As businesses continue to deal with increasing technicalities and evolving objectives of ongoing projects, there is a greater need for qualified resources that offer the consistency of a full-time labor force with the flexibility of outsourcing.
This need has given rise to one of the biggest trends for modern businesses, i.e., contingent workers. This practice isn't necessarily new as it began when managers needed to fill temporary roles or make up for the missing workforce that was away on vacation or due to illness.
Staff augmentation is perhaps the most widely used model of contingent work, especially for IT departments across global organizations. That's because it is an effective way to extend your organization's development team further.
It often so happens that in-house teams cannot feasibly meet the exacting demands of some projects. And sometimes, businesses don't have the skillset needed to fulfill the project's needs. For example, a 2019 survey by KPMG shows a massive skills gap in technology, especially cybersecurity, AI, analytics, and big data.
To bring these teams up to speed means spending too much time, energy, and resources on recruitment instead of completing and launching projects that matter more to the bottom line. In such circumstances, augmenting your staff with a temporary external team makes sense.
Staff augmentation combines the advantages of in-house staffing and outsourcing to help organizations recover from the debilitating skills gap while meeting their needs.
Let's take a closer look at how you can make staff augmentation work effectively for your business.
The staff augmentation market grew from $92.5 billion to $132.9 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since most employees work remotely, organizations have turned to the cloud and digital means to collaborate effectively with their employees and augmented teams.
Here's how to make the most of this available resource:
Staff augmentation is only cost-efficient if you are getting long-term value out of it. The project outsourced would still be available for company use even after the agreement has ended. But then, what next?
You will have two choices: partner with your augmented team or shift the responsibility to the in-house team. For this, you need to ensure that the method of knowledge transfer is clearly stated in the contract. The more detailed and precise it is, the quicker it will be for your in-house team to understand the project history and scale on it if required.
Also, be vary when choosing which organization to outsource to, and ensure that a relationship is built between in-house and augmented teams.
Companies usually employ outsourced teams when they face specific problems their in-house team cannot deal with, either due to a lack of skills, expertise, or time.
First, take the time to thoroughly understand the problem before you to effectively convey your needs to the augmented team and reduce the risk of miscommunication.
Your in-house employees may feel demotivated if you employ staff augmentation to make up for their shortcomings. They may not understand why you need an additional team to do their job, and they may feel like they are just ineffective.
That's why it is essential to keep the lines of communication open, reminding your team that you aren't replacing them but helping them do their jobs more efficiently. Encourage your employees to work in collaboration with outsourced specialists. Make sure that both teams discuss the project's needs, share their views, and develop a plan of attack that gets things done. This will help build trust and also ensure that your augmented team gets integrated with the rest.
Just because you are employing an augmented team to take care of a project doesn't mean you can sit back and let them take charge. The business landscape is ever-changing, meaning that priorities are too. Thus, you should keep double-checking to see if the plan is still meeting the current objective.
Regularly verify the augmented team's tasks and see if any adjustments need to be made. This ensures that things stay aligned with your ongoing goals.
When hiring a company for staff augmentation solutions, make sure they meet the following criteria:
The nearshore outsourcing industry has plenty of services, all of them vying for your business. But not all of them are suitable. The only way to ensure that you partner up with the right one is by seeing if they have demonstrable experience delivering the kind of services you require. Also, check if they've worked with the same clients over long stretches of time; the chances are that you can trust them too.
These recommendations will help you make the most out of your augmented team. Just ensure you have chosen a trustworthy vendor, briefed your employees, and are hands-on throughout the project.
If you are looking for a trustworthy nearshore service that offers staff augmentation, consider Definity First. Our experts are there to close the gap within your organization so that productivity never stops. Call us today to schedule an appointment with our experts.