Simplifying workflow and productivity has always been the first ask & priority for every company. This can be done in a number of ways, such as hiring new employees, outsourcing teams, or using software to automate tasks. IT staff augmentation can be a valuable tool for organizations that are looking to improve their operations.
There are a number of ways to extend your team, but staff augmentation is often seen as the best way to do so. This is because staff augmentation can provide you with the extra manpower you need to get the job done without having to worry about training or managing new employees.
What is Staff Augmentation?
Staff Augmentation is an outsourcing concept that continues to be explored and implemented by companies around the world. It is a process that involves bringing in new employees to fill in for current ones who are on leave, or who have resigned. It's usually used when a company has a high number of openings, to hire new employees quickly to fulfill any on-demand client requirements.
It is a fairly recent term that is used to describe the process of IT outsourcing a business' needs to third parties that are different than your current talent pool.
Let's take a look at how that works and why it's beneficial.
Why We Need Staff Augmentation?
There are a number of reasons why staff augmentation may be necessary or desirable for a business. First, if a company is experiencing rapid growth, it may need to add staff to keep up with demand. Second, if a company is introducing a new product or service, it may need to add staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to help launch the new offering. Third, if a company is undergoing a digital transformation, it may need to add staff with expertise in digital technologies. Finally, if a company is facing a talent shortage, it may need to supplement its workforce with staff augmentation.
IT staff augmentation help with the temporary or long-term deployment of technically skilled staff on a contracted basis to achieve specific business objectives.
Types of Staff Augmentation
To varying degrees, your staff augmentation model will depend on your goal(s). There are three principal types of staff augmentation, which can be categorized as :
Basic staffing service
It is useful when your company needs employees with the same skill and level of execution as its HCM or recruiting team carries out basic or standard tasks that do not need to have special skills. This service is suitable for projects that are not as critical or urgent.
Skills-based staffing service
The IT Staffing Service Provider offers experienced, dedicated experts for disaster recovery, cloud migration, project management, and other fields. The provider offers more than just talent; they provide experience and mindshare.
Highly experienced staffing service
These are the highest level of teams, those comprised of highly experienced professionals, with skill sets and abilities that are very crucial to performing large scale and complex projects. Agile methodologies and flexible project delivery are key to keeping pace with the customers' changing needs.
While on the basis of Time, there are two main types of Staff augmentation:
Short-term staff augmentation can come in handy when in-house agency resources are stretched thin or their teams are busy with crucial projects or need time off.
Long-term staff augmentation is most suitable for the business looking to complement its existing internal team with specialized skills.
How Does It Work?
There are a range of scenarios that dictate how staff augmentation might work and the processes are customized accordingly.
Define the Problem (Identifying talent shortfalls)
Talent shortfalls are one of the most common problems businesses face. Whether it's a lack of qualified candidates for a particular position, or an inability to fill a vacancy quickly enough, finding talent is key to your company's success. But how do you go about identifying your company's talent gaps? You can get feedback from your regular employees. They understand where they excel and where they struggle, so they can assist you in identifying skill gaps. If you already know who you want or have completed a comprehensive study to uncover a skills gap, simply transmit the facts to your vendor.
Specify Your Requirements
Once you have identified the problem, it is then important to specify your requirements. In terms of what skills you look for? What are the expertise? This means that you must assess the candidate's potential fit into your business culture as well as their potential impact on your current team members' productivity levels; so make sure that you are able to evaluate their capabilities as well as their potential weaknesses before hiring them into any position within your firm.
Managing the operation
It's important to keep an eye on the progress of your new squad. You'll want to be sure that they're able to make a positive impact on your venture at all times, so you should monitor their performance regularly. This can be done by evaluating the contributions they deliver to your venture and determining whether their expenditures are worth the money spent.
Companies can use staff augmentation to supplement their workforce with highly-skilled professionals when needed, without having to hire these individuals full-time. This can save the company money on salaries, benefits, and other associated costs. Additionally, staff augmentation can help companies to be more agile and adapt to changing business needs quickly.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of staff augmentation:
Scalability
An organization that uses staff augmentation can quickly add or remove resources as needed without having a major impact on their direct hires. This flexibility allows organizations to scale up and add resources when and where needed, providing a competitive advantage.
World-Class Talent
Adding staff members can help you tap into a global pool of talent and resources. This is an ideal solution when a project requires skills that your current organization doesn't have. It's especially effective if the required skills won't be needed long-term.
Cost-Effective
Staff augmentation is the perfect way to get a cost-effective boost to your workforce. Augmenting your staff with a temporary resource can help your company avoid certain long-term costs and overhead. It's a great way to seamlessly improve your team.
Expertise
By bringing in experts and professionals with the right skill set, you can give your project the advantage it needs. Plus, it's especially effective if you only need the skills for a short period of time. Staff augmentation may be just what you need!
Integration
Staff augmentation smoothly integrates new potential team members into your work environment and have them up and running in no time - easily meeting your project deadlines.
There are a few potential risks associated with staff augmentation that companies should be aware of before pursuing this route, such as:
Necessity Internal Training
When you hire an employee for a particular project, it can be difficult to give them the necessary training. This might take a few more days, and if you're short on time, you may not be able to manage your deadlines accordingly.
Lack of Internal Knowledge
Sometimes it can be very difficult for external employees to understand the internal team or have the required knowledge. This is because they are not familiar with the terminology used by the company and its processes.
Higher Costs In Case Of Long-term Basis
Over time, staff augmentation may cost more than permanent staff performing the same job function for a long run. But in the short term, the reduction of hiring/de-hiring costs may offset the increased labor cost.
Conclusion
IT Staff augmentation means you don't have the skills or time to spare, and you can get your IT department ready with the skill sets required with trained professionals. In any event, the staff augmentation model, the business provides your organizations with a variety of options for boosting the efficiency of your projects and in-house teams.