What is IT staff augmentation? How does it work? What are its advantages? If you’re asking any of these or similar questions you’ve come to the right place. In this detailed article, we will explain in detail what IT augmentation is, why IT staff augmentation companies are so popular, how they work and how to take advantage of IT staff augmentation services.

In the 21st century, with such advanced communication and IT technologies in place, hiring in-house employees are no longer the only option (and not the best one in many cases). Globalization and technological developments have made it possible to build international remote teams easily and without any risk.

This is even more so in case with IT and software development. More and more technology-related businesses switch from the classical in-house development to dedicated development teams and IT staff augmentation.

What does IT Staff Augmentation mean?

Staff augmentation is a flexible outsourcing strategy that enables companies to hire tech talent globally and manage their augmented team directly. They are the ones to choose from the candidates that fit their requirements and to cut or extend their augmented team whenever you need to.

While some companies choose to augment their IT staff from the start, others prefer additional support during the last stages before delivering the final product. In those cases, IT staff augmentation can contribute to the extra capacity needed to improve and review issues that may arise for that particular project.

What are the different types of staff augmentation?

When considering IT staff augmentation, it is important to understand the different types:

• Commodity: You need reliable workers to perform a task but they do not need to have a specific skillset. Eg: Hardware support, Installation of software, etc.

• Skill Based: You require certain skills but the relative level of skills is not required. Eg: Data processing, Data Entry, Clerical work, etc.

• Highly Skilled: You require more advanced skills that are only attainable via significant training and experience, and the level of skill is important. Eg: Software engineer, IT strategist, etc.

How does staff augmentation work?

The staff augmentation process is quite simple in most companies and involves four core steps (which are nonetheless flexible and depend on each company’s individual conditions):

• Identifying Skill Gap: At this stage, the company determines the skill gap that it experiences, and contacts outsourced specialists (or communicates that gap to its trusted vendor) to find and hire the required programmers.
• Review and Selection:  Once you know exactly whom you want to hire, the next step is to begin the search process. Find and review suitable candidates. Conduct interviews and have them pass tests to ensure they are qualified enough to join your team.
• Integration of new team members: Once the required specialists are identified and hired by the company, they go through the onboarding process during which they get acquainted with the in-house team, familiarize themselves with core technical concepts, and fuse into the client’s work environment.
• Continuous support and education of augmented staff: This stage takes as much time as the augmented staff works for the company. It involves continuous learning and development of augmented team members for the sake of remaining valuable assets of the company’s in-house team and delivering exceptional value on their projects.

This model can be implemented efficiently but wondering about the benefits!

What are the benefits of staff augmentation?

IT staff augmentation is an effective weapon because it increases an organization’s agility when facing staff or expertise shortages and allows them to get the best talent without the long-term commitment of hiring full-time staff.  This factor greatly increases the likelihood of a project’s success. Some of the key benefits of IT staff augmentation include:

• Highly Adaptable

IT staff augmentation enables organizations to adapt quickly. By adding immediately available, specialized talent, businesses can extend their in-house team when project deadlines require a larger workforce. This flexibility allows companies to respond faster to changes in the market and exploit opportunities for growth.

For example, a major project is taking place in the organization and the team on the project is becoming overworked. By augmenting staff during peak seasons, organizational leaders will be able to reduce overtime costs and make sure no one gets burnout. After the project winds down, the resource’s contract ends and the organization continues as it was before – business as usual.

• Cost-Effective

IT staff augmentation enables the organization to utilize recruitment capital at the right time, and only for the right required set of skills.  When the business undergoes expansion, it is not an overnight process. IT staff augmentation provides resource support, as required, which permits organizations to support business growth.

By removing the need to hire full-time staff, a company can benefit by better leveraging their existing funds in the short and long term.  Simply put, on-boarding costs amass even before a candidate walks in for an interview. For example, expenses often include advertising fees, job posting fees, and administrative costs.

• Increased Focus on core business objectives

When consultants are engaged to participate in specific projects and meet project deadlines, they must approach tasks with precision and focus. Their goal is to ensure the client’s success. Since they aren’t concerned with advancement or the corporate political environment, they are able to maintain objectivity and can provide unbiased feedback related to project status and delivery.

IT staff augmentation is a viable option for companies looking to avail themselves of the most expert talent in the industry. Businesses can reduce costs, achieve project goals, and increase the organization’s growth – not to mention injecting subject matter expertise – all while retaining oversight, control, and the strength of the current organizational structure.

• Reduction in risk factors

While it rarely makes sense to completely outsource a project, because key knowledge may not be fully transferred to the organization upon project completion, augmenting existing IT staff with highly trained and knowledgeable consultants reduces the risk of project failure while ensuring critical staff exists within the company can support the ongoing operation.

• High Productivity Level

Staff augmentation enables a higher level of productivity because the developers are focused on a single project 100% of their work time, in contrast to a project outsourcing team that can manage several projects simultaneously. Working for one client and following their big vision also means higher levels of motivation and dedication. 

Why Augment your team with Exxceliq

• Free consultation to help you get started in making Staff Augmentation Strategy according to your business plan.
• Get the quality work delivered to you by professionals who have worked for IT giants like Dell, Siemens, reliance, etc.
• Subscribe to Staff Augmentation services according to your business needs just like your streaming services Eg: Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc instead of a one time contract
• Cancel the subscription if you are not happy with the service.

Conclusion

Now that you know what is staff augmentation, you can consider all pros and cons of this staffing model and make an appropriate decision for your business.

Take into account the specifics of extended teams and managed services, analyze the target market, and find the best solution depending on the length of required assistance, the breadth of tech skills required, and the budget you wish to comply with.

Overall, this model is a highly flexible and convenient hiring model today, but it will serve you well only in case you work with trusted providers.