Hiring staff is a rigorous process that takes time, energy, and money. Most businesses don’t have the luxury of adding new talent to their team due to a limited budget or the time to go through the hassle of finding the right person. This has led to the rise of IT staff augmentation services. IT staff augmentation is a business strategy of hiring external IT professionals to join the existing staff on a new project. But how does it work? Keep reading to find out what IT staff augmentation is all about.
IT Staff Augmentation
The term “augmentation” means to add or increase in size. Staff augmentation is simply adding extra hands to the team. It is an outsourcing process of providing skilled workers to complement a company’s existing staff. For instance, you have a big project that requires developers, and you only have two in-house developers. All you have to do is contact an IT staff provider to outsource more developers to execute the project faster and with finesse.
Depending on the organisation’s needs, IT staff augmentation could be a short-term or long-term agreement. Also, outsourcing doesn’t mean the service provider takes over the project; the company controls the team and decides who leads the projects.
Types of IT Staff Augmentation
There are different IT staff types depending on the purpose of the organisation.
Commodity Staffing
In this type of staff augmentation, the organisation hires IT professionals for a short term to cover up temporary resource shortages or employee vacations. They assist the existing team and do not necessarily need to possess a specific skill.
Skilled-Based Staffing
Organisations seeking a particular skill can hire professionals with that skill set in their respective fields. Here, the main focus is on the high-quality skill of the individual. These individuals contribute their expertise to improve the overall team performance.
Project-Based Staffing
This type of augmentation centres on the project. When there is a project, an organisation can hire an experienced team only for that project, and at the end of the project, the team would be disembarked. They only work within the duration of the project.
Onshore and Offshore Staffing
Onshore staffing means hiring IT professionals from the same country. Most people prefer this because it is easier for the external and in-house staff to collaborate and get the job done. In contrast, offshore staffing involves hiring professionals from other countries. The good thing about it is that it is cost-effective.
Dedicated Development Team
In this model, companies hire IT experts to work exclusively for clients within a timeframe.
Time-Based Staffing
This model is used to fill in gaps during a particular period. An organization hires developers to stand in for staff or work within a stipulated time.
Benefits of IT Staff Augmentation
The benefits of IT staff augmentation are enormous and apply to organisations of different sizes. These benefits are outlined below.
Saves time and money
Hiring new staff from job posting to creating adverts, onboarding, and training takes a lot of time and money. The IT staff augmentation saves you time because it provides vetted professionals who know the intricacies of that project. IT staff augmentation eliminates the possibility of taking a month to hire and prepare an employee who might not meet up. Also, companies strictly on budget and can’t afford full-time employees can employ temporary staff, get the job done, and off-board them.
Skilled Personnel
With IT staff augmentation, you have access to a pool of vetted talented technical experts in different niches, such as Java developers, Microsoft technology experts, PHP developers, MEAN/MERN specialists, DevOps engineers, frontend developers, cloud experts, mobile app developers. On average, it is practically impossible for an organisation to have all these skills; therefore, IT augmentation saves you the stress of searching for talent and the cost of having all these developers as in-house employees. A team of experienced developers deliver a high-quality and timely job.
Scalability and Flexibility
Every forward-thinking entrepreneur wants to expand, and this usually requires more staff and departments. As businesses evolve, IT staff augmentation allows business owners to hire staff based on project demands and scale up without incurring additional costs.
Increase Security
In the hiring process, an organisation might hire the wrong staff to steal the company’s private data. In contrast, the individuals provided by IT staff providers have been scrutinised and cannot access other companies’ data apart from the project assigned. You can protect yourself from data breaches or loss to avoid legal actions.
Smooth Project Management
IT staff augmentation providers have advanced project management tools to help the project. The external team brings new and fresh ideas, while the in-house team also shares their views on the project. This way, the team can develop a strategic plan to make the project successful. It also fosters collaboration among team members to increase productivity and efficiency.
Control over the project
Outsourcing doesn’t mean handling the entire process of a project to the external team. IT augmentation provides a team to enhance the existing team to speed up the process, not to take over. The project manager has absolute control over the project- the team members, the methods and the resources needed. Choosing a member from the internal team gives you significant insights and control over what happens during the project.
Processes of IT Staff Augmentation
How does IT staff augmentation work? What are the processes involved? Before choosing an IT staff augmentation provider, you must clearly understand the steps involved in IT staff augmentation.
Understand Business Requirements
First, you cannot hire an external staff without a defined objective. What exactly is the project at hand? Does it require more people? What is the duration of the task? The answers to these questions will enable you to choose the right type of IT staff augmentation suitable for that particular project. Write out the task, the number of individuals needed, their roles and responsibilities, project duration, and timeline.
Identify the IT Skills Needed
Every project requires a specific skill. Begin with evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of your internal team. You might have good web developers but limited knowledge of other software coding. Assess what you need before outsourcing to avoid hiring the same skill set and wasting money.
Selecting IT Staff Augmentation Provider
Technology has simplified complex processes in the business world. With digital tools and solutions, companies can effectively manage operations. There are a lot of software companies offering IT staff augmentation services. However, for your organisation’s progress, you must conduct in-depth research on these companies before the go-ahead. Start by evaluating the provider’s reputation, industry experience, previous jobs, and availability. An IT staff provider should have extensive knowledge of how this works, be readily available to work you through, and have qualified talents.
Screening and Selection
Once hired, the service provider, in turn, studies your company to be able to provide suitable IT professionals. This process involves conducting technical assessments, reviewing resumes, and the individual compatibility for the role.
Recruitment and Onboarding
The onboarding process doesn’t waste time like the regular one because the external team is knowledgeable about the job. Getting acquainted with the internal team and the project at hand is the only thing needed. For the onboarding, the external staff gets introduced to the internal staff and a briefing on the company’s rules, culture, and project premise.
Project Execution and Management
After the onboarding, the external team is integrated with the in-house IT team. The augmented team works on the tasks to execute the project. The project manager oversees the project during the duration, ensuring high-quality, timeless, and superb projects that surpass the client’s expectations. There is also seamless communication and collaboration, with team members sharing ideas that help devise strategic methods of actualising the project’s goal.
Performance Evaluation and Feedback
Once the team executes the project, the employer conducts a performance evaluation to assess the team’s performance. Feedback sessions allow each member to give their input on the project, enabling you to identify improvement areas and make necessary changes where needed.
Off-Boarding
Remember, IT staff augmentation can either be a short-term or long-term arrangement. Nevertheless, the staff you hire are temporary and must leave after the end of the project. At the off-boarding stage, the company has achieved their objectives, saving time and costs without hassle.
Conclusion
IT staff augmentation is a game changer in the hiring process in this digital era. Gone are the days when businesses needed to hire full-time employees to handle all business activities, and those who could not suffer massive losses. With IT staff augmentation, you can hire temporary staff for your intended purpose. It saves you time and money while helping increase productivity. However, you can only enjoy its benefits when you choose the right service provider.
In the market today, there are countless software service providers promising enticing offers, but only a few have the tools to make the process seamless. Hidden Brains is the best option. We have over 20 years of experience in the IT industry and more than 700 experienced developers. Hidden Brains’ staff augmentation service has flexible models suitable for your business requirement. With a team of dedicated and professional individuals, we keep you miles ahead of your competitors. Visit our IT staff augmentation page https://www.hiddenbrains.africa/it-staff-augmentation.html to learn more about our service.
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