Having previously worked as a consultant I have to admit that there isn’t always an easy answer: every company has different requirements and sometimes, despite SAP Business One’s remarkable flexibility in configuration, there are still needs that must be met in order to fulfil expectations. I would always strongly recommend evaluating both options in detail, and including the following steps in the process:
The outcome of this exercise is often very surprising. Occasionally it’s clear that custom development is necessary, but often it emerges that you can cover 100% of your requirements with add-ons.
Sometimes you can only fulfil 80% of your requirements with an add-on and still need to factor in 20% if custom development. If this is the case then I would still opt for the add-on route for the following reasons:
Of course, working with add-ons is by no means mandatory – which was you go depends on your requirements. If you consider your needs, get the right advice and work with a good consultant you can achieve great things with SAP Business One. Simply bear in mind that there’s no point re-inventing the wheel…