The digital age has always been dynamic, particularly on the business side of things. An experience that many can relate to is working on a development project with the so-called dream team, but still hitting roadblocks along the way. The solution to this brought about by the ever-changing business models is IT staff augmentation.
But what is it? What exactly are the benefits? Are there cons to these pros? Let’s find out.
The Definition
Staff augmentation is an outsourcing strategy where a business or a company hires skilled tech resources for a short or long period. This strategy allows quick recruitment for certain projects that require more manpower alongside the convenience of in-house staffing. It is one of the easiest and most practical solutions to help manage staffing shortages.
The Misconceptions
There are two common misconceptions about staff augmentation: the first one is that staff augmentation is similar to technical support — they are not. Staff augmentation teams are there to fill in on-demand roles for special projects and to work alongside the in-house staff.
The second misconception is that staff augmentation has no long-term benefit. The truth of the matter is that staff augmentation, according to Forbes, offers the scalability required in development projects. This business strategy allows for quicker turnaround time, and flexibility among the staff, translating into higher efficiency with better quality results. It’s in this case that the phrase “the more, the merrier” is apt.
The Benefits
Staff augmentation comes with quite a several benefits for any business. Here are some of them:
Flexibility
Flexibility is a never-ending need in most businesses. Staff augmentation enables this for two reasons: (1) it widens the pool of skilled IT professionals, from front-end developers, and UI/UX designers, to Scrum masters; and (2) it’s easier to replace a missing link should there be a sudden need for a particular role, as a developer.
High productivity level
Staff augmentation enables the in-house team to power through the demands, whether urgent or not, and meet the expectations. With more staff, managing several projects simultaneously is easier and less stressful.
Cost-efficiency
It is the practical choice in cases of a staffing shortage. There is more manpower, minus the administrative and organization expenses often spent on acquiring in-house staff.
