Team augmentation/team extension – characteristics and benefits

When you develop software, the volume and specifics of tasks may overwhelm your team's capacity. How do you find highly specialised professionals to help complete the project on time? How do you avoid traditional recruitment that may be too long and fail due to a lack of interested or available professionals?

Fortunately, there is a perfect IT outsourcing model for this situation. Read the following paragraphs to learn what team augmentation is and when it will ensure smooth work on a software project.

Team augmentation – what is it?

Team/staff augmentation (or team/staff extension) means collaborating with the outsourcing partner to find one or more software developers with highly needed skills who will join your team and carry out certain tasks. Augmented staff cooperates with your internal team for a specified time, bringing their skills and fresh perspective to your project.

Characteristics of team augmentation outsourcing model

Team augmentation is the overall responsibility of the outsourcing partner, who suggests software developers from their talent base or hires new people with the most suitable competencies. You are not involved in the recruitment process, which saves you significant amounts of time and money and lets you focus on core business activities.

Another distinctive feature of team augmentation is that you only work with developers for a specific period. When their role in your project is over, the outsourcing partner involves them in another exciting project. You save the costs of keeping a developer whose full potential you can't effectively utilise at all times.

Advantages of staff augmentation for your project

Curious about staff augmentation but unsure of its benefits? Let's check how it can work for you! Explore the key benefits of team augmentation and see how it can positively transform your project.

Hiring flexibility

Augmented staff members work with you for a specified time. Therefore, you can comfortably plan your budget and invest savings in staff costs to grow your business.

Access to talented developers

Only 9% of IT decision-makers surveyed by Statista claim their companies are not experiencing IT skill gaps. The strongest demand is for people with expertise in cloud computing and AI/ML (26%). There is also a noticeable need for security software developers (19%). Team augmentation goes beyond your country's borders, greatly expanding the search for talented software specialists.

Increased expertise

External software developers usually have extensive experience with top-notch products and may know how to solve cases your in-house team has never encountered. Their expertise allows you to develop your software in a way that avoids costly mistakes and puts you ahead of the competition.

Shorter time-to-market

Team augmentation helps you avoid delays and downtime when searching for additional specialists. Instead of recruiting over several months, you expand your team in a few weeks and complete the project on schedule.

Cost-effective excellence

Even with budget constraints, you can complete projects efficiently. By collaborating with outsourced developers, you gain access to a pool of top-tier talent offering excellent value. This approach combines high-quality expertise with smart resource allocation.

When should you decide on staff augmentation?

Are you facing challenges that are hindering the successful completion of your project? Read the following scenarios to see when team augmentation might be worth considering.

For short-term projects

Hiring in-house developers for a short project is not economically efficient and takes way too long. Augmented staff can start their work in a few weeks, and once they have completed their tasks, the IT outsourcing partner will move them to other projects. However, our experience has shown that clients often do not let skilled software specialists go, and the collaboration is significantly prolonged (our longest team augmentation project has lasted for eight years!).

To find software engineers with specific skills

There is a huge talent gap in the software development sector. 37.5% of Reveal respondents expect further problems finding qualified software specialists. Team augmentation can quickly fill the gap created by the talent shortage in the local market.

When your budget is constrained

When you have a limited budget but want to release a cutting-edge solution, you might not have to put it off. Partnering with an IT outsourcing provider can give you access to the specialists you need, helping you manage costs effectively without the additional expense of recruitment and staff management.

When your in-house team is overwhelmed

Staff vacancies can arise unexpectedly. Key employees leave, or a sharply increased project scope forces you to find more people ASAP. Team augmentation helps you to fill the gap in a few weeks and complete the projects you have started.

To gain a fresh perspective on your project

When your team is stuck because your developers have a different skill set than needed, you should opt for team augmentation. Every week of downtime generates losses, and hiring an experienced programmer for a short time will enable your team to quickly move on to complete the later stages of the project.

Differences between team augmentation and other outsourcing models

Do you want to find out if team augmentation is the most suitable solution for your project? Explore the differences between the outsourcing models and make your choice.

Team augmentation vs dedicated team

Employing a dedicated team involves contracting an outsourced group of close-knit software developers for part of a large IT project. It is helpful to have a dedicated project manager supervising the project.

In team augmentation, you extend your in-house crew with additional people who work on specific tasks but in collaboration with your team, sharing their perspectives and providing valuable guidance.

Team augmentation vs project-based outsourcing

Project-based outsourcing is perfect when you have no internal development team. In this case, you partner with a company responsible for design, coding, testing and implementation. The outsourced team operates according to your guidelines and delivers a finished product.

The augmented staff is a temporary part of your team and is supervised by an internal project manager. This approach allows for continuous consultation on unexpected situations, enabling you to adjust plans and manage tasks according to your time and budget.

Team augmentation vs managed services

With managed services, you outsource managing and maintaining your entire IT infrastructure. An external team is responsible for various functions such as helpdesk, security monitoring, cloud services, and more, operating 24/7.

Team augmentation is a great way to bridge a skill gap and solve a specific problem. You can flexibly adjust the number of additional personnel based on your project's requirements.

How can you harness the potential of team augmentation in your company?

Team augmentation is a unique opportunity to scale your in-house development team flexibly. By hiring specialised developers on demand, your company will dynamically adapt to changing market requirements. While others may struggle with skill gaps, you can quickly meet the needs of your most demanding customers.

At HappyTeam, we have a transparent process of sourcing seasoned specialists for your project. We listen carefully to your requirements and look for employees in a defined talent pool and budget. Nothing happens without you, so you decide whether the candidates will be perfect for your team.

At the end of the collaboration, we are interested in your feedback and take every insight as an improvement to future recruitment processes. Our priority is ensuring you and your team are happy with the cooperation.

Conclusion

Team augmentation is a fast and cost-effective solution for increasing the capacity of your software team or supplementing it with specialists with the most sought-after skills.

Team augmentation opens access to a vast talent pool of the most skilled developers. The quick integration of additional developers provided by your IT outsourcing partner into your team will help you overcome the challenges of completing the project without stretching the company budget.