A practical starting point
Work through these checks in order. Use the results to decide what needs to change in your own workflow.
- Choose decision criteria such as ownership, integration, operating effort and change frequency.
- Describe trade-offs using the same criteria for every option.
- Explain when further discovery is needed before making a recommendation.
A custom portal may fit complex workflows while a configurable product fits a standard process with limited maintenance capacity.
A mistake to avoid
Do not present commercial preference as objective technical superiority.
How to check progress
Evaluate whether readers can explain why an option fits their own constraints.
Your action checklist
Use this checklist while reviewing your own setup. Checkmarks are temporary and stay in this open page.
Need the wider workflow?
This quick note covers one decision. For a worked example, decision table and a fuller implementation workflow, read Turning customer questions into an editorial backlog.
Further reading
Official background resources for this topic. The workflow above is general guidance, not a guarantee of a particular result.
AI-assisted editorial content. Examples are illustrative, not client case studies. Read our editorial policy or report a correction.