When you need to add specialized skills to a core team or when a deadline is looming, and your in-house team is already overtasked, staff augmentation may be a good solution. Here are a few of the important benefits of adding to your IT staff with some outsourced help:
Scalability and Flexibility
Staff augmentation allows you to add the specialists you need for the length of time you need them. You may require a quality assurance engineer on an app development project to assist your in-house quality assurance team, and you can pay for the number of hours you need their assistance.
Dedicated Productivity
You have the capability to accelerate areas of a project that have been lagging or put focused energy into meeting a particular requirement of your IT staff.
Cost Savings
Hiring a new member of your IT staff comes with a lot of time and resource costs, from the recruitment and hiring process to the actual salary and benefits you would pay. When you outsource with staff augmentation, all of those costs are handled by the provider.
Objectivity
When you bring in a specialist from an outsourcing provider, you may gain some objective perspective on your projects. They may have experience solving challenges from a variety of situations that allow them to be more creative and resourceful with any obstacles they may encounter.
Quicker Progress
An in-house hire will take time to onboard and integrate into your team, but when you outsource, the new team member walks in, ready to get to work.
Even with the benefits listed above, you may want to consider the potential advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing for your IT staff needs. Here are some pros and cons of each option:
The Pros
Administrative Support
Outsourcing means that the provider is handling every aspect of administering the position. This enables you to focus solely on your project because someone else is handling the benefits, orientation, and other administrative duties.
Global Reach
While you may feel limited to your region when you hire in-house, an outsourcing provider may offer access to specialists across the world.
Training
Staff augmentation providers will handle all of the training and certifications that a specialist requires.
Scalability
You are able to get the help you need when you need it, and you can just as quickly revert back to using only your in-house staff.
The Cons
Miscommunication
Global reach may mean that you are working with someone that your team finds it difficult to collaborate effectively with due to language barriers.
Security
Working with an outside partner carries the potential for data leaks or system corruption if your provider is not reputable. Make sure to have NDAs in place and do regular security audits.
Workflow Bottlenecks
Whether it’s an outsourced IT staff member that requires time to gel with your team or a time zone issue, there may be unforeseen challenges to an efficient workflow.
Technical Mismatch
Even with the right steps in place to outsource with staff augmentation, there may be times when it proves to be a wrong fit. Either the expertise doesn’t match the requirement, or you experience collaborative challenges on the team.
As you consider IT staff augmentation, it helps to have a guide to assist you in avoiding any potential pitfalls while enjoying all the possible advantages. Contact us at Proper Connections to discuss the right processes to have in place to ensure your staff augmentation is a great fit.