Build, buy, or AI service
The three-way capability decision that v3.0 adds. Alongside building a capability or buying a product, there is the option of adopting an AI service that provides it. That third option has its own profile (low initial cost, uncertain ongoing cost, alternatives that go out of date quickly, dependence on a provider whose terms change), and it is weighed with the same questions as the other two.
Evidence grade: practice A widely adopted practitioner model with clear provenance.
Use it when
Any capability decision where an AI service is an option; the vendor register.
Where it stops working
The AI option's cost and capability change faster than a decision can be revisited. The exit plan matters more than the entry price.
Where the standard uses it
- SV-4Engineering economicsHeadcount, budget, cost of delivery, vendors, and build/buy/AI decisions.
Used alongside it
- Core versus context practice
- Headcount as investment practice
- Sunk-cost discipline research
- Total cost of ownership practice
Cite this model
Chicago, BibTeX and licence →Engineering Management Academy. (2026). Build, buy, or AI service. In Engineering Management Academy Body of Knowledge (Version 3.1, TEC.build-buy-or-ai-service). https://www.engineeringmanagement.academy/body-of-knowledge/techniques/build-buy-or-ai-service