Resource Augmentation: A New Means of Enhancing Your Team

A report by tech giant IBM has concluded that

45% of organizations

experience difficulties finding the right talent for their requirements. As a result,

many businesses no longer solely rely on their internal IT teams to complete their software development projects

.

The

resource augmentation

market worldwide is experiencing

steady growth

that is only expected to continue in the years to come.

If your company is facing challenges finding and recruiting the right software development talent,

resource augmentation

may be exactly what you need. Let’s look into

the

resource augmentation basics

, when it may be necessary,

and

how you can benefit and get the most out of it.

What Is Resource Augmentation?

Resource augmentation is an agile, cost-effective, and flexible outsourcing strategy that allows businesses to hire third-party

top tech talent

on a contractual basis for a specific project or various projects.

The resource augmentation outsourcing model provides startups, mid-sized businesses, and large corporations with the right resources at the right time. The augmented resources collaborate with an organization’s internal staff. They usually work remotely and can join the workflow immediately.

When Can Resource Augmentation Be Necessary?

There are a few situations in which organizations can benefit from

resource augmentation

solutions

, for instance:

Your Business Needs Help Completing a Project

If you have realized that you lack the manpower or expertise

to

meet project deadlines or budget expectations,

resource augmentation

can set you on the right track.

Your Team Lacks the Skills or Expertise Necessary to Complete a Project

Resource augmentation

can be an effective means of “filling the gaps”

in the

knowledge and expertise of your internal IT team.

You Temporarily Need Specialized Skills

Does your project require specific skills that your in-house developers do not possess or would take time to master? Or perhaps you have a spike in demand that your existing developers

can’t

fulfill?

Resource augmentation

can provide immediate assistance and support.

You Need Temporary Help While Assembling a Permanent Team

Are you looking for full-time

employees

but don’t want to waste precious time and capital?

Resource augmentation

can keep your project going while you find, vet, onboard, and train permanent employees

and

assist you with any issues as they arise.

Benefits of Resource Augmentation

Enhanced Productivity 

Hiring full-time staff is a tedious and expensive process. According to a

Glassdoor study

, an average employer spends an average of $4,000 and 24 days to hire a single employee. In addition, new recruits require onboarding and training, which

also

cost businesses money.

With

resource augmentation

, the hiring process is significantly faster, and augmented staff can start working on a project

immediately

. Since augmented resources are only temporary, businesses can scale their capacity up and down

easily without reducing

their software development pace.

Improved Operational Efficiency 

When developing new software solutions, businesses, especially startups and small and medium-sized companies, can incur steep operational costs. That’s because their expenses tend to be high, while their return on investment is either small or non-existent.

Resource augmentation

allows organizations to lower

operational

costs and utilize their financial assets more efficiently. Besides that, augmented resources from a reliable vendor are skilled and thoroughly vetted. They are usually knowledgeable in agile practices, which allow them to complete tasks quickly and effectively.

Reduced Development Costs

Resource augmentation

offers businesses a few different ways to reduce their overall development costs. Since augmented resources are joining an in-house team for a limited

time

, this does not require organizations to invest in full-time salaries, tax costs, employee benefits, and more.

Moreover, businesses can choose to recruit augmented resources from countries that have a lower cost of living and require lower salaries. Companies also do not need to cover a range of overhead costs such as equipment, taxes, and infrastructure, as it would be required with full-time, on-premises employees.

Increased Flexibility

Businesses gain the opportunity to add additional resources within as little as a few days and increase their workforce whenever there are unexpected spikes in workload or demand. This can be especially beneficial for startups as they can begin the development process quickly

without wasting

their limited starting capital.

For specialized needs and requirements, businesses can temporarily invest in augmented resources rather than hire full-time workers

they

may not need consistently.

Improved Scaling Capability

Development projects aren’t linear. Sometimes, companies may have a more demanding period that requires additional manpower. In such cases,

resource augmentation

can be a beneficial solution.

Enterprises

in

the growth stage yet fear that they aren’t ready to bring on new full-time recruits can also enjoy the benefits of the flexible

resource augmentation

model. Projects can be completed, and more hands can get involved; however, the company doesn’t have to commit to long-term contracts.

Filling Workforce Gaps

Software development is complex and may require unique and specific skillsets and expertise to get completed. However, your existing team may lack the knowledge and experience needed to take responsibility for these tasks. Such talent may not be available locally, thus limiting a company’s ability

to complete a project successfully

.

Local talent may also not be interested in short-term engagements but

seek

longer-term positions. This, in turn, can incur additional expenses for businesses or require them to terminate employees if there is no consistent need for their specialized skillset.

New Ideas and Expertise

Any business requires innovative ideas to remain relevant and competitive, especially in such a rapidly developing industry as IT. Meanwhile, having fixed, permanent teams

leads

to the stagnation of opinions and ideas. So, you need external minds to bring innovation and creativity.

Therefore, if your in-house team feels stuck and could benefit from a fresh perspective,

resource augmentation

is an excellent solution. It can help your team break through inertia and leverage new, creative ideas.

No Additional Legal Paperwork or Administrative Costs

When hiring full-time staff, businesses

must

follow specific legal procedures, such as filing the necessary paperwork and covering employee income tax. In Europe, for example, companies also need to pay additional taxes, such as social security contributions.

Resource augmentation

is a straightforward process that usually only involves signing a contract. Your

resource augmentation

provider will

cover the legalities and costs of

hiring and maintaining these employees.

Access to a Broad Pool of Talent

Resource augmentation

gives businesses access to a wide talent pool of skilled and experienced professionals that expands

beyond

their geographic location. Usually, local hiring significantly limits the pool of professionals you can get access to, which, in turn, can

affect

the project outcome and timeline.

5-Step Resource Augmentation Framework

1. Define Your Needs

Before

discussing

your needs and requirements with a

resource augmentation provider

, determine how many new people your project needs. Next, define the specifications of each candidate you wish to bring on. This should include details such as their experience, skills, qualifications,

tech stack, and

expectations for what you would like them to accomplish.

2. Pick Candidates Who Meet Your Criteria

Once you communicate your needs to your

resource augmentation

provider, they will

search

for the most suitable candidates to match your desired criteria. After that, you

can

perform interviews and assess whether they

fit well

.

In addition to their technical skills, focus on details such as their language level and

communication ability. Those

will be crucial for them

to collaborate with your existing team effectively

. You can also perform technical expertise tests to review their suitability for the project. At Sphere, we

vet

our candidates’ expertise to determine their suitability for our

client’s

projects.

3. Establish Roles and Work Processes

To ensure that your internal IT team and augmented resources

know

what’s expected of them, define roles and workflows. As a result, each person will know how they fit into the workflow and project timelines, and your augmented resources will adopt your in-house processes and standards.

Here are a few best practices to follow:

• Outline the scope of each milestone along with its acceptance criteria,
• Define clear technical specifications of what you expect to be accomplished,
• Continuously perform quality checks,
• Manage the project delivery process to ensure you’re on time and on budget,
• Review work and provide feedback to remain up-to-date, minimize repetition of tasks or communication, and keep your team’s morale high,
• Use work, communication, and productivity management tools, such as monday.com, Slack, Jira, and similar, and
• Document the details of your workflow.

If you lack experience and project management and would benefit from professional help, relay that to your

resource augmentation

partner. They will be able to supply you with a project manager who can help you define work processes and ensure that your workflows are lean and agile.

4. Maintain Transparent Communication

Some business leaders believe that

resource augmentation

will lead to them losing control of their projects. This can only occur with poor communication and project management practices. See other

potential

shortfalls of staff augmentation and how to mitigate them

here

.

To prevent that from happening, embrace transparent and consistent communication. This will not only ensure that you are familiar with the progress of the project but also improve the collaboration between your in-house team and augmented resources and address issues and concerns

promptly

.

5. Document Your Code

Software consists of billions of lines of code and requires continuous maintenance and updates. Because of this, documenting code is imperative. It will help any developer on your team to understand the code of others and effectively make updates and improvements.

Therefore,

try

to establish that both your in-house developers and your augmented resources document code throughout the entire software development process.

This is especially important if and when you scale your team down. Ensure that any developer leaving the project has

documented

everything before doing so. By contracting a reputable

resource augmentation

provider, you can rest assured that this requirement will be fulfilled.

Enhance Your Team with Sphere Partners’ Resource Augmentation Solutions

Resource augmentation can set your organization up for success when it is done right. Thus, partnering with a trusted and experienced provider is vital. Sphere Partners has a proven track record of successfully bringing clients’ visions to life.

With over 350 completed projects and a 97% client retention rate, we can guarantee

your

IT needs are met.

Contact us

to share your vision and

needs or for questions about our services, such as

global team augmentation

,

data and AI

, and

software engineering

, and we’d be happy to help.