One of the toughest lessons that Metz has had to learn is that not every project he's involved in will turn into a money-maker. "Some lines get bites, and some don't. It's the nature of the work," Metz says.

P&G is admittedly learning along the way as its IT EBD group matures. Challenges include striking a balance between the time needed to commercialize and resell its homegrown IT and the burden that places on developers and IT managers. "The biggest challenge is how [to market] our IP without dragging down people from their operational duties," says Scott. "I'm not sure we've worked out the balance."

Reselling IP isn't for everyone, says Radjou, partly because of a cultural reluctance to let go of something that gives you a perceived advantage. "IT is not something that most companies are easily willing to share," he adds.

But Metz and his colleagues are bullish about their future and proud of how they have positioned themselves against traditional IT vendors. "The kinds of solutions we use here are leading-edge," says Metz. "You're not going to get a 1.0 solution that hasn't been field-tested."