Reserve capacity for security patches, dependency updates, monitoring, and small UX improvements informed by real usage.
Major upgrades (framework versions) are cheaper on a schedule than after emergency breakage.
Document deployment steps and rollback—bus factor should not be a single developer’s memory.
Buy when your process matches the product; build when your process is the differentiator.
Well-designed APIs let your custom app coexist with QuickBooks, Salesforce, EMRs, or ticketing systems.
Internal apps are tempting targets because they sit behind “obscurity”—until they are not.
The most expensive bugs are built from ambiguous specs.