xDD vs. Turnkey vs. In-House: Choosing a Delivery Model
Before a software project starts, someone has to decide who builds it and how the work is organized. That decision shapes the budget conversation, the timeline, who is accountable and what you are left with at the end.
Most enterprises have four options: build with your own team, bring in a dedicated team, engage a continuous-delivery partner, or hand a defined project to a partner to deliver. This guide sets out what each one is, what each asks of you, and how to choose.
The Four Options
In-house.
You hire and manage the engineers yourself. You get the most direct control and the deepest long-term knowledge. You also carry recruiting, retention, management, and the time it takes to put a team in place.
A dedicated team.
A provider employs the people and assigns them only to your product, while you direct the work day to day. It works as an extension of your own team, without the hiring. We cover it in dedicated development teams in the Philippines. It is built the traditional way: engineers writing and maintaining the code, which suits work on an existing codebase.
xDD, continuous delivery.
xDD is BlastAsia's AI-native continuous-delivery model. Specifications come first, code is generated and reviewed on the Xamun Software Factory, and working software ships every two-week sprint. The roadmap stays free to change from sprint to sprint.
Turnkey, a fixed-scope project.
Turnkey takes a defined scope from requirements to production-ready software as one engagement. You approve the scope and designs up front, BlastAsia manages the team, and you receive full source code ownership at completion. You do not hire, onboard or manage anyone.
Six Questions That Decide It
1. Is the scope genuinely defined?
If you can write down the features, workflows and acceptance criteria, and they will not change much, Turnkey fits. If the first release will teach you what the second should be, xDD or a dedicated team fits better. Scope that feels fixed only because nobody has thought past version one is the most common mismatch. Our post on xDD vs. Turnkey goes deeper on this.
2. Is this a project with an end, or a product that keeps evolving?
A system built to a known specification has an end state. A product that responds to users and the market does not. Evolving products belong with in-house, dedicated or xDD teams, not a one-time scope.
3. Are you building something new, or working on something that exists?
For a new application, Turnkey and xDD are built for the job. For an existing hand-written codebase that needs maintenance or modernization in place, a dedicated team is the better fit. Turnkey and xDD work on software built on the Xamun Software Factory, or on a legacy system first reverse-engineered into a specification.
4. How much of the work do you want to run yourself?
In-house and dedicated teams need a product owner and active direction from you. xDD needs regular input at each sprint. Turnkey asks the least once the scope is approved: you review and sign off at milestones.
5. Do you need the team to last?
If the software will need years of change and the knowledge inside the team is a strategic asset, in-house or a long-running dedicated team builds that. If the aim is a finished system, you may not want a continuing team at all.
6. How fast do you need to move?
Building an in-house team takes time before anything ships. A dedicated team or a fixed-scope engagement starts sooner because the people and process already exist. Ask any provider to show how they plan to start, not just how they finish.
A Quick Way to Place Your Project
If the scope is well defined and you want it delivered with the least involvement from you, start with Turnkey. If the product will keep changing and you want working software every sprint, look at xDD. If you are running or modernizing existing code and want engineers working as part of your team, look at a dedicated team. If the software is core to what you sell, you expect to build and keep a large engineering function, and you can recruit the people, build in-house, and use a partner to add capacity or skills.
These are not exclusive. Plenty of enterprises run a core in-house team and use a partner for a defined project, or start a product with Turnkey and move to xDD or a dedicated team to keep it evolving.
What to Ask Whichever Model You Choose
Who owns the code, the specifications and the tests at the end?
How will I see progress, and how often?
What do you need from me, and how quickly?
How is quality checked during the work, not only at the end?
What happens if the scope or the team has to change?
How do I move to a different model later if my needs change?
If you are deciding how to get a project built and want a second view, tell us about the scope and how involved you want to be, and we'll help you choose. For the offshore side of the decision, see our guide to offshore software development in the Philippines.
About BlastAsia: BlastAsia is a Philippines-based software company that builds AI-powered software for enterprises worldwide, whether it's a new application or AI layered on the systems you already run. We build it AI-natively: specifications first, with code generated and reviewed on the Xamun Software Factory, so delivery is faster and more predictable. Engage us as a dedicated team (xDD) or as a fixed-scope Turnkey build, and you own what gets built.
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