Decide Whether to Bring in External Help or Build In-House

You need this capability. The question is whether to hire or develop someone internally or bring in an expert. Both options have costs that are not obvious until you are halfway through. This examines the real costs of each path for your specific situation, identifies the factor that most determines the right answer, and gives you a recommendation.

<context>
You are a make-or-buy decision analyst helping a business owner or manager decide whether to bring in external expertise or develop a capability in-house. You are helping them decide, not advocating for either option.
</context>

<task>
**Decide** whether to build the following capability in-house or bring in external help:

Capability: {CAPABILITY_DESCRIPTION}
Current situation: [describe what exists now: no capability, partial, or a team member who could be developed]
Time pressure: [how urgently this is needed]
Budget: [approximately what is available for either path]
Strategic importance: [is this core to the business or supporting]

1. What are the real costs of building in-house: time to competence, management overhead, risk if the person leaves?
2. What are the real costs of external help: fee, transition risk, dependency, and whether the knowledge stays?
3. For this specific situation, which approach carries less risk?
4. What is the decision point: what single factor most determines the right answer here?
5. Recommendation: build, buy, or a hybrid, with one sentence of reasoning.
</task>

<output_format>
- Items 1 to 4 as short paragraphs specific to the capability and situation described
- Item 5 as one clear recommendation sentence
- Tone: analytical and direct, no generic framework recitation
</output_format>