The Build, Buy or Borrow Framework for Enterprise Learning Teams
Enterprise Learning and Development teams are expected to support a wide range of business initiatives, including Workday implementations, Microsoft Copilot adoption, compliance updates, sales enablement, LMS migrations and acquisitions. These initiatives often overlap with existing programs and create a temporary need for additional instructional design, project management, learning technology and specialist expertise.
The challenge is usually one of capacity. Internal teams may have a clear understanding of what needs to be delivered but lack the resources to complete the work without delaying other priorities or placing additional pressure on existing staff.
Permanent hiring is not always the most suitable response. Recruitment can take time, specialist skills may be difficult to source, and the additional capacity may only be required for the duration of a specific program.
The Build, Buy or Borrow Framework provides a practical way to assess these resourcing needs. It helps L&D leaders decide which capabilities should be developed and retained internally, which are better supported through technology or external solutions, and which can be added temporarily through specialist support.
Why learning capacity changes over time
Enterprise learning demand varies according to business priorities.
A Salesforce rollout may coincide with annual compliance training. An acquisition may require accelerated onboarding across several business units. An LMS migration may run alongside leadership development programs and other planned learning activity.
These overlapping requirements can exceed the capacity of a team structured primarily for ongoing delivery. Access to additional resources allows organizations to manage periods of increased demand without maintaining every specialist capability internally throughout the year.
The required support may include instructional designers, learning consultants, LMS administrators, project managers, multimedia developers or technical subject matter experts. The appropriate resourcing approach depends on the duration of the need, the level of specialist expertise required and the strategic importance of the capability to the organization.
For Learning and Development leaders, success increasingly depends on having access to the right expertise at the right time, rather than maintaining every specialist capability within the organization year-round.
The Build, Buy or Borrow Framework
The framework is pretty straightforward.
Every capability within an enterprise learning function can generally be considered through one of three approaches.
Build
Build the capabilities that create long-term strategic value and require deep organizational knowledge.
These functions benefit from continuity, close stakeholder relationships and a detailed understanding of how learning supports business objectives.
Typical examples include:
- Learning strategy
- Governance and quality assurance
- Capability planning
- Learning operations leadership
- Business partnering
- Leadership development oversight
- Learning analytics and measurement
These capabilities often become part of the organization’s long-term competitive advantage and are best developed internally.
Buy
Buy the technologies and specialist platforms that extend the capability of your learning team.
Few organizations gain competitive advantage by developing learning technology themselves. Most achieve better outcomes by selecting platforms that align with their business needs and integrating them effectively into their broader learning ecosystem.
Examples include:
- Learning Management Systems (LMS)
- Learning Experience Platforms (LXP)
- AI-powered learning platforms
- Skills intelligence platforms
- Virtual lab technology
- Video production platforms
- Learning analytics solutions
Technology should simplify delivery, improve learner experiences and provide the data needed to make better decisions.
Borrow
Borrow specialist expertise when demand exceeds internal capacity or when highly specialized skills are needed for a defined period.
Hiring is often the slowest response to a fast-moving business initiative. By the time recruitment has been completed, the delivery window may already have shifted.
Augmenting an existing learning team with experienced specialists allows organizations to increase delivery capacity quickly while maintaining the flexibility to scale resources back once the initiative has been completed.
Specialists commonly brought into enterprise learning programs include:
- Instructional Designers
- Learning Consultants
- Learning Project Managers
- Learning Technologists
- LMS Administrators
- Cornerstone Specialists
- Multimedia Developers
- Video Production Specialists
- Accessibility Specialists
- Quality Assurance Reviewers
- Technical Subject Matter Experts
- Cloud Lab Engineers
For many enterprise organizations, this approach provides the expertise required to deliver strategic initiatives without creating permanent staffing commitments.
When does learning team augmentation make sense?
Learning staff augmentation is particularly valuable when organizations need additional expertise for defined business initiatives.
| Business initiative | Specialist expertise commonly required |
|---|---|
| Enterprise HR transformation (Workday, Oracle HCM) | Instructional Designers, Learning Consultants, LMS Specialists |
| CRM transformation and sales enablement (Salesforce) | Curriculum Designers, Multimedia Developers, Sales Enablement Specialists |
| Enterprise AI adoption (Microsoft Copilot, AI assistants) | Learning Consultants, Technical SMEs, Change Enablement Specialists |
| Regulatory and compliance programs | Instructional Designers, Accessibility Specialists, QA Reviewers |
| LMS implementation or migration | LMS Administrators, Migration Specialists, Learning Technologists |
| Mergers and acquisitions | Learning Project Managers, Curriculum Designers, Localization Specialists |
| Enterprise product launches | Multimedia Developers, Video Production Specialists, Technical SMEs |
These initiatives create temporary increases in workload that rarely justify expanding the permanent learning team.
Choosing the right approach
There is no universal answer for every organization or every initiative.
Many mature enterprise learning functions use a combination of all three approaches, adjusting the balance as business priorities change.
| Approach | Best suited for | Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Build | Strategic, long-term organizational capability | Requires ongoing investment in people and development |
| Buy | Technology platforms and specialist software | Accelerates capability without internal technology development |
| Borrow | Time-bound initiatives, specialist expertise and additional delivery capacity | Enables organizations to scale quickly without increasing long-term staffing costs |
The objective is not to favor one approach over another. It is to make deliberate decisions based on business need, delivery timelines and the capabilities required to achieve successful outcomes.
Five questions every Learning and Development leader should ask
Before expanding your team, consider the following questions:
- Is this initiative temporary or ongoing?
- Does it require specialist expertise that won’t be needed year-round?
- Would recruiting full-time employees delay delivery?
- Is your existing team already fully committed to strategic priorities?
- Will demand reduce once the program has been completed?
If the answer to several of these questions is yes, augmenting your learning team may be a more practical and flexible solution than expanding permanent staffing.
Supporting enterprise learning at scale
There is no single blueprint for building an enterprise learning team.
Every organization has different priorities, technologies and resource constraints. What successful Learning and Development leaders have in common is an understanding that not every capability needs to exist permanently within the organization.
By making deliberate decisions about what to build internally, what to enable through technology and when to augment the team with specialist expertise, organizations can respond more effectively to changing business priorities while maintaining quality, delivery speed and operational flexibility.
Learning Staff Augmentation with SureSkills
SureSkills helps enterprise L&D teams add experienced professionals when a major initiative, specialist skills gap, or increase in workload exceeds internal capacity. Organizations can engage an individual specialist, interim support, or a dedicated project team based on the scope and duration of the requirement.
Available expertise includes learning consulting, instructional design, content development, project and program management, LMS implementation and administration, change and adoption, learning operations, and cloud lab development. Specialists work within the organization’s existing team, processes, and delivery structure, while SureSkills manages employment, contracts, payroll, and ongoing resource administration.
This gives L&D leaders a practical way to increase learning capacity without waiting for permanent recruitment or adding long-term employment overhead. Support can be structured around short-term, fixed-term, or longer-term initiatives, with full-time, part-time, remote, hybrid, and onsite engagement options available.
Learn more about SureSkills Extended Workforce Solutions for L&D teams.