Imagine this scenario:
You have a very demanding project. There is a sudden spike in the workload that your team is struggling to handle. Or maybe you need a niche expert. In both cases, you can use an extra hand. However, you don’t have the budget nor the need to hire a full-time employee.
Staff augmentation is here to save the day.
But what exactly is that? How much does it cost? Can it really benefit you?
We’ll answer all your questions, starting with the definition of staff augmentation:
What Is Staff Augmentation?
Tech staff augmentation is a temporary staffing business strategy. Basically, companies hire external professionals for a certain time frame. The goal is to supplement their existing workforce without investing in a full-time employee.
So, the first most defining characteristic of staff augmentation is that the software developers are hired for a specific timeframe or project. This means that you can scale your team up or down, depending on your company’s needs.
The best part – you can choose IT experts from all around the world. You don’t need to hire locally, when you can turn to global talent.
This type of business strategy also enables you to hire talent with specific expertise. Let’s say you have a hospitality management platform. It needs to have an outstanding UX design. However, you don’t have a designer in your team to help you with it. You contact a staff augmentation company and explain your needs. It will find suitable talent that can provide the necessary skills.
But.
We need to make an important distinction:
What is the difference between staff augmentation and project outsourcing?
Project outsourcing means entrusting an external firm to manage and execute an entire project or a task. The company handles the planning, execution, and delivery. Its team does not work under your direct supervision, nor does it get integrated into your existing workforce. This strategy is also more suitable for long-term commitment.
We now know the definition of staff augmentation and how it differs from outsourcing.
But how does it work exactly?
How Does Staff Augmentation Work?
There are several steps in the process of IT staff augmentation:
- Identifying needs -pinpointing the skills and resources needed for your particular project. This involves assessing current capabilities and possible gaps that the temporary hires can fill in.
- Selecting a staff augmentation company – it will handle the screening process and choose suitable candidates to present from the global talent pool.
- Integration and onboarding – onboarding the temporary team members and familiarizing them with company and project.
- Evaluating the performance – providing feedback to help ensure that the tasks stay on track and objectives are met.
- Wrapping up – finishing the project and scaling down your team.
Now.
What are the advantages?
Staff Augmentation Benefits
Staff augmentation brings numerous advantages to the table. The most outstanding ones include:
- Cost-effectiveness – relying on augmented staff will cost you less than hiring a new addition to your team. You won’t need to invest in training, employee benefits, etc.
- Access to global talent – you’ll be able to choose the best candidate from experts worldwide, without having to leave your office.
- Hire for niche skills – you can hire software developers with specialized skills and expertise that you don’t have in-house.
- Easy integration with existing workforce – the augmented staff will come with the necessary experience, so you won’t need to train them.
- Flexible scaling – tech talent augmentation enables you to easily increase and decrease your team’s capacity in tune with the current workload.
As you can see, this is a powerful tool for businesses looking to remain agile and competitive. Not to mention, it doesn’t require any long-term commitment.
Of course, there are certain challenges.
Staff Augmentation Disadvantages
As with most things, there are several downsides you need to consider:
- Different time-zones – tapping into a global pool means that you’ll have to deal with the time difference sooner or later.
- Inconsistent availability – some software developers are highly sought-after, which means they can have limited time to help with your project.
- Language barriers – if you don’t speak the same language with the talent, it might cause some issues. The good news here is that nowadays most people speak English.
Don’t despair!
All these concerns are valid, but they are easy to tackle. Besides, the right staff augmentation company will help you handle all these issues.
How to Choose the Right Company for Staff Augmentation?
In recent years, staff augmentation is being talked about more. This means that there is a certain surge in firms offering the service.
So, how do you choose the right one?
Here are a few steps that will make the process easier:
- Clearly define your needs – those include project requirements, the skills and experience of potential candidates, and a time frame.
- Do your research – conduct thorough research on staff augmentation service providers. The easiest way is to check client reviews.
- Assess flexibility – find a tech staff augmentation company that can quickly adjust the number of talents based on your current project needs.
- Mind your budget – cost is always a factor, so choose a firm with services that won’t break the bank.
- Evaluate the levels of communication and support – this is critical for managing augmented staff. Choose a provider that offers reliable support and clear channels for communication.
We at Expert Allies can find the most suitable candidates for you. We’ll do all the heavy lifting – all you need to do is make the final call. Shoot us a message and let’s discuss how we can help you elevate your team.
Wrap Up
Good job!
Now you know the definition of staff augmentation, its advantages and disadvantages, and how to choose a suitable company to help you with it.
All that’s left to do is contact your firm of choice and set the wheels in motion!
Remember:
Staff augmentation is more than just a hiring tactic. It’s a strategic business approach to fill skill gaps, meet project demands, and navigate fluctuating workloads. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
FAQ
What is staff augmentation vs outsourcing?
Those are two different business strategies. Staff augmentation means hiring external professionals to work alongside your existing team temporarily. Outsourcing involves delegating entire projects or functions to an external company. It then manages and executes the work independently.
What does staff augmentation do?
Staff augmentation supplements a company’s existing workforce with external experts. Those are typically hired temporarily. The goal is to fill skill gaps, handle increased workloads, or meet specific project demands.
What is an example of staff augmentation?
A good example of staff augmentation is when a tech company is working on a large-scale project. It might need to integrate AI into its software, but the current team lacks expertise. So, the company hires several AI specialists from an external firm to lend their knowledge and skills to the project until specific tasks are finished.