10 Situations When Staff Augmentation Is Critical For Success

Sometimes it is very hard to get your IT projects completed on time due to various reasons, such as resource constraints, tight timelines, and competing priorities. Other times it may be due to the company not wanting to add additional permanent resources. Still other times, it may be due to HR taking too long to post and recruit personnel. 

It is common for IT teams to feel the pressure from other groups to complete a long list of projects, especially when there are competing priorities and limited resources. 

10 Situations When Staff Augmentation Is Critical For Success:

1. Lack of internal resources - when your in-house team is already stretched thin or lacks expertise in certain areas, staff augmentation can fill the gap.
2. Project surge - during high-demand projects, staff augmentation can provide additional resources you need to get the job done
3. Specialized skills - if you need specialized skills not found within your organization, staff augmentation can provide access to those skills
4. Cost savings - staff augmentation can be a cost-effective alternative to hiring new employees, especially if the need for the additional resources is temporary
5. Scalability - staff augmentation allows you to scale your resources up or down as needed, providing flexibility for changing business needs
6. Time-to-market - by bringing in external resources, staff augmentation can help you meet tight deadlines and get to market faster
7. Flexibility - staff augmentation allows you to easily add or remove resources as needed, providing greater flexibility for your organization
8. Improved productivity - by having access to additional resources, staff augmentation can help improve the productivity of your existing team
9. Knowledge transfer - working with external resources can bring new ideas and knowledge to your organization, helping drive innovation
10. Risk mitigation - staff augmentation can help mitigate risk by providing additional resources to support critical projects, ensuring they are completed on time and within budget

What is staff augmentation?

Staff augmentation is a business strategy that involves adding external resources to an existing workforce to support specific projects or initiatives. This can be done by hiring additional employees, contractors, or freelancers who work alongside the existing staff, augmenting their capabilities and capacity.

The goal of staff augmentation is to provide businesses with the resources they need to meet short-term demands and address specific challenges, without having to make long-term commitments or investments in additional full-time employees. This can help companies achieve their goals more quickly, respond to changes in demand or market conditions, and remain competitive.

Generally there are two types of staff augmentation

1. Staff augmentation - involves hiring professionals from a staffing agency or vendor to supplement the client's existing workforce. In this model, the client manages and oversees the work of the staff augmentation team, while the vendor takes care of administrative tasks such as payroll, benefits, and HR.
2. Managed services - is a more comprehensive solution where the vendor manages the entire project and takes responsibility for delivering the results. This model is best suited for clients who lack the technical expertise to evaluate the work of the staff augmentation team. The vendor provides a project manager who oversees the work of the team and ensures that the project is completed on time, within budget, and to the client's satisfaction. This allows the client to focus on other core activities while the vendor takes care of the project.

Three common types of staff augmentation approaches are:

1. Onsite Staff Augmentation - onsite staff augmentation is a model of hiring personnel who work on-site at the client’s location. This model is ideal for organizations that need face-to-face interaction with the personnel.
2. Offshore Staff Augmentation - offshore staff augmentation is a model of hiring personnel who work from a remote location, outside the country where the client is based. This model is ideal for organizations that need to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
3. Nearshore Staff Augmentation - nearshore staff augmentation is a model of hiring personnel who work from a remote location that is geographically close to the client’s location. This model is ideal for organizations that need to balance the benefits of onsite and offshore staff augmentation.

What are the benefits and considerations of onsite, onshore and nearshore staff augmentation?  

Onsite Staff Augmentation Benefits:

1. Easy Communication - onsite staff augmentation allows for face-to-face communication, which makes it easier to establish a strong working relationship with the hired professional.
2. Better Control - with onsite staff augmentation, you have direct control over the individual and can monitor their performance more effectively.
3. Knowledge Transfer - onsite staff augmentation provides an opportunity for the hired professional to transfer knowledge to your in-house team, leading to long-term benefits for your organization.

Onsite Staff Augmentation Considerations:

1. Cost - hiring onsite staff can be more expensive compared to other staff augmentation models due to the higher salaries and benefits associated with full-time positions.
2. Logistics - finding suitable office space for the hired professional can be challenging, especially if your organization operates in a high-demand real estate market.
3. Dependency - with onsite staff augmentation, you may become too dependent on the hired professional, making it difficult to manage their absence in case of vacation, illness, or other factors.

Onshore Staff Augmentation Benefits:

1. Cost-Effective - onshore staff augmentation is less expensive compared to onsite staff augmentation, as salaries and benefits are typically lower in other countries.
2. Access to Talent - onshore staff augmentation provides access to a large pool of skilled professionals, making it easier to find the right talent for your organization.
3. Language and Culture - with onshore staff augmentation, you can work with individuals who share similar language and cultural backgrounds, making it easier to understand their perspective and communicate effectively.

Onshore Staff Augmentation Considerations:

1. Communication - communication with onshore staff can be challenging, especially if there are language barriers or time zone differences.
2. Control - with onshore staff augmentation, you have less control over the individual, which can result in difficulties with monitoring performance and ensuring the quality of work.
3. Distance - onshore staff augmentation requires working with individuals located in other countries, which can create difficulties with managing projects and ensuring that they are completed on time.

Nearshore Staff Augmentation Benefits:

1. Access to Talent - nearshore staff augmentation provides access to a large pool of skilled professionals in neighboring countries, making it easier to find the right talent for your organization.
2. Similar Time Zones - with nearshore staff augmentation, you can work with individuals who are in similar time zones, making it easier to communicate and manage projects effectively.
3. Cost-Effective - nearshore staff augmentation is often less expensive compared to onsite or onshore staff augmentation, as salaries and benefits are typically lower in nearby countries.

Nearshore Staff Augmentation Considerations:

1. Communication - communication with nearshore staff can be challenging, especially if there are language barriers or differences in cultural norms.
2. Distance - nearshore staff augmentation requires working with individuals located in other countries, which can create difficulties with managing projects and ensuring that they are completed on time.
3. Control - with nearshore staff augmentation, you have less control over the individual, which can result in difficulties with monitoring performance and ensuring the quality of work.

Not sure where to start - no problem we have provided specialized IT resources for numerous clients for temporary periods or longer term stretches based on our flexible staff augmentation solutions model.

Give us a shout at Poeta Digital - it will be the best thing you have done today.