Build Versus Buy: What's The Best Tech Tool For Study Activation?

By Jae Chung, Vice President, Product Management/Strategy

Should you consider building a tailored technology solution to support your clinical trial? Or buy a commercial tool specifically designed for the purpose?

Before embracing the notion that “our IT department can handle it” or “we’re familiar with the regulatory requirements”, it’s worth a hard look at what a build-it-yourself approach entails. This includes the complexity, vast requirements (including uncertain requirements for quality by design and decentralized clinical trials), and true costs of building a solution.

There’s ample reason that, over time, study sponsors and stakeholders increasingly have opted to focus on their core competencies, shifting from internal technology development to working with solution providers.

In the case of study activation, there are several compelling reasons that buying an appropriate purpose-built system is a better choice than taking on the challenge of building a study activation tool.