IT Staff Augmentation: Fundamentals, Types, And Comprehensive Guide

In the age of advancing technologies, the adage ‘work smarter, not harder’ holds more truth than ever. As automation reduces the need for manual effort, this principle applies not just to workflows but also to building effective teams. While one could assemble a group of specialists for a task, finding an all-in-one solution in a single skilled individual is invaluable. However, in today’s competitive job market, pinpointing such talent can be a daunting and resource-intensive task.

The IT industry faces a significant challenge: a shortage of skilled professionals. Gartner’s research highlights a stark reality – 64% of IT executives find it difficult to adopt new technologies due to the talent gap.

According to Statista, nations significantly impacted by skill shortages include economic powerhouses like Japan, the United States, Germany, China, and Spain. These countries, actively expanding their tech sectors and digital technologies, face a pressing need for skilled professionals.

To address these challenges, businesses are turning to IT staff augmentation. By supplementing internal teams with specialised external talent, businesses can bridge the IT talent gap effectively. This approach provides the expertise needed to leverage consistent technologies, streamline operations, and foster innovation, providing a significant competitive advantage.

In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of the augmentation approach and how it can transform your business. Stay tuned to learn more.

What Is Staff Augmentation And How Does It Work?

So, what is staff augmentation? Augmentation may be described as a business strategy where companies temporarily hire skilled professionals through third-party agencies or outsourcing firms to fill gaps in their workforce or to work on specific projects.

Let’s break down the staff augmentation process step by step, using a practical example.

Imagine a growing e-commerce business facing a critical issue: their website is slow and prone to crashes, especially during high-traffic events. With all in-house specialists occupied, the company decides to assemble an augmentation team dedicated to resolving these performance and stability problems. To initiate the process, the company approaches a vendor specialising in IT staff augmentation and communicates their requirements.

The vendor sources experienced candidates and shares their resumes with the company. Recruiters conduct interviews and select the most suitable experts for the job, eventually signing the hiring contracts.

The IT staff augmentation solution is ideal for businesses seeking to scale their teams quickly and efficiently, allowing them to access skilled professionals with specific expertise to meet project demands and deadlines. This flexible solution empowers businesses to adapt to changing project requirements, ensuring optimal resource allocation and business growth.

Key Staff Augmentation Types

To make a well-informed choice and develop a strategy that best fits your company’s needs, it’s important to distinguish the primary types of staff augmentation. Although various parameters, like duration of project, team structure and the level of involvement, can be used for classification, we’ll narrow our focus to the scope of expertise.  

1. Commodity Staff Augmentation

• Staff for simple, routine tasks that require minimal training or expertise.

• Professionals are readily available in the job market and possess general skills.

• Commonly used for roles like data entry, basic customer support or administrative tasks.

2. Skill-Based Staff Augmentation

• Team of professionals with specific skills and expertise relevant to a particular industry or domain.

• Requires a moderate level of training or specialisation.

• Commonly used for roles like web development, graphic design, or technical support, where specialised skills are necessary.

3. Highly Skilled Staff Augmentation

• Experts with advanced skills, extensive experience, and specialised knowledge in specific fields.

• High level of expertise and often advanced degrees or certifications are necessary

• Commonly used for roles like data scientists, cybersecurity experts, or AI specialists, where advanced knowledge and innovation are critical.

When To Choose Staff Augmentation?

In a dynamic business landscape, IT staff augmentation services have emerged as a game-changing solution for companies seeking flexibility, efficiency and expertise. Yet, before diving in, it’s crucial to distinguish scenarios where opting for staff augmentation becomes not just a choice, but a strategic advantage.

Choosing staff augmentation can be a smart solution for:

• Temporary projects: when specific expertise is needed for short-term tasks, augmentation is invaluable. It allows businesses to swiftly bring in specialists, ensuring efficient and timely project completion.

• Seasonal demands: during busy periods, augmenting the workforce with skilled professionals enables businesses to manage increased workloads without committing to permanent hires.

• Skill gaps: augmentation bridges specific skill gaps within a company. By integrating specialists, businesses ensure that all project aspects receive the necessary expertise, promoting high-quality outcomes.

• Urgent deadlines: tight deadlines are common challenges. Augmentation enables businesses to assemble a skilled team promptly, ensuring projects are completed within specified time frames and meeting client expectations.

• Niche expertise: certain tasks demand specialised knowledge. The augmentation team, with experts in niche fields, empowers businesses to tackle unique challenges effectively, enhancing their capabilities and competitive value.

• Training periods: staff training is crucial for skill development. During these phases, augmentation maintains operational continuity. Staff can focus on learning, knowing that experienced staff handle ongoing tasks.

• Innovation projects: dedicated teams for innovation projects offer a focused approach. By assembling experts specifically for these initiatives, businesses foster an exploration without overwhelming their core team.

Benefits Of Staff Augmentation

Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals of staff augmentation, the crucial question is: how does this approach outperform others, and how can businesses make the most of it?

Unlike traditional outsourcing, the augmentation business model allows companies to stay in control of their projects while benefitting from specialised expertise. This control ensures that internal processes align seamlessly, fostering collaboration. Additionally, businesses can swiftly adapt to market changes and evolving project needs, ensuring punctual delivery and optimal resource utilisation.

Other benefits of stuff augmentation also include:

1. Flexibility

Staff augmentation not only lets you build a team from around the world but also allows you to pick specific specialists required for your task. This level of customisation ensures you get precisely the skills needed, making your project both efficient and affordable.

2. Cost Saving

By avoiding the expenses of a full-time team, staff augmentation becomes a smart choice for small start-ups and medium-sized businesses, allowing them to allocate resources more effectively.

3. Training Cost Reduction

Companies don’t have to spend extra money on additional training and courses, as the vendor company provides professionals with the experience needed to perform particular tasks, enabling faster project kick-offs.

4. Administrative Assistance

Vendors also manage administrative tasks, lightening the workload of existing employees and boosting overall productivity.

5. Access to Global Talent

Staff augmentation provides businesses with access to a wide range of global talent. This diverse expertise brings innovation to projects, ensuring high-quality work in a globally informed business environment.

6. Scalability

Staff augmentation allows businesses to easily scale their workforce up or down as project needs evolve. For instance, if you’re developing a mobile app, first, you may ask for an app developer, then for a UX designer, forming a highly professional team step by step.  

Potential Drawbacks Of Staff Augmentation

Being mindful of the promising advantages offered by staff augmentation, it’s crucial not to overlook the associated risks and challenges. 

Here’s what you may want to know before making a decision:

1. Management Challenges

Balancing the internal team with augmented staff presents challenges in team dynamics, workflow coordination and maintenance of a cohesive hierarchical structure. Effective management strategies are essential to navigate these hurdles successfully.

2. Data Security Concerns

Protecting sensitive data is a top priority. Even with an NDA in place, absolute security can’t always be guaranteed. To safeguard information, strict measures and clear communication between the company and augmented professionals are crucial.

3. Communication Barriers

Geographical and cultural differences between the internal team and augmented staff can lead to misunderstandings. Overcoming language barriers and aligning work cultures are necessary for smooth collaboration.

4. Coordination Difficulties

Dealing with multiple time zones and diverse work schedules can complicate project coordination. Efficient project management tools and regular updates are needed to maintain alignment and progress.

Staff Augmentation Vs Outsourcing

The definitions of staff augmentation and outsourcing might seem quite alike at first glance, yet they have distinct differences. Let’s analyse both models.

Staff augmentation involves hiring external professionals to supplement the existing in-house team temporarily. These professionals fill specific skill gaps and are considered part of the company, distinguishing this approach from IT project outsourcing and other external staffing options like consultants and freelancers.

Outsourcing refers to the practice of contracting external companies or teams to handle entire projects or specific tasks remotely. In this model, the external entity takes responsibility for the project’s development and delivery.

The key difference lies in management. In the outsourcing model, businesses entrust the entire project or specific tasks to external vendors who take charge of project management. These vendors set milestones and oversee the entire process from initiation to completion.

Outsourcing gives clients limited direct control over the day-to-day operations, because the external team operates independently. The outsourcing vendor bears full responsibility for ensuring project delivery and achieving desired outcomes.

In contrast, the staff augmentation approach allows clients to manage projects internally. Clients define project goals and tasks for the augmented team and maintain direct control, seamlessly integrating the newcomers into the internal processes. In this scenario, clients retain responsibility for both project outcomes and management while benefitting from external expertise.

These aspects of the two models remain fixed, regardless of the staff augmentation or outsourcing types.

So, choosing between approaches depends on the specific requirements, the desired level of control, and the project’s complexity. Each model offers unique advantages, allowing businesses to tailor the method based on their individual needs and preferences. 

Computools Staff Augmentation Experience

Computools proudly stands among the top 100 global outsourcing companies, recognised by the prestigious IAOP rating. With nearly a decade of experience, we have been offering exceptional outsourcing and IT staff augmentation services. Our expertise encompasses a wide array of options, ranging from software outsourcing to assembling augmented teams, specialising in various domains, including engineering and UI/UX design, ensuring comprehensive and cutting-edge solutions for our clients.

We provide dependable, enduring assistance in enhancing your skills and expertise, all while offering flexibility. Our augmented team concept is tailored to your specific needs and priorities. The unique aspects of Computools lie in such fundamental areas as reliable expertise, supported by many years of experience, the ability to bring together a team of highly qualified experts in various technological fields, and constant growth alongside increasing knowledge.

One of the latest projects that required our augmentation team solution was Locargo, Texas-based cargo delivery B2B marketplace.

The software engineers from Computools facilitated the swift expansion of the client’s IT department and ensured the timely creation of a B2B solution for cargo and delivery services in Texas. This effective development method allowed us to meet all the planned objectives, resulting in a product that fully complied with the specified requirements.

We successfully addressed various challenges, including creating comprehensive web applications for delivery services, drivers, and customers, developing a mobile version of the web app, and implementing user-friendly UX/UI design.

Want to know more about our IT staff augmentation services? Reach out to us at info@computools.com, and build your dream with an augmented team!