From standard systems to tailored solutions – how AI is changing the game.

I now see a clear shift where more organizations are beginning to question whether standard systems are truly the right way forward. And the answer is more often than before: no.

Standard systems have long been a safe choice. They are quick to get started with, relatively inexpensive initially, and solve general needs in a proven way.

But they have an inherent weakness: they are built for everyone – and thus not really perfect for anyone.

This often means that the business needs to adapt its working methods to the system, features that are not used still come along, and integrations and special solutions become expensive and complex. The result is a system landscape that is successively built upon with compromises.

AI changes the calculus!

Previously, custom-built systems were often synonymous with high costs and long projects. But with generative AI and modern development tools, we are now seeing a dramatic change.

Today, AI can;

• convert requirements directly into code and functionality
• automate testing, documentation, and quality assurance
• drastically shorten development cycles

This means that development is faster, with fewer errors and higher precision. Furthermore, AI generation of code and functions can enable teams to go from idea to a functioning system in significantly less time than before.

In other words: what previously took months can today take weeks – sometimes days.

From “good enough” to exactly right

When the cost and time to build systems decrease, what constitutes a reasonable choice also changes. Instead of accepting “good enough,” organizations can now build systems that truly reflect their unique processes and support how they want to work (not the other way around).

Custom-built solutions can thereby increase both efficiency and productivity because the system is designed according to the business's real needs.

It's no longer about building “your own for the sake of it” – but about eliminating unnecessary complexity.

Fewer features – more value

An interesting effect we see is that custom-built systems often become simpler. Not more advanced – but more focused. In a standard system, it is common for more than 60% of the functionality to never be used. (for Excel, a maximum of 10% is used).

This is a strategic shift, this is not just a technical change – it is a strategic one.

The choice is no longer between:

1. fast but limited (standard)
2. exact but expensive (custom)

Instead, we are approaching a new reality where organizations can get: rapid development, a high degree of customization, and better long-term control. And perhaps most importantly: systems that truly support the business and operations – not limit them.

What does this mean for the future?

We are still at the beginning of this development, but the direction is clear.

AI makes it possible to: build more, faster, customize more without proportionally increasing cost, create solutions that are as dynamic as the business they are intended to support.

For many organizations, this means they should now ask a new question:

If today we can build exactly what we need – why would we settle for anything else? What are your thoughts?

Martin Holmberg, CEO Arkido AB