There are companies that have an exceptional team, with professionals with extensive experience who cover the needs of the projects they are developing. But, as the company grows, logically the context changes and other needs are born that were not there before. How to cover the lack of qualified personnel when the in-house team is insufficient? IT Staff Augmentation has been the solution for thousands of companies around the world.
“When you want to increase your team and for some reason you don't want to hire full-time employees, that's important, because many companies are just going to hire more employees (...) so, if for some reason you need to hire more employees but don't want that they are full-time, then staff outsourcing is used”, explains Tony Capozzi in the SimplyPHP podcast, talking about IT Staffing services.
“These staff augmentation resources are considered an extension of your current team. IT Staff Augmentation service is an extension of your current team. Let's say, for example, you have a team of 10 people (...) whoever you hire will be joining that team, they will enter your team as if they were full-time employees", Capozzi added in the episode.
What is IT staff augmentation?
IT staff augmentation is a flexible outsourcing strategy where companies hire external IT professionals to supplement their existing in-house team on a temporary or project-specific basis. This model allows businesses to scale their workforce quickly, bringing in specialized skills to address short-term needs without the long-term commitment of hiring full-time employees.
Features that you should take into account in an IT Staff Augmentation service
Time zone similar to yours
Paying special attention to the time zone of the IT Staff Augmentation provider is always one of the main aspects to consider since it can be decisive in the success or failure of this employment relationship. Both the supplier and the company that hires him must be under the same or at least a similar time zone so that the daily workflow is productive for both.
When scheduling meetings, delivering results, doing planning sessions or simply placing an extra order, both parties need to be available and that would not be possible if, for example, the company is located in North America and the IT Staff Augmentation agency is in Europe. These delays in communication could affect the smooth running of the project.
Work culture and common values in a IT Staff Augmentation solution
It may be that you get the professional profiles you are looking for, with the ideal skills for your projects. But a fundamental aspect is the work culture of the IT Staff Augmentation provider and the culture of the resources that are going to be incorporated into your team. “There is always a learning curve before the IT Staff Augmentation team is fully familiar with the workflow. Therefore, it is important to hire people who share the values of your company and appreciate your style of work”, they emphasized in an article on Uvik.net.
Ideally, before signing the contract, you can interview in person or by video call the resources that are going to join your team, to see if they have the culture and skills required for the integration to be successful and not a conflict.
Fluency in english
English is the universal language and the language of business. It is what allows us to work with professionals and suppliers from all over the world, whether they are in an Anglo-Saxon country or in an Asian or European country. And since the use of English is so important today, you must ensure that the resources you hire through an IT Staff Augmentation company are fluent in the English language. This will greatly improve the working relationship and avoid misunderstandings throughout the project.
IT Staff Augmentation company must have expertise in your industry
The general concept of IT Staff Augmentation solutions is based on offering talent from all over the world, so the offer is gigantic. Although you should talk to different technology providers to confirm which one has the most consolidated experience in your industry or the type of project you are developing.
“Increasing the IT team doesn't just give you access to a wealth of tech talent. It also allows you to add genuinely qualified talent. Many developers in nearshore/offshore regions have accumulated solid experience, collaborating with companies and startups from different industries, allowing them to become valuable assets within team augmentation services,” they detailed in an NCUBE article.
Work methodologies
Talk to the technology vendor and ask what software development methodologies they use. The quality of the final product that you will receive depends on that. “The adoption of a software development methodology has always been perceived as a useful framework that helps the project team to structure, plan and control the development of IT processes, products and services”, they highlighted in the Research Gate portal, delimiting that there are methodologies that are better suited to certain kinds of projects.
Agile methodologies are currently among the most widely used by IT Staffing companies and developers, as they allow for more orderly development and much faster bug fixes.
Planification and organization
If possible, try to talk to companies that the supplier has previously worked with, so you have context of what this working relationship would look like. That the IT Staff Augmentation resources work in a planned and organized way is a win for your project, because it guarantees that it will be developed under the best practices and conditions.
Working in this way also ensures that both parties know the scope of the project and have clear expectations of what will be accomplished. If it is possible to create a document that explains in detail the scope of the project and what is expected of it, much better for everyone.
Why choose IT Staff Augmentation over Managed Teams?
Once you do an analysis of the context of your company, you will know what type of outsourcing service you need. When we talk about IT Staff Augmentation model, it is about including staff to your in-house team, who will work hand in hand in the development of a particular project or task.
When talking about Managed Teams, it is also a service in which external profiles collaborate with a company but, in this case, it is a team that works independently of the internal team. It is a team that works on specific tasks, apart from the in-house team, who also has a project manager who reports to the company that hired him.
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