Are you implementing new technology in your company? Such projects are never easy. Even big corporations sometimes need support from a highly qualified IT specialist to deal with some tasks that cannot be performed by full-time employees. What do they do then? Usually, they outsource IT services. Staff Augmentation is an outsourcing strategy which is becoming very popular in industries, where there is big demand for experts with unusual skills.
There is great demand for skilled employees in IT. It is common for many companies that a team that consists of full-time developers needs help from specialists more experienced in some narrow field of expertise – for example, a person who knows how to implement a specific technology in some specific branch of industry. Staff Augmentation can be a great strategy for your company. This solution consists in outsourcing talents – making it possible to rent developers from a professional software house to carry out short-term projects.
Staff Augmentation – definition
Let’s assume that you are planning an IT project, for example, implementing modern technology or creating an application for your business. If you do not have your own IT department, you will probably outsource development services – that means you will pay for the effect of a software house’s work, which you agreed on before starting the project. This type of outsourcing strategy is called managed services. Staff Augmentation is a completely different thing, and it may be right for you if:
- you are already hiring your own IT team;
- you need one-time support from an experienced programmer;
- your full-time developer responsible for crucial tasks is not available (on sick leave or similar).
Staff Augmentation services consist in adding some particular talents to your IT team when they are needed. You can hire one or many experts for a short period – they will join your full-time employees and work side-by-side with them. Their presence improves the collective knowledge and capabilities of the whole team.
Where do you look for such reliable experts? You can find them in software houses. This kind of service enables your team to speed up the project and reduce costs. In many cases however, it is simply indispensable. Some projects cannot succeed without a specialist with strong skills in some field or rare experience. If there is no such expert in your in-house team, it is absolutely necessary to invest in Staff Augmentation. You can add an additional developer to your team from the software house at any stage of your project.
What are the types of Staff Augmentation?
Most software houses categorise Staff Augmentation types based on the period of hiring the developer and the type of the skill needed. You can “rent” a programmer for:
- short time – this is the best solution when you need to temporarily replace a worker who is currently on vacation or sick leave or who has crucial skills for the tasks currently being performed;
- project-based – this is usually a longer period than in the situation when your full-time expert is absent. The programmer is assigned to the specific project or its part. This is the perfect type of Staff Augmentation for your company if you know that you will not require particular skills in the future, but you do need them now. Staff Augmentation is much cheaper than running an expensive and complicated recruitment process in order to find a talented developer.
Three types of skills can be required in a project. Define your needs and choose from one of the following types of Staff Augmentation:
- commodity – the programmer who joins your team does not need to have any particular or unique skills;
- skill-based – you need a specialist qualified to perform some specific tasks that require knowledge of processes typical for some narrow field of IT. This specialist is expected to understand the most important challenges that may come up within the project and deal with them;
- highly-skilled – sometimes the best of the best are needed to accomplish the most complex projects. If you need a developer with extensive experience and deep knowledge of some particular field of IT and industry, this is the type of Staff Augmentation you should seek.
A professional software house will happily help you choose the right specialists for your particular project. We will analyse your requirements and needs, along with your in-house team’s abilities, and advise you on the specialists you should hire in order to succeed with your plans.
What are the advantages of Staff Augmentation?
Choosing a Staff Augmentation strategy for more complex IT projects may speed up the project and help you reduce costs. Learn about the advantages of Staff Augmentation and decide whether it is the right solution for your company.
Support a complex process with the skills of experienced developers
Nobody knows better than you what kind of employees you need and what tasks they should be assigned to. Through Staff Augmentation you are able to select the right expert for your current project knowing that – being used to joining new projects in different companies all the time – they will fit into your team quite easily.
Full control over the project
If you opt for managed services, you will not have a lot of control over the processes of the project, as it is completely managed in the software house you hire. Staff Augmentation allows you to remain in charge. You know exactly who you are working with, what each person is doing and how the development proceeds. Developers from big software houses, such as Idego, know all about Scrum and Agile – cooperation should thus run smoothly and the project will be complete in no time.
Freedom of selecting team members
Are there no candidates who meet your job requirements? Staff Augmentation allows you to look for a developer literally everywhere. Our programmers can do their job remotely, so you can work with experts from all over the world. Hire as many specialists as you need and for as long as you need. Thanks to this strategy, you can reduce the costs of running any project.
You can save a lot of money on complex projects
Hiring many highly qualified developers is expensive. You do not need to do it – it makes little sense if you are not running an IT company. With Staff Augmentation you can skip the recruitment process. You are not responsible for Staff Contributions or providing basic equipment for “rented” employees – as they can work remotely, you do not even have to think about office space.
When should you use Staff Augmentation?
- You do not need a specific programmer full-time.
- Your project is constantly delayed due to the lack of qualified developers.
- You simply want to implement new technology which your IT team is not proficient in.
- Your indispensable employee is currently unavailable (for example on sick leave).
When might Staff Augmentation not be the best solution?
If you decide to hire staff from a software house, you need to remember one thing. Even if you do not need to ensure a workstation, a desk and a chair for the “rented” employee, all other costs of developing the application or software, or implementing technology are on you. In some cases, managed services could simply prove cheaper.
“Renting” developers is usually expensive and it is a good choice only for short-term projects – when you are certain that hiring a full-time specialist would generate even bigger costs. Trying to fill the talent gap for a longer period may ruin your budget. Think carefully if your in-house team will be able to maintain and manage the new technologies.
Teaching new developers how your company works, so they can be useful and help you reduce the costs and time of development may also be time consuming. Remember that the team needs to get to know each other in order to be efficient – this requires time, and time is money.
If you are not sure if your in-house IT team can handle the new tasks you have planned for them, contact our consultants. We would be happy to analyze your project and needs and advise you on the best solution.
Piotr Drzymkowski • Dec 20
Mateusz Górski • Dec 20