August 12, 2023

In a world where the demand for services is increasing rapidly, companies need to cover a percentage of the demand curve. Now the question that is mostly asked is, “What is staff augmentation?” Let us answer this first. We know that most companies do have a large workforce to meet those demand models and services brought into the market, but most companies do not have a large workforce. Companies with a handful of employees and too much workload usually assign tasks to external talent in order to meet the target deadlines for the projects without putting a lot of pressure on the internal team. Most organizations are trying to balance the productivity ratio and the money they invest in attaining the desired goals, which leads to staff augmentation. Most IT companies utilize staff augmentation as there is a lot of tech talent roaming around the world, and taking help from that talent is a win-win for both parties and leads to a greater goal.  Staff Augmentation: An Overview Numerous companies balance their project deliveries by tapping into temporary staff to distribute the workload that is on the in-house team. It allows a company to work every day with increased production under the observation of in-house management to keep an eye on the project deliverables. Staff augmentation works as a bridge by providing the capacity for long-term and short-term project submissions. Enterprises can grab the most prominent, talented, and skilled experts at a fraction of the cost as compared to hiring a permanent employee.  A Four-Step Process For Staff Augmentation Let’s get to know how to get into the staff augmentation model. To ensure the completion and quality results of pending projects, when a company hires an IT staff augmentation company to provide staff augmentation for the company, it’s the vendor’s responsibility to look for the best candidate and set them up for the company’s tasks, and the company conducts interviews and seals the deal by signing the contract. The steps are mentioned below: Conduct a proper analysis Consider the talent and skills  Get started with onboarding  Provide ongoing support Staff Augmentation: Key To A Robust Workforce Saving costs and leveling up with the demand curve, most companies select the most talented professionals and save their costs at the same time to deliver productivity, quality, and timely delivery, ensuring success. They task their augmented staff with the work that needs more focus and provide a work-life balance for other employees. Happy employees are equal to a company’s success.  Don’t Get Confused Between Staff Augmentation And Outsourcing Always know that staff augmentation and outsourcing are not similar. They possess different properties, but yes, we can say that the goal is the same. Staff augmentation basically brings people into your company that is led by a team leader provided by the company. Whereas in outsourcing, the project is tasked outside the workforce to be done by other third parties. It should be noted that augmentation vendors provide particular talent to handle bits of assigned projects by providing some developers, but the company’s technical leader leads them. We can say that an outsourcing vendor manages and handles the whole project.  Staff Augmentation Vs. Outsourcing: Let’s Compare In staff augmentation, the company that is hiring the staff bears the cost of training the employee hired to fill the gaps, and it’s the company’s responsibility to provide the tools needed to work on the project. But if we talk about outsourcing, the outsourcing company handles the project with complete responsibility and has its own tools and a lead technician to guide the team’s developers.  Staff Augmentation is used to fill gaps that a company has due to any reason. Augmented staff is temporary and can be hired for short-term projects. Although an outsourcing company’s purpose is to provide a complete project without hiring engineers and other talents, they just give up their projects with a deadline to be completed on assigned dates.  Augmentation staff will always need the supervision of the company’s management, and the company can be involved in the process that is led by the team. The outsourcing team does not work with the management of the company and likes to work independently, although they themselves share updates regarding the projects.  Looking at the above differences, we now know what is staff augmentation. We also know that It is a model created for organizations and external resources to work together on the same project for the progress of the project. This is smart working in today’s world, where only smart working can lead you and your enterprise ahead. Staff augmentation and outsourcing both serve their purpose of lifting the company’s value and managing project deliveries on time.  Learn About The Types Of Staff Augmentation Models There are many staff augmentation models, but we are going to mention some of them. We will provide the necessary information, and then it’s up to you to choose the most beneficial type for your company.  Going For Traditional Staff Augmentation This staff augmentation model involves asking a staffing agency and then hiring some of their most related resources that are required for project delivery. Hiring a temporary workforce that is referred by an agency or a service provider helps you build trust, and the agency is responsible if anything goes sideways. It can be utilized for any sort of project or task completion. Traditional staff augmentation allows you to choose a resource that best fits the requirements of the project.  Engaging With Independent Contractors There are a number of workers providing services that are based on contracts that a company searches for and engages directly with the contractor. These contractors are useful for any company’s projects in terms of providing focus, and the contractor will have a personal interest in the project. These contractors are highly skilled, which means you can hire a contractor for multiple projects, and the share that the staffing agency charges is also saved when you hire an independent contractor. Hiring Master Vendor