The Dos and Don’ts of Technical Staff Augmentation

The shortage of tech talent across industries has made technical staff augmentation a necessity more than a luxury. Luckily, IT resource augmentation companies have rushed to meet that demand – it’s easy to find offshore experts for your needs.

But unless you have a foolproof augmentation strategy in place, it’s not all smooth sailing. If you’re considering staff augmentation, these tips will start you off right.

The Value of Technical Staff Augmentation

Through third-party vendors, resource augmentation allows you to supplement your team with IT experts on a contract basis. Augmented staff typically work on a single short-term project and then part ways, no strings attached.

These benefits speak for themselves –

• Specialized Expertise – Technical staff augmentation is a must-have when you need a bit of extra manpower, but its strength lies in specialization. Digital quality engineers can help you tackle specific development needs, from pre-launch testing to updates later down the line.
• Cost-Efficiency – If you need IT specialists for one project, a short-term investment makes far more sense than finding and training permanent hires. An adaptable, augmented team is easy to plug and unplug from your company without draining funds.
• Full Accountability – Your IT staff augmentation company is contractually obliged to fulfill your expectations. So, it’s in the agency’s best legal interests to deliver exactly the service it promised.
• Scalability – The flexibility of technical staff augmentation allows you to scale your workforce up and down at any time. This way, your company’s size is fully responsive to project requirements.
• Quick Integration – A major benefit to augmented resources is their experience working with diverse clients and projects. They’ve seen it all – and as a result, they can kick off as soon as you say when.

The Dos of IT Staff Augmentation

With those impressive upsides, you may be tempted to get right into it. But there are good and bad ways to implement resource augmentation.

These seven steps will help you meet the challenges of setting up an augmentation strategy with ease.

1) Do prioritize closing skill gaps.

The main draw of technical staff augmentation is that it can close skill gaps in your team. Make sure to take advantage of that by identifying what technical skills your team needs.

Performance indicators will show what’s falling short, but your team can tell you where they’re truly struggling.

2) Do establish clear and realistic goals.

Technical staff augmentation is a short-term investment, so don’t waste time planning on the fly. Your project, tasks, timeline, and outcomes should be outlined in no uncertain terms by the time you’re ready to hire. That way, your augmented resources can get to work immediately.

3) Do set up responsive communication channels.

Fully remote workers need extra help staying in the loop, and augmented resources are no different. Your communication channels should be open, accessible, and quick to respond. This will ensure tools, resources, and information are never an obstacle to your augmented staff.

4) Do provide support and training opportunities.

Though augmented resources are experts in their field, their skillsets may have gaps that don’t meet the project’s requirements. Workshops or training sessions can get them up to speed on your tech stack, workflow, and other essential frameworks.

5) Do encourage team integration.

Boosting productivity by up to 30%, effective teamwork is good for your bottom line. Strong relationships within your team make collaboration a breeze, not to mention reduce the risk of disagreements and misunderstandings.

When augmented staff are properly integrated, they’ll treat their contract as more than just an in-and-out job. The resulting knowledge exchange will benefit your staff long after the contract is over.

6) Do assign supportive management.

Technical staff augmentation is only as effective as its management. Augmented staff should be headed by leadership that is involved and invested in the team’s progress.

With regular communication, feedback, and support, your external hires can approach your project at peak performance.

7) Do review your augmentation strategy.

Like any aspect of your business, technical staff augmentation can be continuously improved.

Reevaluate your augmentation strategy on a regular basis, measuring progress against expectations. Ask for and incorporate feedback from your augmented resources, and return the favor where necessary.

The Don’ts of IT Resource Augmentation

Unfortunately, there are ways to do resource augmentation poorly as well. Here are seven pitfalls you don’t want to fall into.

1) Don’t neglect background checks.

The number one rule of hiring third-party resources is to never take an offer at face value.

Some IT staff augmentation companies have been known to outsource exactly what you’re looking for from partner agencies. That’s right – you may be hiring a separate agency’s staff. This complicated chain of command may cause problems for you and result in an invalid contract.

Make sure to vet every potential hire with a thorough background check and a careful interview.

2) Don’t be vague about your staffing needs.

To save time and money, you should have a clear idea of your staffing plan before implementing technical staff augmentation. There are a few details you should consider when going over project requirements –

• How many augmented resources you’ll need
• How long they’ll be needed for
• What specific roles and skillsets are lacking

3) Don’t underestimate the effect of culture.

Incompatible company values pose an immediate obstacle to your team’s ability to communicate and collaborate. It’s important to involve critical team members in the recruitment process for a preview of team cohesion and communication style.

4) Don’t assume good communication skills.

A lack of timely, meaningful communication is among the top killers of augmentation strategies. In fact, not all IT staff augmentation companies prioritize English fluency. If you take communication skills for granted, you may run into issues that cause delays and rifts between your teammates.

To avoid these problems, screen your candidates thoroughly with virtual interviews.

5) Don’t fail to properly onboard augmented staff.

An efficient but thorough onboarding process is often the key to a successful augmentation partnership. Don’t force your augmented staff to learn on the fly and miss the opportunity for team integration.

Arrange orientation meetings to discuss the project, introduce them to your team, and establish who they should contact for support.

6) Don’t ignore time zones.

Time zone differences can offer the advantage of a “nocturnal” workforce that meets objectives around the clock. But don’t forget what that means for your ability to communicate.

Your window of workhour alignment may be brief, so be sure to discuss an appropriate meeting and contact schedule.

7) Don’t gloss over the contract.

Your legal rights are on the line. Confidentiality, intellectual property rights, and termination clauses keep your business safe in case of disagreements. On top of that, including a detailed scope of work will ensure you get what you paid for.

A legal professional is your best bet for navigating the fine print and tying up any loose ends.

Get the Best IT Augmented Resources Today

At DPL, we have just the resources you need to make your team a development powerhouse. Our tech talent can offer you a mix of experience and expertise that will take your project to new heights. And you’re in luck: our intrinsic Agile values help us fit in anywhere, at any time.

Ready to get started? Tell us about your project using the form below – we have just the person for the job.