Supplementation
Supplementation is a software development methodology that involves integrating third-party tools, libraries, or services to enhance or extend the functionality of a core system, rather than building everything from scratch. It focuses on leveraging existing solutions to accelerate development, improve quality, and reduce costs by addressing gaps in in-house capabilities. This approach is commonly used in areas like performance monitoring, security, data processing, or user interface enhancements.
Developers should use supplementation when they need to quickly add specialized features, such as analytics, authentication, or payment processing, without diverting resources from core product development. It is particularly valuable in agile environments where time-to-market is critical, or when dealing with complex domains like machine learning or cloud infrastructure where pre-built solutions offer proven reliability. However, it requires careful evaluation to avoid dependency risks or compatibility issues.