At this point in time, many businesses worldwide have trouble finding the right talent to join their team. Even when they do, the entire hiring, onboarding, and training process is pretty complex. Once this is over, there is no guarantee the new talent will not leave for a better job. Therefore, HR managers in 36 out of 44 countries find it increasingly challenging to get the right resources for their teams. This further becomes a problem if your company is located in a country that needs more expertise in your field. For example, Saudi Arabia needs help to fill in their digital gap. In situations like these, companies look towards staff augmentation.
IT Staff Augmentation is an outsourcing technique that allows a company to hire an augmented team from anywhere worldwide for a specific project/purpose. This approach focuses on using outside personnel to fill your team’s talent gaps and expand your firm’s capacity. This practice can be carried out in different ways, such as freelancing.
Suppose you are trying to decide whether you should go for IT staff augmentation and want to understand their pros and cons. Read the remaining blog and gauge whether this is adequate for your organization.
Pros of IT Staff Augmentation
You can Hire Developers from Different Parts of the World
IT staff augmentation allows you to hire software developers from all over the world. While previously organizations faced the limitation of hiring people locally, they now have more options. This is beneficial for them because they have the chance to engage resources with the particular skill set they want, and they do not have to rely on their local market. If your local market needs more skills, that no longer poses a problem for companies. Moreover, the person you take on board does not have to be hired permanently. This can be done only for the duration of a project.
Cuts Unnecessary Expenses
The option of IT staff augmentation allows your company to cut back on unnecessary expenses that come with hiring an in-house resource. When your primary motive is trying to hire someone to work permanently in your company, you must undergo an entire process involving screening, interviewing, and training candidates. There is also the pressure to ensure they will be a good fit for the firm and make the onboarding process as smooth as possible. This is not a problem with staff augmentation, which allows you to focus more on the project at hand. Your HR department can avoid getting into hefty paperwork processes.
In addition, when someone is not a part of your company, you do not have to pay for their maternity or sick leaves.
You get to Choose the Skill you Prioritize Most
When you need to take a team on board for a particular project, you can hire someone with expertise in the required skill. When you hire someone permanently for your company, you have to take a holistic approach where you must see if the resource ticks all the boxes of what you are looking for in a potential candidate. This is not a hassle you have to deal with once you take up IT staff augmentation as an option. You can choose the right person for that project and expect the best results.
More Flexibility
As a company, you get more flexibility when you have the choice of scaling up or scaling down your team in line with different projects. This makes IT staff augmentation a convenient option because you can hire as many experts as you need for any project. At the same time, you can hire fewer people when required. You do not have the restriction of sticking with a particular number of people and paying them. You can adjust your staff according to the needs of your company.
Cons of Staff Augmentation
Managerial Problems
You might need managerial help when trying to get your staff-augmented and in-house teams to work on a specific project. This is because there might be communication gaps or cultural barriers that could be improved in a smooth workflow. Moreover, if both teams belong to different time zones, it might further become a problem for the manager. An approach to deal with this problem could be trying to get your remote team from a country with a similar culture and time zone.
Security Concerns
Your extended team has access to your company’s data and all personal information, causing a potential data leak risk. For this reason, it is essential that before you start working with someone, both parties have an agreement to decide what happens if anyone leaks the other party’s data. Even this might not be a strong deterrent, which is why many companies are hesitant to take a remote third party on board.
The process might become Inefficient
One major disadvantage of IT staff augmentation is this process’s inefficiency at times. This is because a manager has to overlook two in-house and remote teams. Trying to make these teams work together and ensure a smooth workflow in both areas can be challenging, especially when the remote unit needs to work under you precisely. It might be tough to coordinate with the remote team, overlook them, and, most importantly, get them to complete assigned tasks on the stipulated deadlines.
To conclude, IT staff augmentation is reasonable if the result aligns with your company’s goals. However, before you take this process forward, you need to conduct a thorough business analysis where you define your goals for outsourcing. This will give you a framework to help hire the right fit. Also, ensure the onboarding process is efficient and tell them exactly the expectations. Lastly, before you opt for staff augmentation, analyze the following aspects:
– What is the duration of your software project is
– The technical skills that are required
– The cost of your project
Keep the points mentioned above in mind and weigh the pros and cons of staff augmentation concerning your company. You can also look at companies that provide staff augmentation services. This will guide you in making the best decision.