IT Staff Augmentation - Is It The Right Move For Your Business?

Are you approaching a technologically advanced project, but do not have the expertise in that particular area? In this article, we will dive into the concept of staff augmentation, which can be an excellent solution for companies looking to expand their team’s competencies for a specific IT project, without committing to hiring full-time experts. What is staff augmentation? To put it simply, staff augmentation is a model or human resource approach in which a firm with staffing gaps seeks the assistance of a secondary company, to deliver the required intellectual resources.

Table of contents:

• What is staff augmentation?
• When is staff augmentation the right solution?
• Core benefits of staff augmentation
• Green flags to look out for when choosing your provider.

What is staff augmentation?

To put it simply, staff augmentation is a model or human resource approach in which a company with staffing gaps seeks the assistance of a secondary company, to deliver the required intellectual resources.

What is the difference between staff augmentation and outsourcing?

If you are just starting your business or are considering external support with an IT project, you are probably wondering, what is the difference between IT outsourcing and staff augmentation. Staff augmentation involves including an external employee as a part of your team, and managing the project internally. IT outsourcing, on the other hand, involves a completely external party managing the project from A to Z.

When is staff augmentation the right solution?

Start-ups

Staff augmentation is not always the correct solution for every business model. However, it does work very well in particular cases. For example, if you are a start-up challenged with an enormous workload. Staff augmentation may be an effective strategy for start-up owners, particularly those with tech expertise, to accelerate MVP development. If you have a small start-up team, you may want to bring in developers with specialized skills to develop particular features.

B2B

Staff augmentation can help B2B service companies in the IT industry increase their selection of services. For example, if you are a B2B company and are looking to expand your list of services, which you do not expect to be the most popular offer, staff augmentation works perfectly in this scenario. Your core in-house team does not need to have the expertise on every feature or development project, they can easily use the help of an external provider to enhance the expertise of the team for a more challenging project.

Enterprises

Staff augmentation can be used as a buffer for unavoidable staff turnover in mature product companies and agencies. Developers can depart, but the firm needs to continue with its usual operation. Managers can employ augmentation to keep the workflow going and to avoid delays and bottlenecks, especially when it comes to large-scale product deliveries.

Core benefits of staff augmentation

1. Reduced cost

Recruiting and hiring a full-time in-house specialist can be an expensive process. Staff augmentation, on the other hand, allows a company to benefit from the experience of an extra staff member with the needed skills for the duration of a project. This not only cuts recruiting expenses, but also training time because the recruited professional only requires insight on a specific case.

Those types of activities not only increase engagement, but also allow you to discover your team’s talents, strengths, and weaknesses, and use them in a way that will provide the space for your team to reach their full potential.

2. Increased efficiency

Another big benefit of staff augmentation services is the fact that it increases the efficiency of the IT project. Aside from the cost, it is also a big-time investment, when it comes to training and onboarding professionals long-term.

Staff augmentation is a great balance between outsourcing and hiring full-time employees. It allows for an introduction to the company’s goals and objectives, and alignment with the rest of the team, yet without going through the hassle of the hiring process.

The project manager is still internal in this case, maintaining the whole operation and internal communication. As a result, the operation runs more smoothly, and it is coordinated internally, with the benefit of external expertise.

3. A fresh perspective on existing projects

Another benefit of team augmentation is looking at a project with a fresh pair of eyes and assessing possible errors from an external, objective point of view. Working within one team and a set of standards can prevent thinking outside the box.

However, when a new person joins in, their input can shed a light on issues or creative ideas that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. This can improve the overall quality of the end product and improve the internal process, making the department more efficient and better.

4. Fills in departmental gaps

In most situations, firms with IT departments have professional shortages. The use of staff augmentation would assist in the management of difficulties, particularly in areas where IT qualified professionals are in low supply.

Green flags to look out for when choosing your provider.

1. Effective Communication and transparency

A solid contract and NDA should be enough to keep you secure. However, in the case of extremely sensitive projects (particularly where sensitive data is involved, as in Healthcare or Fintech), using staff augmentation for essential features may be dangerous.

It is still possible, but you must collaborate with a reliable technology supplier. Your IT staff provider should offer very transparent and open communication, and be open to creating a detailed plan as to what information the temporary staff will have access to.

That is why open and effective communication is one of the first aspects that you should look into when choosing a software provider.

2. Customization and individual approach

When choosing an IT staff augmentation provider, make sure to choose the one that has a very case-by-case approach and is able to look at your project with a fresh perspective, as well as adjust the technical skills to your specific needs. Individual approach is very important when trying to achieve your goals and make the external employee a part of your vision.

3. Adjustment to the existing team

The core of project effectiveness is the team dynamic. When choosing the right provider to enhance your team of professionals, make sure that the company you choose is able to adjust accordingly to the existing team culture, and show flexibility and adaptability.

This is crucial when introducing a new team member to an existing project, especially if the team in charge has been working together for a long period of time.

Conclusion

To conclude, IT staff Augmentation comes with many benefits, if the model is applied to companies that actually need it. If you are just starting out your business venture, but are not sure where to start in terms of technology, try out an experienced software provider like Angry Nerds. Not only do they offer software solutions, but also specialize in IT team augmentation, as well as onshore and offshore outsourcing. Their team of specialists is going to guide you every step of the way and make sure that your project reaches its full potential.