Boost your projects with an increase in your IT team! Dive deeper into your benefits, from flexible scaling to access to niche expertise, and drive success!
We face new challenges every day. And while technology can't solve every problem, it brings some surprising benefits – and not-so-surprising benefits – to industries of all shapes and sizes.
But sometimes your permanent staff face technical challenges that they can't resolve internally. If you need help with a specific project or want to increase the size of your team, you need to find another solution than relying solely on your in-house team. Fortunately, there is a solution: the staff augmentation model.
This type of project outsourcing involves working with external teams to achieve your business objectives. An external organization finds external talent with the specialized skills and qualifications you need to help you accelerate the development process, fill gaps, and provide cutting-edge solutions for a wide range of projects and products.
There are many benefits to team augmentation. See why this is so important in today's business landscape and why you should consider the solution for your organization.
Key Takeaways of the IT Staff Augmentation Model
Choosing staff augmentation services means you are hiring temporary staff made up of the best talent to help you complete projects and achieve goals. These professionals join your in-house team to help you improve and grow your business. These are the main advantages of the model.
Access to a global talent pool
Staff augmentation solutions give you access to a global workforce. You can find the right talent with the specific skills you need, no matter where these professionals are located.
This is useful because you may need qualified professionals with qualifications that are not readily available in your geographic region. You also don't need to rely on the skills of your in-house team. Staffing companies have access to talent around the world.
This means you will be able to hire professionals who specialize in cybersecurity, cloud computing, application types, website design or development, artificial intelligence and machine learning, specific languages or specific methodologies – whatever qualifications you need for your business to succeed. .
In the US alone, computer and IT occupations are projected to grow 15% between 2021 and 2031, much faster than the average for all professions. By extending your search beyond the US, you can tap into a huge pool of specialized talent.
Economical solution for your specific project
It is much more cost-effective to work with staffing services than to hire full-time employees. You're substantially reducing overhead costs – the costs associated with providing necessary materials for staff, such as office space and equipment – and you won't need to pay full-time salaries or cover benefits. These vendors come fully equipped with the tools to guide your project through the entire development process, meaning you don't need to invest in expensive software or hardware either.
This is the perfect solution for handling short-term projects in an affordable way – which allows companies to achieve long-term success.
Staff augmentation services offer flexibility and scalability
Whether you need help with a specific project or are looking for long-term assistance, the staff augmentation model offers the flexibility that allows you to achieve your goals. You can easily adjust the number of professionals based on your needs at any given time. You can also look for new skill sets on a case-by-case basis. The model is also scalable.
Go to market faster with experienced professionals
Working with qualified professionals on a staff augmentation team leads to greater operational efficiency. You are tapping into top talent, which increases your productivity and efficiency, ultimately reducing your time to market. These professionals can handle even the most complex projects without much training on your part – the outsourcing company vets them in advance and conducts all necessary training. They will also handle the hiring process.
Working alongside your internal employees, these team members will accelerate your processes, helping you increase production and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving environment.
Risk mitigation
Staff augmentation and project outsourcing generally help mitigate the risks associated with hiring full-time employees. For example, you are only committing to temporary staff, which is much less of a commitment than hiring full-time in-house employees.
Additionally, you share the inherent risks involved in software development when you partner with an external company. You won't have to shoulder the burden alone – your partner will be working with you on the project.
How to Choose the Right Staff Augmentation Provider
There are many benefits associated with staff augmentation services, as long as you choose the right partner. How you do it? Let's look at the steps involved.
Assessing your business needs
Before diving into your project, you need to take stock of your business needs. Working with your internal teams, determine what goals you are trying to achieve as a larger organization and consider how staffing companies can help you achieve them through your projects. From there, you can identify the specific IT skills needed for the project, as well as estimate the duration and budget of the initiative.
Determining Requirements
What are the essentials for the product you want to build? These are the requirements for your project. Determine what your requirements are from the beginning – they are what you will present to staffing companies as one of the starting points for the project and taking it to completion.
Assessing provider experience
Of course, you can also conduct your own supplier experience assessments. It's always a good idea to check the supplier's track record by reviewing their portfolio, reading customer testimonials and asking for references. Not only will it help you get a feel for the staff augmentation provider's experience, but you'll also better understand their experience and level of customer satisfaction.
Establishing fit
It is critical to establish fit with your potential supplier before entering into any type of contract with them. This goes for culture, language, and time zone, of course, but it also applies to experience in your specific niche and industry. This is important because software development should never adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. Your industry has certain standards, and your vendor and team members should be knowledgeable about them.
The outsourcing partner themselves should be knowledgeable about your industry, as should all the team members they bring onto your team. Not only does this mean they are aware of the key concerns and problems in your niche, but it will also allow them to integrate well and fit into your existing team.
Ensuring clear communication and collaboration
How will you ensure that the team members your partner brings in through staff augmentation communicate and collaborate well with your internal team? When you're still evaluating potential staff augmentation services, ask how they communicate with partners on a daily basis, as well as in case of emergencies.
After asking about communication and collaboration channels and styles, establish a plan to ensure the success of the partnership. You must have carefully defined methods and modes for managing your project and staying informed throughout the project. You should never feel left in the dark at any time – that's why it's so important to establish these procedures upfront.
Advantages of staff augmentation: a clear solution
If you want to stay ahead in a competitive technology landscape, team augmentation is key to your business success. This goes beyond the size of your team: it also brings important skill sets and specializations that you wouldn't have access to without these services.
Common questions
What is the difference between staff augmentation and outsourcing?
Staff augmentation services are a type of outsourcing. In this model, the service provider evaluates external talent, who joins the internal team to complete projects.
Staff augmentation versus software outsourcing is not really the choice – outsourcing is an umbrella for staff augmentation, just as it is for the dedicated teams model. No matter what type of staffing outsourcing you choose, you will be working with external teams, as opposed to or in addition to your permanent employees.
How does increasing headcount affect my company's intellectual property?
Typically, when you work with staff augmentation, you maintain control over your intellectual property, but the details depend on your software development contract.
Can I hire staff augmentation professionals on a long-term basis?
Some organizations hire staff augmentation professionals for a short period of time for specific/project-based projects, but others choose to hire contract staffing professionals to join their existing team on a long-term basis. Because this model is flexible, there are a variety of options available.
What are the potential challenges of growing IT staff?
While increasing your IT staff offers many benefits, there are also some potential challenges. For example, external teams and their partners don't always share the same language, culture, or time zone, which can make it difficult to understand each other's business styles and quickly resolve issues. Additionally, it can be challenging for internal and external team members to collaborate on the same project due to integration issues or management challenges.
