Software Development Staff Augmentation – Increase Agility for CEOs, CTOs & CFOs

The process of software development staff augmentation involves hiring new employees from outside an organization to join a team on a short-term basis to fill specific gaps or workloads. As compared to full project outsourcing or function outsourcing, software development staff augmentation enables businesses to retain accountability and supervision of the project while getting the extra manpower and perceptive skills.

Factors like cultural differences, issues with quality and control, and legal risk can be mitigated by strategic planning and supervision. As per the recent Statistics, the global IT Outsourcing market is expected to reach USD 1,149.24 billion by the year 2032.

In short, staff augmentation can be beneficial for companies that want to remain responsive and flexible in the software development market.

Introduction to Software Development Staff Augmentation

In the growing world of technological environment, it has become crucial for every business to look out for unique strategies to survive the competition. The software development sector is one of the most vital areas where innovation and flexibility are highly valued.

This post will discuss the topic of software development staff augmentation in the context of software development to understand why it is crucial for many organisations.

Importance of Software Development Staff Augmentation

Software development staff augmentation plays an important role in Software Development by fulfilling the manpower. Below is an insight on how staff augmentation is beneficial in software development, and its impact on the success of software projects.

Solving Talent Shortages and Oversupply of Specialized Knowledge

Most software development projects involve a range of tasks that may not be within the company’s staff expertise or experience. Software development staff augmentation allows organizations to access specialized skills. It is easier to attract professionals from outside who specialize in different technical disciplines. Since it will enable the project to use modern technology in their work.

Enhancing Flexibility and Scalability

Flexibility of work and the amount of work in software development process depends on the specific project. Staff augmentation offers:

• Scalability: Organizations can hire many people for a project and discharge most of them as soon as the project is complete. This can be helpful because it ensures the company does not pay more than what’s needed.
• Flexibility: Flexibility in team size and composition facilitates the accommodating of fluctuating project requirements by not tying employees down to a specific project indefinitely.

Cost Efficiency and Risk Management

Balancing costs and risks is crucial in software development. Software Staff augmentation contributes to:

• Cost Efficiency: The organization does not need to recruit and train employees, and also does not have to spend time retaining employees. This is especially useful for those who have short-term assignments or where temporary specialization is demanded.
• Risk Mitigation: Equal distribution of workload amongst augmented staff minimizes the formation of bottlenecks and ensures there is a backup in case of disruption of the project. It also has the advantage of reducing organizational shocks or for instance, loss of an employee or a sudden surge in the volume of work.

Provide effective Project Control and Oversight

Providing effective project control and oversight is important in Software development. Software development staff augmentation helps in:

• Maintain Control: Augmented staff work under the direct supervision of the organization; thus, project management and oversight remain within the company.
• Ensure Alignment: Effective coordination with in house and nearshore Software Development staff ensures that everyone is in sync with the project’s goals and objectives when addressing quality assurance issues.

Accelerating Time-to-Market

The software industry knows that speed can be the key. Staff augmentation can significantly:

• Reduce Development Time: Extra resources help to enhance the software development time. It also contributes to the achievement of time-sensitive goals and the shortening of the time needed to bring products to market.
• Enhance Productivity: Through the use of software development staff augmentation, specific tasks can be assigned to other personnel. Enabling the inner core staff to be on the lookout for delicate issues while maintaining very high efficiency.

Supporting Innovation and Continuous Improvement

Adaptation is a major factor in achieving success in software development. Software development staff augmentation supports this by:

• Infusing New Ideas: Fresh insights are always welcome; external professionals introduce new point of view and evolving software development trends to the team.
• Continuous Improvement: It also affects the ability to update processes, technologies, or overall achievements within Projects by the industry’s benchmarks.

Organization Development

Software development Staff augmentation helps in:

• Balancing Workloads: Benefit of hiring offshore team members is that the internal staff will not be overloaded with work. The workload for certain activities is distributed among several people.
• Enhancing Satisfaction: This strategy means that a team comprises skilled and empowered people who work together to increase satisfaction, effective output, and organizational performance.

Staff Augmentation is a useful approach in Software Development that provides many values adding to the overall success of a project and productivity of a company. Through filling skill gaps, flexibility, cost-cutting, and encouraging innovation, software development staff augmentation provides businesses with strong outputs.

How Software Development Staff Augmentation Works?

Software development staff augmentation is a business model in which a company forms a temporary partnership with Offshore Software Development specialists to improve its performance. Here’s a step-by-step guide to how it works:

Assessment of Needs and Requirements

• Identify Skill Gaps: The first step is to evaluate the existing team’s competencies and determine where they are weak or need particular knowledge for the project.
• Define Project Scope: Describe concisely the size and purpose of the project, the estimated time it will take to complete, and the positions that will need to be staffed. This is important in ensuring that one has a clear understanding of the kind of resources that will be required.

Choosing a Staff Augmentation Partner

• Research Providers: Select credible staff augmentation services like eSparkBiz that are experienced in software development. Assess the quality of talent portfolio, their recruitment mechanism, and client reviews and ratings.
• Request Proposals: Request quotes from several suppliers to evaluate their portfolio, strengths, and prices.
• Select the Partner: Before making a final decision, select the provider that ideally suits you, your current project, and your wallet’s capacity.

Also Read : How to Choose Software Development Partner

Candidate Selection and Onboarding

• Screen Candidates: The software development staff augmentation provider should forward a list of desirable candidates for the position. Organize interviews and assessments to know how well they will fit into a project and a team.
• Onboarding Process: This means making the staff aware of organizational standards, the nature of the project to be developed, instruments, and procedures.
• Define Roles and Responsibilities: Clarify to the new staff about the added roles and responsibilities as well as the expectations placed on them.

Integration with the In-House Team

• Facilitate Collaboration: When introducing the augmented staff, ensure that the in-house team and the augmented staff members are connected using collaborative communication platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Jira.
• Regular Meetings: Establish a consistent touch point to review your software development roadmap. Clarify any complications, and confirm that everyone is on track with the objectives set for the project. 
• Mentorship and Support: To ensure the success of augmented staff, assign some of your internal team members to act as mentors to the new members, and support the change on an ongoing basis.

Project Execution and Management

• Monitor Performance: Regularly check the productivity of the augmented staff through key performance indicators, and code checks, as well as holding meetings or performance discussions. This is an essential software development metrics that helps in making sure on the quality and productivity of the service delivery are up to mark.
• Task Allocation: Allocate work and functions as per the plan of the project. The other key consideration is that the augmented staff should be provided with the right tools and equipment to do their work effectively.
• Address Challenges: It is advisable to prevent or solve any software development challenges before it turns into a big issue. Ensure that communication is constant and effective to avoid problems going unresolved for long.

Knowledge Transfer and Documentation

• Document Processes: Make sure that all knowledge, processes, and decisions that are related to the project are properly documented. This makes it easier for people to share information and also ensures that the work is being done successfully.
• Training Internal Staff: If the augmented staff has any special skills or special kind of knowledge, then it is advisable to arrange for knowledge-sharing sessions to pass on this knowledge to the internal team. This helps to reduce the degree of reliance on outside assistance.

Completion and Evaluation

• Project Wrap-Up: After the completion of a project, one should review the project and compare the effectiveness of the augmented staff and the results achieved.
• Feedback and Improvement: As a final step in augmenting the teams, it is necessary to ask the augmented and internal teams for feedback on how the experience could be done better the next time around.
• Offboarding Process: When the augmented staff members are leaving the company, make sure that they return any company property, and that their access to the company’s systems and services is canceled. Also, ensure all necessary paperwork has been completed.

Post-Project Support

• Retain Top Talent: In cases where the project was successful and there is a likelihood for the company to work with the augmented staff in the future, the best strategy would be to retain the most efficient augmented staff.
• Continuous Improvement: Ensure understanding of what changes could be made to the software development methodology and eventually leverage it with staff augmentation to enhance efficiency, and how it should be done in other projects.

By using the above steps, organizational goals can be achieved, projects can be completed, and staff augmentation can be efficiently used to strengthen staffing and organizational capabilities in the field of software development.

Challenges and Considerations in Software Development Team Augmentation

Software development staff augmentation has several issues that businesses must consider to enhance efficiency. Here’s an in-depth look at some of the challenges and considerations:

• Identifying the Right Talent: Searching for appropriate talents who meet the demands of a specific project is not easy. This process means one needs to understand the particular requirements of the project, the skills that will be required, and the level of compatibility with the rest of the staff.
• Integration with Existing Teams: Augmented staff refers to people with different skills that may be required for a particular project and must fit well in the existing team so that almost everyone can be able to work together. To ensure good integration, it is crucial to have congruence, collaboration, and good assimilation programs.
• Cost Management: Software development staff augmentation may be cheaper than staffing full-time employees, but the software development cost management should be done well. There are always hidden costs that include costs covered for additional training and onboarding as well as the cost of any coordination.
• Knowledge Transfer: Sharing the knowledge between augmented staff and internal teams is essential for a long-term effect. Failure to share knowledge can recreate new dependencies on external hires and stifle internal talent management.
• Legal and Compliance Issues: When using external talent, it’s required to ensure that you adhere to employment laws, intellectual property rights, and data security laws. Responsibilities and liabilities should be clearly stated in any given contract to reduce the risk of legal repercussions, and matters of confidentiality should also be well defined.
• Flexibility vs. Stability: Software development team augmentation helps in building up resources according to the requirements of the project. However, “getting third-party workers may destabilize the internal working teams, and this can have adverse impacts on the long-term results of a project”.
• Risk of Dependency: software development team augmentation with outside resources can lead to dependency. Staffing changes can prove difficult when shifting back to internal personnel or when faced with new project needs. Therefore, there is a risk of dependency that ought to be mitigated by ensuring a balance between outsourcing and internal resources.
• Communication and Language Barriers: When you hire remote team from various areas, one can come across language barriers and communication difficulties. These problems can be managed by developing efficient procedures for communication and language testing.

Also Read : Staff Augmentation Vs Outsourcing – Ideal Choice for your Business

Case Studies and Examples of Software Development Staff Augmentation

Technology Sector

Case Study: Software Development Company

Background: A mid-sized company, specifically a software development company that focuses on mobile applications was suddenly burdened with a large number of projects from its clients because of an effective advertisement campaign. However, the existing team did not possess adequate skill sets in applying certain technologies necessary for the new projects such as blockchain.

Solution: The company chose to implement software development team augmentation to cover the lack of skills and immovable project timelines. The company collaborated with an IT staffing firm and successfully sourced and hired two blockchain contract developers for a contract duration of six months.

Implementation: Firstly, the selected developers blended well into the current team and did not take long to get up to speed with the project. They focused on their strengths in blockchain development to assist the client and provide secure decentralized solutions for mobile applications.

Outcome: Having a staff augmentation strategy, the software development company was in a position to complete the client projects within the agreed time and costs. That’s why hiring blockchain developers temporarily provided the quality of the deliverables as well as reinforced the company’s image as an innovative player in the software industry.

Healthcare Industry

Case Study: Hospital Network

Background: A hospital system with several hospitals planned to implement a digitalization project to upgrade its medical system. The IT department could not adopt e-health record (EHR)systems in all the facilities or centers.

Solution: Given the specific need for highly specialized IT professionals, the hospital network administration chose to work with an augmentation strategy to complement its internal IT workforce. They worked with a resource management company to hire specialists with experience implementing EHR on temporary contracts.

Implementation: The newly enhanced software development team augmentation coordinated with the internal IT specialists in the hospital to evaluate current systems, set up EHR applications, and educate employees of the hospital on the proper usage of the new technology. They also provided additional post-implementation assistance for problem-solving purposes and other matters.

Outcome: Using software development staff augmentation, the hospital network was able to implement EHR systems across all the centers with increased patient care coordination and organizational effectiveness. The presence of EHR specialists helped the IT department to complete the project tasks within the given timeframe and budget.

Financial Services

Case Study: Investment Firm

Background: An investment company involved in wealth management wanted to enter the robo-advisors market focusing on digitally oriented clients. However, their in-house development team had limited exposure to systematically developing both efficient and consumer-friendly fintech applications.

Solution: As a means to fast-track the development process and to guarantee the success of the new platform, the investment firm resorted to Software staff augmentation. They employed a software development outsourcing company focused mainly on the financial technology sector to help them find temporary developers and UI/UX designers.

Implementation: The extended development team collaborated with internal IT and product management of the firm. They review and determine the scope of the project, design and implement the robo-advisory solution, and test it to meet compliance and security measures. To raise the client satisfaction level, the UI/UX designers worked on creating an easily navigable and stimulating interface.

Outcome: Thus, focusing on the Software staff augmentation approach, the investment firm was able to put into operation the robo-advisory platform within the stipulated time. The convenience of using the platform and the presence of modern tools for managing investments attracted more clients and led to the growth of assets and client satisfaction.

Manufacturing Industry

Case Study: Automotive Supplier

Background: An automotive parts manufacturer has a stream of orders for electric vehicle components after the government offered incentives for green vehicles. They initially did not have workforce competency in managing electric vehicles and lithium-ion battery systems.

Solution: Faced with the continuously growing market opportunity, the automotive supplier finally sought help from the staff augmentation strategy to satisfy the customer’s needs. They liaised with engineering staffing companies focused on electric vehicle technologies to source qualified electrical engineers and battery experts for contract employment.

Implementation: The expansion of the engineering team worked with the Automotive Supplier’s R&D departments. This is done to improve the sophisticated electric vehicle components such as battery packs, motor controllers, and charging systems. In addition to this, they contained technical support for software product development, quality validation, and regulatory approval.

Outcome: The automotive supplier was thus able to increase its product offering through software development staff augmentation to these high-end electric vehicle parts. With the help of experienced engineers, the company managed to stay relevant and adapt to the changes in the automotive market after emphasizing the transition to electric vehicles.

Also Read : Staff Augmentation Vs. Managed Services: What and Why To Choose

Future Trends in Software Development Staff Augmentation

Specialized Talent Pools

• Industry-Specific Expertise: Businesses are approaching towards IT Outsourcing with the increased demand for more outsourced professionals with unique skills and deep domain knowledge to fit their organization’s needs, like AI, cybersecurity, or blockchain.
• Deep Technical Knowledge: There will be an increasing need for workers with technical skills in specific fields, especially related to the advancements in Artificial Intelligence such as machine learning, augmented reality, and quantum computing.

Flexible Engagement Models

• On-Demand Staffing: On-demand staffing will allow efficient management of project workload through the availability of a flexible workforce to upscale or downscale depending on the project demands.
• Project-Based Engagements: Staffing companies will increase focus on project-based services, enabling organizations to leverage contingent workers for one or several projects without hiring them permanently.

Remote Work and Globalization

• Remote Workforce Expansion: Staff augmentation take advantage of effective remote teams adopted by many companies worldwide. Thus allowing them to assemble teams no matter the geographical location.
• Cross-Border Talent Acquisition: Staff augmentation will continue to source talents from across the globe to give businesses access to diverse skills and affordable solutions.

Also Read : How to Build Effective Remote Team with a Strong Company Culture

AI-Driven Matching and Sourcing

• AI-Powered Recruitment: Good AI algorithms will be employed to match the candidates with the jobs needed. This is done more efficiently than the conventional recruiting methods and will also enhance the quality of the talent needed for the various jobs.
• Predictive Analytics: In the coming years, software development staff augmentation firms will use data analytics services to predict possible future needs of clients and to uncover talent shortages to help with better strategies in managing their workforces.

Emphasis on Diversity and Inclusion

• Diverse Talent Acquisition: Another area is the search for a wider talent pool to ensure that staff augmentation usage makes organizations more diverse and creative.
• Cultural Competency: Some of the key services expected to be offered by software development staff augmentation providers include the configuration of cultural competency training. Since talent acquisition requires the integration of different talents with the client’s team.

Upskilling and Reskilling Initiatives

• Continuous Learning Programs: There will be increased spending by software development staff augmentation firms on upskilling and reskilling programs to ensure that their individuals can meet new client demands.
• Partnerships with Learning Institutions: A strategic partnership with educational institutions as well as online platforms will enable the continuous acquisition of new competencies and know-how the workers ensure competitiveness.

Harikrishna Kundariya

CEO, eSparkBiz

Harikrishna Kundariya, a marketer, developer, IoT, chatbot and blockchain savvy, designer, co-founder, Director of eSparkBiz @Software Development Company where you can Hire Software Developers. His 12+ experience enables him to provide digital solutions to new start-ups based on Web app development.