theory

Although it sounds good in theory, most of the EHSQ experts we interviewed were keenly aware of the downsides of the in-house approach:

• You’re dependent on internal IT skills. These resources are not always easy to spare in your company. Because of this, upgrades and expansions are difficult later on.
• Customer support is less developed or available.
• Having the right expertise in-house can be a challenge.
• It takes more time than desired.

Buying an off-the-shelf EHSQ software

The market for EHSQ software is diverse. Your best starting point is listing what kind of issues you would like software to deal with. How flexible do you want it to be? Do you want a ready-made solution or do you need more customization? Will you include a mobile app or not?

Our experts share some of the advantages they see for an off-the-shelf solution:

• You can have a solution in no time.
• Best practices from other companies will be included in your own solution.
• Functional and technical knowledge is available. Customer support after delivery is also included.

What about the downsides?

It’s not all sunshine and roses. This approach also has its downsides. Our experts share with us what they see as disadvantages to buying a software solution:

• The cost of consultancy can be elevated.
• While it should be easy to use, it always asks for a change in your way of working. This requires profound training and follow-up.

Flexibility, customization, mobile, … where does it all fit in?