Balancing the risks of tool switching – a heuristic

When/why should a team adopt/change its toolset?

• If the current toolset is inadequate and results in a loss of productivity
• If the new toolset is a ground-breaking innovation and not merely a derivation and solves the business problem better than the incumbent
• If there are compliance/regulatory constraints that mandate the change – for example Sarbannes-Oxley.
• If the new tools will give you significant competitive advantage in the market place, otherwise the costs of learning/deploying the tools will erode marginal benefits

When should a team not adopt/change its toolset

• Because it will look good or make the developers appear smarter when included on their CVs – remember the customer has to deal with mess once you have left the site