Here are a few valid reasons to forego staff augmentation as part of your business’s HR policy. Take these concerns into account before deciding on a plan of action for 2017.

Training the New Team Members

While technology professionals acquired on a temporary basis are typically quite skilled in software engineering, database design and more, they still need to come up to speed with how your company works. This requires training in your coding standards, the requirements of a current project, etc. – knowledge which is essentially wasted once they leave. Consider the extra time and resources spent on temp worker training.

Internal Analysis Is Also Required

Even before bringing these temporary employees on board, your current team needs to perform some due diligence and analysis on what internal knowledge, processes and procedures to transfer to the new talent. Is there anything that requires a non-disclosure agreement? What about proprietary knowledge and/or security concerns?

These are questions to be answered before going the staff augmentation route.

Additional Managerial Overhead Is Necessary

Whatever means you use to bring in new IT talent – staff augmentation or permanent hires – additional managerial staff is also needed. This adds overhead and expenses to your company’s financial statement. Make sure this is part of your analysis before finalizing your staffing plan.

There Are No Guarantees When It Comes to Staff Augmentation Talent

Even when considering the lower overall expenses incurred when using staff augmentation workers compared to permanent staff, remember there are no guarantees of a successful project outcome. You are able to mitigate this risk somewhat by choosing a staff augmentation or co-sourcing company with a sterling track record. Still, it is sometimes easier to trust your permanent employees.

Hopefully, analyzing these potential downsides to staff augmentation – along with the numerous positives – helps your organization make a well-considered decision.

Whenever you need some help bringing a great application idea to life, consider the IT co-sourcing experts at SDE. Well versed in state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies, we can help ensure your company’s success. Schedule some time with us at your earliest convenience.

What follows is a look at some of the benefits derived from using staff augmentation to enhance your current technology team. Hopefully, these insights provide some food for thought as you make your staffing plans for the upcoming year.

Staffing Flexibility to Meet Your Needs

Leveraging a staff augmentation or co-sourcing human resources model gives your company the flexibility it needs to handle the ups and downs of a competitive business landscape. You are able to add talent as needed to help meet a project deadline, with those temporary workers simply moving on after a successful implementation. This helps ensure the organization’s expenses stay manageable during slower periods.

Startups Are Able to Hit the Ground Running

Staff augmentation is especially wise for startup businesses. This allows newer firms a chance to add technology talent to a core group of employees with minimal effort. Companies become productive more quickly without the extra work of hiring permanent team members to fill every role.

Contract Free Talent With Little Commitment

Since technology workers added through staff augmentation aren’t permanent employees, there aren’t the commitment or legal issues as with a permanent employee. Whenever their work is finished – or if their skills aren’t up to par – you simply terminate the contract. Once again, this additional flexibility lets you focus on running your core business without any unnecessary hassles and distractions.

Supplement Your Current Technical Strengths

Whenever you need the extra personnel and technical knowledge to finish a difficult project ahead of schedule, staff augmentation and/or co-sourcing is the way to go. You are able to supplement your current strengths while closing any skills gap preventing you from a timely project completion. Your permanent employees also gain the bonus of learning new techniques and technologies from the temp talent.

The benefits gained from staff augmentation IT employees are numerous. They just might give your team that extra push it needs to get your difficult work done on time and under budget.

When you are searching for additional technology workers for your organization, look no further than SDE. Our proven co-sourced technical talent will help deliver a successful project outcome. Schedule some time to talk with us soon.

What follows is a look at some of the potential problems associated with co-sourcing an application development effort. They offer some food for thought before deciding on a software engineering vendor for your project.

When It Comes to Software Development Vendors — Choose Wisely

Perform an adequate due diligence when searching for a co-sourcing vendor. This includes researching their client list and project portfolio, as well as asking for recommendations from your professional network. Going with an experienced firm with a top-notch reputation needs to be the goal.

Anything less carries the risk of an unsuccessful project and little to no return on your investment.

Make Sure Your Current Team Is Properly Integrated with the Co-sourcers

If you employ your own programming staff, using an external development team on a software project may ruffle a few feathers. It is important to deal with any problems quickly to ensure employee morale doesn’t suffer. Properly integrating the team is vital, especially if your own staff will be responsible for code maintenance in the future.

Remind your programmers to treat this as an opportunity to learn new technologies and potentially a new methodology. Ultimately, exposure to different programming styles is good for their career growth.

Because of this close interaction between your staff and the co-sourced team, take care to ensure the chosen vendor has a company culture similar to your own. This helps to build a camaraderie and collaborative spirit which is vital in the Agile era.

Security Issues Are Paramount

Take extra care to ensure your chosen vendor has a sterling reputation for security. Any relevant non-disclosure agreements and similar documentation need to be handled before work starts. Make sure there is a plan for the secure delivery of any source code and documentation.

Mitigate Any Concerns by Partnering with a Top Co-sourcing Vendor

You are able to lessen any worries about these and other potential downsides to co-sourcing by choosing a top ranked, experienced software development vendor, like SDE. Our co-sourcing project model ensures a collaborative effort leading to a successful project completion.

When your company is in the market for an co-sourced software solution, consider a partnership with SDE. As one of the leading software development companies in the industry, we can help make your project a success – no matter its scope or complexity. Contact us at your earliest convenience.

Agile also brings benefits to companies looking to co-source their solution development needs to a third-party provider. Let’s look more closely at some of the ways Agile helps the process of IT co-sourcing. They provide some food for thought on your organization’s next software project.

Faster Software Delivery

The Agile methodology is focused on speed. Co-sourcing your development needs to a development shop experienced in Agile assures an efficient process. Your internal team is able to concentrate on their core business, leaving the software development tasks to the experts.

Agile breaks up the software development lifecycle into smaller chunks compared to older methodologies. The benefit is a faster, more interactive process, ensuring your application is ready for deployment as soon as possible.

Your Business Team Stays Involved Throughout

The business stakeholders from your company play an important role throughout the Agile development lifecycle, ensuring requirements are met and features work as expected. They typically interact with the software engineering team on a daily basis; vetting the application’s functionality and overall quality. This kind of close collaboration is a core principle of Agile.

Last-Minute Changes Won’t Cause the Project to Fail

Agile is designed to handle those dreaded last-minute scope changes without breaking the project’s budget or risking its delivery date. This is one of the main advantages of the granular nature of the shorter development cycles (known as “sprints”) within an Agile project. In fact, one of the principles behind the Agile Manifesto notes the following: “Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.”

Communication and Transparency Are Vital

Deciding to co-source your programming project to a company using an older development methodology keeps you out of the loop until work is completed with the exception of a status update or two. On the other hand, communication and transparency essentially define an Agile project. Expect daily meetings along with regular chances to try out new features and functionality in your application.

The Focus Is on the User

The flexibility of Agile ensures changes and enhancements happen more quickly compared to older methodologies. Once feedback is received after the application is in production, turning any comments and insights into changes in functionality is simple. This user-focused form of development also provides benefits earlier in the process with the business stakeholders serving that same role.

When your organization has a software development co-sourcing need, consider the team at SDE. Our Agile processes ensure a fast, transparent and ultimately successful project – from initiation to delivery. Contact us at your earliest convenience.