Four things you should know before augmenting your staff

The term ‘staff augmentation’ has been popular in the IT industry for quite some time now. Companies deciding to augment their team are looking to get highly qualified employees for both short-term and long-term projects. There are many reasons why businesses choose this model. For example, staff augmentation/outsourcing allows a company to overcome geographical limitations and reach a global talent pool. Also, it can be a very cost-effective option. With staff augmentation, you can reinforce your in-house team, bridge skill gaps, as well as expand and develop the team quickly to make sure you meet your deadlines. 

If you are still wondering why and how staff augmentation might work for your business, you can read detailed information here. But if you’ve already decided that augmentation is the right model for your projects, then we’ll tell you all about it in this article. 

You’ve made your decision, now it’s time to choose the right model

Staff augmentation might be the perfect solution for boosting your team’s productivity and meeting deadlines faster. But you still might be wondering which model of augmentation to choose. Not to worry, we’re here to help. Let’s start with the basics. Staff augmentation is ideal for your business if:

• You need to add new team members but have little to no time to go through long recruitment and training processes. 
• You already have an in-house team of software engineers working on major projects but are willing to expand the team for developing new software modules. 
• You need short-term employees to test a product that your in-house team has already developed.
• You need specific knowledge that your in-house team members don’t have. 

If any of these sound like you, then let’s dig in a bit deeper. 

Things you should consider before augmenting your team

If you require additional assistance urgently, the solution will vary depending on the type of project your team is working on. You must consider the scope of the project, the amount of onboarding required for the augmented staff members, and the specific skillset you are looking for in outsourced staff members. 

Here’s a detailed list of things to keep in mind:

• Carefully document the staffing requirements from your in-house team members, and consult with HR executives and managers. This way you will have a clear view of what your business needs. 
• Research the vendor that is responsible for finding new staff members for you. Get information from their past partners and review success cases to find a good fit.
• Seek staff augmentation organizations that allow you to have tailor-made work agreements that are suitable for your company’s needs.
• Security is a big thing, so find a reliable staff augmentation company before granting access to sensitive information.
• Don’t limit yourself. If your company needs specialized knowledge to complete the project successfully then consider seeking this knowledge outside your country’s borders. Reach out to a staff augmentation company that’ll help you find creative personnel across the globe.  

These tips will get you on the right track to finding a perfect fit for your company’s needs. Now, let’s categorize the staff augmentation models.

Three types of staff augmentation

There are three main ways you can augment your team. 

• Commodity-based augmentation: When your team reaches a dead end and there is a need for new team members for performing basic work you can choose this model. This way you can add new staff members (no high level of skill required), thus reducing recruitment time and effort. 
• Skill-based augmentation: This type of augmentation happens when your business needs skilled workers to help the already existing team to complete tasks efficiently. The skills of those employees might not readily be available in your company and that’s why your staff might need outside help.
• Highly-skilled augmentation: When you need new employees with specific expertise to develop new solutions or solve complex problems, then this type of augmentation might be a perfect match for you. 

Knowing these models, you still might be wondering how to choose the right one for your business. Here’s the list of questions you might ask yourself:

• What skills are you looking for? Carefully read the list above and decide, depending on your project, if you need employees with basic skills, new skilled members, or people with high expertise to help your team complete the project.
• What is the duration of the project? Short-term and long-term projects require different approaches. With short-term tasks, you are bringing in new employees for temporary help, while with longer projects you are pretty much enlarging your team to work together for the longer term. 
• What are the expenses of the project? Check how outsourcing the entire project compares with training your in-house team to work with augmented staff. If communication and management don’t work effectively then the time and money-saving feature of staff augmentation can turn into the opposite.

The process of staff augmentation is not as difficult as it may seem. We hope the information above can help your company choose a provider and the right model of augmentation. The main thing to keep in mind is that with a clear understanding of the requirements and needs of your business then half of the job is done. All you have to do is find a company tailored to your needs and prepare your staff to work with augmented team members.

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