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January 4, 2023

Guide to Resource Augmentation: Ways to Extend Your Development Team

Stan Sakharchuk

Co-Founder & CEO

January 4, 2023

9476

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It is more important than ever for organizations to work on their customers’ high-tech needs. To stay financially stable, flexible, and at a competitive edge, companies have to follow trends and go in hand with technological advancement. That is why most of them are investing in powering their tech teams.

The right IT resources not only help organizations to organize their online presence and attract a wider audience but also boost security, attract attention from investors and stay relevant in the long term. Since the tech market will continue to grow and users will use devices for more and more tasks, having your trusted tech team is not an option now – it is a must-have.

However, we see some issues in the labor market today. It could be hard for companies, especially non-tech, to find and hire developers or designers for their teams. That is caused by massive switches to freelancer work and an increased need for high-quality specialists. That is where resource and staff augmentation come into the picture and seem to save the situation at the market for most companies. Here you can find easy steps and tips on how to extend your your team.

This cooperation model is gaining popularity, with the global staff augmentation services market growing at a 3.53% CAGR between 2021 and 2025. Experts predict that the market will reach a total incremental spend of $81.87 billion. Offering simple, cost-effective, and quick ways to find and hire specialists in different fields, the resource augmentation model allows organizations to stay relevant, financially stable, and flexible in this digital world. 

What is Resource Augmentation?

Resource Augmentation is a term used to describe a flexible, cost-effective outsourcing strategy. Companies using the resource augmentation model hire tech talent globally from a third-party agency on a contractual basis for a specific project or task.

Resource and staff augmentation offers the quickest and most flexible way to hire specialists and is suitable for start-ups, mid-tier, and large enterprises, meeting specific project objectives.

The thing about resource augmentation is that companies usually have their own full-time staff in place who are not able to perform the task for some reason. Companies often hire specialists in specific fields since it is costly and long to hire full-time teams for that task. The in-house staff and the augmented resources work together for the entire duration of the project. It is also a popular option for augmented employees to work from home or their workplace. 

Companies choosing this model also get lots of benefits like cost effectiveness, speed of hiring, and flexibility to grow or cut down the augmented team as and when required. Hiring as well as extending the teams has always been a challenge for most companies. Resource augmentation seems to effectively solve this issue.

Resource Augmentation Benefits for Companies

1. Hire on the Go

One of the key benefits of IT resource augmentation is its flexibility. It is more important than ever for modern organizations to stay flexible and be able to adjust to changes, and resource augmentation is the way to go. This cooperation model allows companies to hire employees to suit short-term needs. Companies are able to hire specialists for one month or for a year, depending on their projects. This flexible hiring prevents unnecessary costs related to permanent hiring, insurance coverage, as well as the time needed for hiring an employee for full time. 

2. Access to a Wide Talent Pool

It could be a large problem for modern companies to hire specialists. That is because companies need the best talent, and people are choosing freelance working conditions more. The resource and staff augmentation model solves this problem by offering a vast choice for organizations based on their current needs. Permanent hiring prevents a company from leveraging the available market talent. Resource augmentation offers organizations a choice between specialists with different skills, levels of experience, and backgrounds, adjusting teams according to their custom needs with no need to search for them.

3. Cost Effective 

As we mentioned, team augmentation works on a contractual basis. Instead of hiring full-time employees, companies can hire specialists for a week, two, a month, or a year. And the key thing here is that hiring augmented employees does not involve lots of costs that come with in-house teams. First of all, companies reduce costs on hiring since agencies offer specialists from their pools. In addition, team augmentation doesn’t involve costs on insurance, sick days, vacations, and other staff. 

4. Expansion and Adaptation

Offering flexibility in hiring, companies are able to expand their operations on a trial basis. So they won’t need to invest in full-time employees. It is a common practice for organizations to scale up their businesses and reap benefits from the changing market conditions. However, the risks of failed investments associated with full-time employees are stopping organizations all across the world from scaling. Resource augmentation allows firms to prevent and outcome those risks by allowing them to hire teams on a project basis to test their skills and expertise in the market. That is why staff augmentation has quickly become the preferred option for most companies today.

5. Access to Specific Skills

Even though it is true that experience and background come with age, companies need specific skills right now. For example, the growing popularity of blockchain and Metaverse leaves no time for organizations to wait until their employees get enough skills to perform these tasks. Healthcare companies also need developers with relevant backgrounds to make their mHealth solutions compliant with regulations. Since every company now needs something unique, you may find it challenging to hire people with the needed skills. Resource augmentation allows those firms to quickly hire specialists with a vast range of skills, so the project is being developed by the most unique talents out there and for a lower cost.

6. Sustained Control and Management

While organizations leverage the development to the specialists hired from another agency, they still have the entire control over the team and project. In contrast to outsourcing which is also a popular option, the benefits of staff augmentation ensure that only the human resourcing is sourced to an external agency. Therefore, the management and control are in the hands of your company.

When You Need Resource Augmentation?

You Need Cost-Effective Solutions

If you need to extend your team or create one, and it seems it will break your pocket, that’s not the case with staff augmentation services. Hiring augmented specialists will save you time on hiring, onboarding, and development, which ultimately saves the overall cost. In addition, staff augmentation will offer you specific costs according to your project objectives. 

You Need Quick Team Extension

We live in a world where we should be able to quickly adjust to changes, and businesses are required too. Saying flexible and proactive is the only option for organizations that want to stay relevant and profitable. Hiring specialists can take months and years for some positions, so resource augmentation becomes an ultimate option for most firms today. It allows firms to hire specialists within 5-10 business days and kick off the project as soon as possible.

You Need a Specific Skill Set for Your Project 

As we mentioned, some industries and projects require specific skills. If you notice that you need a specialist in some field and you don’t have enough resources for this, staff augmentation can be an excellent choice for you. You will need to find an agency that specializes in your industry and hire a team that will be in charge of a specific task or project.

Staff Augmentation Checklist

1. Identify Your Requirements

Before you are able to use resource staff augmentation services, you need to identify your requirements. This usually happens when you understand you need to extend your team or hire specialists in specific fields. It is also recommended to define for how long you think you will need the specialist and what are ideal candidate specifications.  

2. Find the Right Provider

Different companies offer different services. For example, some providers may specialize in healthcare while others in the blockchain. Some can offer candidates within 5 business days, while it can take up to 3 weeks for some. Create a list of trusted ones checking reviews on resources like Clutch or Upwork.

3. Talk to Provider

Before you are able to make a decision, you need to talk to your chosen providers. Ask them about how the process works and how long it will take them to provide you with candidates based on your needs, compare costs and reviews, and communicate with the team and deadlines they can commit to. Once the team is chosen, discuss your project idea so they can suggest how many people you need. Even if you know that you need only one developer, for example, listen to the team so you can have insights.

4. Assimilation of New Team Members 

Make sure candidates fit you. Even though some believe that they don’t need to perform onboarding with augmented specialists, the truth is that these employees also require knowledge about your company. It is especially vital to ensure that your augmented team knows details regarding the project they work on, like in-house ones.

5. Continuous Support and Nurture

It is crucial for augmented employees to have clear feedback and support. They are specialists, but they also make mistakes, so make sure you guide them throughout the process to reach the needed results.

How Can Interexy Help?

Interexy is a leading app and web development company with years of experience in various fields. We offer both outsourcing and resource augmentation services. Our team comprises highly skilled developers, designers, and other specialists who can perfectly fit your team.

We follow our custom and well-thought-out interviewing process when choosing candidates for your project by collecting requirements and your personal wishes. We start the search upon request and offer specialists within 5 business days. We change the specialist within 10 business days if something goes wrong, improving our parameters. 

Wrapping Up

The years of companies hiring in-house specialists every time they need team extensions are gone. Organizations today know that being flexible and proactive is the only way to stay relevant long-term and cut unnecessary costs. And the resource augmentation model has quickly become an ultimate choice for that purpose. Contact our experts to discuss your project and see who we can offer to power up your development process!