IT staff augmentation can be a better way to extend your development team. The modern IT market is highly dynamic, with rapidly changing business objectives and technical requirements, so companies look for more cooperation models, and IT staff augmentation companies provide them with development teams. Thus, trying to have an in-house development team meet all market needs is a rat race; in such a way, businesses risk spending too much energy, time, and money on recruitment rather than project completion and launch.
IT staff augmentation services combines the benefits of outsourcing and in-house hiring and helps companies close the skill gap quickly, thus perfectly serving innovative business needs. Let’s find out what staff augmentation means and why the demand for this service has been growing in a wink for the past few years.
What Is IT Staff Augmentation?
IT Staff augmentation definition: IT staff augmentation refers to a type of outsourcing strategy that involves hiring temporary employees from a vendor to fill project gaps in compliance with the current business objectives. Remote employees are hired based on needed skills and can be hired with a client for short—or long-term cooperation (if you are looking for long-term cooperation, you should also pay attention to talent acquisition service).
Resource augmentation is incredibly common in the global staffing industry. One of the primary suppliers of IT staff augmentation talent is estimated to support $490 billion in annual spending. Another source of IT staff augmentation talent is freelancing, which has been around for centuries but recently gained notoriety through the rise of global freelance platforms.
These services, in particular, are gaining momentum because of the IT industry’s specifics, growing coder rates worldwide, a shortage of talent, and the need for companies to solve development tasks quickly.
In the IT sector, staff augmentation companies can provide you with:
- programmers
- designers
- QA engineers
- system administrators
- marketing specialists
- tech support specialist
and other temporary workers with the necessary tech skills and hardware/software to complete specific tasks.
In such a way, companies can better perform most tasks with their permanent full-time employees in collaboration with offshore developers. Here is a staff augmentation example. Your company plans to update its FinTech solution due to new regulations, but you need qualified resources with the necessary expertise. In this case, you can partner with a seasoned technology staff augmentation company that covers recruiting and onboarding skilled professionals. This team of skilled developers will seamlessly blend with your existing IT workforce to meet project needs and manage increased workload.
IT Staff augmentation services also means flexibility in your working process and unlimited access to superb external talent with particular skills. Moreover, to help you define staff augmentation, we can say that it is a great idea that allows you to minimize operational costs while maximizing productivity and efficiency. However, before you adopt this model, it is imperative to know how it works, its types, benefits, weaknesses, etc.
Benefits of IT Staff Augmentation
IT staff augmentation is gaining fast adoption among companies that want to develop high-quality software. Engaging IT staff augmentation talent benefits your complex projects and quickly improves your business on relatively short terms. Let’s take a closer look at the solid advantages of staff augmentation:
Filling Gaps in the Workforce
If you should fill specific skill gaps, you can choose from many talents in top tech hubs worldwide. This factor significantly increases your chances of finding a perfect match among thousands of professionals. Also, this model is especially beneficial for startups that often need specialized technical expertise at the heart of the product or service.
Paying For What You Need
You don’t have to pay for things like workspace or work equipment. You just pay a fee to your IT staffing company, which handles all the tasks. When entrusting it to professionals, you save time and money.
Crucial Time Saver
By leveraging IT staff augmentation services, you can save much time. Hiring full-time staff requires creating job postings, interviewing potential applicants, and completing the necessary documentation. With offshore staff augmentation, you can eliminate the time you spend hiring new IT staff.
Increased Flexibility
One of the most significant benefits of an augmented team is that it allows you to increase and decrease your workforce practically on demand. This is similar to retail stores hiring seasonal employees during the holidays or busy periods of the year.
Fast Project Execution Times
Staff augmentation can assist you in reaching tight deadlines by accelerating the project execution timelines. You’ll be able to swiftly bring in top-notch engineers to your in-house IT staff and support the growth of your business. Also, you may enhance the software development life cycle (SDLC) with the right team members.
Maintaining Control Over Existing Staff
Unlike outsourcing, a staff augmentation model offers more control over the development process and an external staff working on your project on a temporary basis.
IT Staff Augmentation Services Challenges
Language and Time Barriers
If you cooperate with IT staff augmentation companies, check the English proficiency level and cultural affinity of the employees they offer. Misunderstandings and differences in business cultures may lead to delays or quality issues.
Challenge to Find the Right Vendor
Finding a proper staff augmentation service company could be risky as they can guarantee a high-quality service. With Qubit Labs, you are protected from any risks.
IT Staff Augmentation Isn’t Great for Long-Term Projects
The augmented staff may turn over if a project has an enormous scope and requires several years.
How It Works
If your company has specific project requirements and deadlines, staff augmentation might be the solution you need to get the competitive edge you desire. So, how does staff augmentation work?
Step 1
First, you’ll need to identify where you have skill gaps in your company. What are the resources your organization or existing employees could benefit from? What expertise or specialization would help you reach your project goals or deadlines? All these factors can simplify a job for your staff augmentation provider to find the best candidates for a particular role.
Step 2
The next step is to search for temporary staff to fulfill your organization’s needs. Of course, you can augment your staff on your own, but many larger organizations utilize staff augmentation services as they can provide the most time and cost-effective method of augmenting their staff.
Step 3
A previously designed onboarding process occurs once you have found the ideal candidates to fulfill your organization’s needs.
Types of Staff Augmentation
This hiring model has two types: short-term and long-term collaboration with remote developers.
- Short-term services
Companies commonly use it during hectic periods or when a required in-house specialist is on vacation or sick leave.
- Long-term cooperation
This type of team extension is more suitable for longer projects. It is used when no specialist with a rare tech stack in the company’s location or specialists with such knowledge charge excessively high rates.
- Commodity staff augmentation
This model is relevant when certain positions should be filled urgently and doesn’t involve hiring specialized talent.
- Skill-based staff augmentation
It is used when a company requires a specialist with specific skill sets, but their skill level is not critical.
- Highly skilled staff augmentation
This staff augmentation enables hiring experts with the highest advanced skills attainable only through high-level education or extensive experience.
Types of IT Staff Augmentation Services
IT team augmentation refers to supplementing an existing IT team with external resources to enhance their capabilities, fill skill gaps, or handle increased workloads. Here are some common types of team augmentation:
Project-Based Team Augmentation
In this team augmentation model, external IT experts are brought in to work on specific projects or initiatives. They collaborate with the internal team to complete the project within a defined timeline and scope. Project-based team augmentation is commonly used when organizations require specialized skills or need to accelerate project delivery.
Dedicated Development Team
In this type of team augmentation, an external development team is assembled to work exclusively on a specific project for an extended period. The dedicated team operates independently and follows the organization’s guidelines and processes.
On-Demand Expertise
Sometimes, IT teams may need ad-hoc assistance from subject matter experts or consultants to address complex challenges or implement specialized technologies. IT team augmentation expertise allows organizations to tap into the knowledge and experience of external specialists for targeted problem-solving or guidance.
Nearshore and Offshore Team Augmentation
Nearshore and offshore team augmentation involves partnering with IT staff augmentation providers in different geographic regions. Nearshore teams are in relatively close time zones, while offshore teams are typically in distant time zones. These arrangements offer cost advantages, access to a broader talent pool, and the ability to extend team coverage across different time zones.
Gig Platforms
Gig marketplaces like Upwork or Guru provide access to global talent. Businesses can hire professionals on an hourly or fixed-rate basis. This type of team augmentation is suitable for task-based needs.
Every kind of IT team augmentation has its advantages and considerations. The choice depends on project requirements, budget, time constraints, and the specific skills needed to complement the existing team.
When to Use IT Staff Augmentation?
To Reinforce Your In-House Team
If you plan to scale an existing solution or start a new venture, offshore or nearshore staff augmentation can enhance your team’s capabilities, boost your operational capabilities, and drive innovation.
To Bridge Skill Gaps
If multiple projects require different skill sets or project requirements shift swiftly, partnering with a staff augmentation company will allow you to hire experienced developers who can bring specialized knowledge to the table for success. Therefore, you don’t have to spend resources training your in-house team in the requested skills.
To Expand the Team Fast
Finding the right candidate quickly can be challenging if you need a developer with specialized skills to streamline internal operations. In this case, software development staff augmentation can save you time and money when hiring the right expert.
To Meet the Deadline
Hiring is a lengthy process that includes recruitment and onboarding, which can take several months. If you want quick access to a global talent pool and find a specialist on a short- or long-term basis, then utilize staff augmentation solutions.
Other Models Do Not Work for You
This cooperation model is the best option for gaining complete control over dedicated specialists, focusing on your core business activities, and letting augmented employees handle specific tasks and manage your workload efficiently.
Choosing the Right IT Staff Augmentation Model
When choosing a model, you must be clear about and prioritize your goals. For example, if you need an AI or machine learning expert, you won’t be able to prioritize costs. However, if you need to do a large amount of work and the experts’ qualifications are unimportant, then you don’t need to hire them based on high skill level.
Comparing Staff Augmentation with Other Outsourcing Models
What is the difference between IT staff augmentation, consulting, outsourcing, offshore development centers, and independent contractors? Check out this table to learn.
| Model / Parameters | Control over a team | Flexibility | Efficiency | Scalability |
| IT Staff Augmentation Services | Performed by a client | Highly flexible for shifting project requirements and business goals | Top-tier experts demonstrate great productivity; this model of talent augmentation is great for small and mid-scale projects | High scalability |
| Managed Services | The external provider controls the process | Medium flexibility | An established team of experts ensures excellent efficiency | High scalability |
| Dedicated Teams | Dedicated teams work under the vendor’s control | Adapt well to shifting project requirements | Excellent efficiency; they deliver high-quality results within a given time frame | High scalability |
| Consulting | Control is usually limited as consultants work independently on specific issues | Great flexibility as they can focus on various aspects of your business | Great for short and long partnerships | Medium scalability |
| Outsourcing | Performed by a software development company | Flexible in meeting new requirements and demands | Great for large-scale, long projects | High scalability |
| Offshore Development Centers | Moderate control of dedicated teams that work in offshore locations | They can be easily scaled up or down based on the requirements | Highly efficient; they provide cost-effective solutions, drive innovation, and provide access to top talent | High scalability |
Steps to Find a IT Staff Augmentation Company
Once you are ready to welcome the new staff to your team, we recommend following eight steps to find a proper vendor.
Among many companies offering their services in the global market today, quite a few are reliable and qualified. So, not to waste time and money, start working with true professionals simultaneously. To do so, you need to:
- Determine the kind of talent you lack;
- Specify which type of services you need – long- or short-term – you require depending on your business tasks;
- Research several outsourcing markets to see which suits you best (we recommend considering both nearshore and offshore outsourcing as favorable options; the most frequent regions of choice are Asia and Eastern Europe);
- Determine the preferred location (based on the comfortable time zone difference, comfortable travel routes, and affordable provider rates);
- Find 3-5 IT staff augmentation companies providing services in that location;
- Verify their testimonials, their technical recruiter teams, and references;
- Hold negotiations to inquire about pricing, contract details, and hidden costs;
- Sign a contract.
Determine the Kind of Talent you Lack
Prioritize what tasks your team needs to cover for better productivity. This will make it easier to choose the team augmentation model you need.
Nearshore or Offshore?
Before engaging the software team augmentation team, consider which outsourcing model suits you best. For example, Qubit Labs offers various countries the opportunity to engage IT team augmentation for both nearshore and offshore models.
Determine the Location
List preferable countries based on the comfortable time zone difference, comfortable travel routes, and affordable provider rates. Qubit Labs will help you find the best countries for your technical team augmentation.
Choose the Vendor
Find 3-5 professional companies that can provide you with software development team augmentation. Pay attention to their expertise, experience, similar cases, and various services. Verify their testimonials, their technical recruiters’ team, and references;
Sign a Contract
With the help of a professional vendor, you can enjoy all the benefits of software team augmentation and focus on your company priorities while your team deals with your tasks. If you are looking for a vendor with significant experience in providing technical team augmentation, Qubit Labs is your reliable partner.
What Are IT Staff Augmentation Services with Qubit Labs?
If you need high-quality IT staff augmentation services, Qubit Labs can help. We hire remote IT specialists in Poland, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, and Azerbaijan.
We cover recruitment, hiring, and remote onboarding processes; we help with payroll, HR management, taxes, social packages, retention, and replacement. The benefits of staff augmentation with Qubit Labs include flexibility, a wide choice of locations, transparency, security, an individual approach to each client, team expansion opportunities, our extensive experience, and much more. Our cooperation process is transparent and straightforward. You should schedule a free consultation call, discuss your requirements, approve suitable specialists, sign a contract, and start working with first-class developers. Qubit Labs will handle the rest.
Wrapping Up
Now that you know what IT staff augmentation is, you can consider all the pros and cons of this staffing model and make an appropriate decision for your business. Here are the key takeaways:
- The resource and IT staff augmentation model is highly flexible and scalable.
- The benefits of staff augmentation include reduced recruitment costs, access to top-tier talent, fast project execution time, and extensive control over the development process.
- Software staff augmentation isn’t suitable for a long project as the risk of turnover is high.
- To maximize staff augmentation, outline your goals and budget, encourage effective communication, use appropriate project management tools, and ensure a IT staff augmentation firm follows all security protocols.
Qubit Labs is your top choice if you are looking for a reliable IT staffing provider that utilizes staff augmentation best practices. Do you have questions or want to discuss the details of our cooperation? Book a free consultation call, and let’s drive innovation to your business together.
