It seems like everyone is talking about Nearshoring theses days. Really, it comes down to the fact that everyone is trying to get more done with fewer resources. Nearshoring is great for this! Outsourcing some parts of your project, while still maintaining control, seems like a perfect solution. But what happens if you don’t have a large project? Maybe you have an in-house software development team, but you need a few extra developers to supplement your team. In this article, we will discuss staff augmentation as an option of your software development project.
What is Staff Augmentation?
Staff augmentation can be defined as an allocation of dedicated technical resources, usually offshore or nearshore, hired as an extension of in-house application development teams on fixed or flexible terms and conditions. This can often solve a couple of problems at the same time:
- You can have the expertise that your project needs. That means that you don’t have to pay for an expert on your team until you need them. You can employ a number of generalists, and hire a specialist for a fixed amount of time, and therefore saving you money.
- Seamlessly add people to your team for certain stages of your project. Add people to your team can sometimes cause conflicts between the team members. Staff augmentation can help by providing support for a specific period of time. You aren’t looking to replace your software development team, but to support them where they need it the most. It is also a great way to test where you need staff the most.
How Does Staff Augmentation Work?
Staff augmentation usually involves hiring a software development company that is responsible for finding and hiring developers that will have the specific skills that you need. This means that you will be able to add a small team of developers to your existing team, with exactly the skill set that you need. The terms of the contract are normally short to medium term in length and are usually project based.
Staff Augmentation Scenarios
- You have just signed a new client, but your current staff is already working overtime.
- Your development work is successful, but you are worried that your customer service will suffer.
- An employee with a specialized skill set has to take an extended leave, and you need to replace them while they are gone so they project stays on track and you can meet your deadlines.
- A new client requires a specialized skill that your team doesn’t currently have. You need to add someone to your staff to train your current team and get them up to speed on the new technology.
- Your company has had problems hiring the right people for the job and you need to hire someone temporarily to fill the gap.
- You know that you need to expand your team, but you are not sure by how much or in which positions. Staff augmentation allows you the chance to test your team sizes and skill levels to see the best fit for you.
Conclusion
Whether you need a small team to join yours to help stay on schedule with a project, or you are testing team size and skill level, staff augmentation allows you to scale up or scale down depending on your needs. Having non-permanent workers from a trusted agency allows you to focus on the management of the project, without worrying about staffing. Of course, there will have to be some training involved and team chemistry is very important in the decision, but the right staffing agency will be able to help you efficiently add the right skilled people to your team, just when you need them.
