Very true, but I've also seen the inverse where days were spent on configuring and troubleshooting an off-the-shelf solution (with associated technical debt aro

Very true, but I've also seen the inverse where days were spent on configuring and troubleshooting an off-the-shelf solution (with associated technical debt around upgrades) where a small in-house ad-hoc process could solve it much easier. The answer is not always obvious and being able to make the right call consistently is something I consider a sign of a great engineer.