Any organization that has been given an important project requiring a quick turnaround knows that having the right number of people on hand with the right skill sets is critical to completing the project on time. However, quickly aligning the right staff with the right expertise, without a hefty financial commitment, can be challenging.
Staff augmentation is one of the most efficient solutions for organizations to improve their speed to market, as it enables an organization to increase or decrease its staff as needed. In this approach, a staff augmentation firm provides the resources an organization needs to meet certain project requirements or objectives. It grants companies access to highly-skilled and well-versed professionals who can pivot their knowledge to an organization’s specific needs on a project-by-project basis.
If your organization has temporary needs to fill, here are some of the key signs that staff augmentation could be the right solution for your team.
Sign #1: Your organization needs the flexibility to scale
Many of today’s organizations are practicing lean operations in order to remain profitable in uncertain times. The ability to adapt quickly to ever-changing market conditions is what keeps top organizations ahead of the curve.
One of the most critical lean concepts, “just-in-time,” enables companies to meet specific demands with agility and speed and with the goal of producing the exact product or service that a customer wants and when they want it. This lean principle can also be applied to augmenting your staff. Having access to the right professionals for the job when you want and however often you want will give your organization a significant competitive advantage.
Staff augmentation also allows your company to easily ramp up the intensity of your work output at any time. It allows your organization to maintain core teams for everyday tasks, and then leverage the skills and expertise of outside professionals to fill any skills gaps or requirements for specific projects. Ultimately, this offers your organization instant scalability whenever a need arises.
Sign #2: Your organization needs to meet a strict deadline
When your team needs to meet a strict deadline, assigning the right resources at the right moment is crucial for success. From time to time, even the largest of companies struggle to meet strict deadlines. For example, IBM identified that just 40% of their projects met their key goals when it came down to schedule, budget, and quality.
Staff augmentation allows you to bring in outside help to be certain a project is completed on-time. Utilizing staff augmentation, you’ll have access to IT professionals right when you need them, and for however long you need them.
CIOs are reportedly being hindered by the greatest tech skills shortage since 2007. In a recent survey by Harvey Nash/KPMG, close to 65% of CIOs surveyed said that they believe a lack of talent is preventing them from keeping up with the rapid, ever-changing pace of technology. Hiring professionals on a needs basis is one of the best ways to equip your team with the appropriate skillsets that may be outside of your organization’s areas of expertise.
Sign #3: Your organization needs a solution that quickly integrates with your workflow
Unlike outsourcing, staff augmentation allows your organization to have complete and total control over all task delegation. This means you’ll maintain control over the outcome of a project and be in charge at every step of the way.
In addition to control, your full-time staff will also be more receptive to collaborating with your temporary team members because they won’t feel threatened by any new talent coming in the door. Instead, they will be much more likely to help them quickly adjust to and learn your workflows as they know you are all cohesively working toward one project-related goal.
Sign #4: Your organization is on a budget
The cost of hiring a new team member goes beyond just his or her potential salary. According to Investopedia, the estimated cost of hiring a new employee can be 1.5x to 3x that of his or her salary if you factor in the costs of benefits, training, rent, equipment, taxes, etc.
Filling a full-time open position also requires lots of time and energy for reviewing and interviewing applicants, as well as for putting together all of the individual benefits and incentives to join your company. Furthermore, there’s always the risk that a new hire doesn’t live up to your expectations, and you’ve wasted many resources trying to integrate this person into your team.
Augmenting your staff provides an immediate solution to these potential hiring setbacks. By sidestepping the recruitment phase, your organization can save a lot of time and money that comes with onboarding a permanent member of your team. You can simply pay for the work you need when you need it, and only if you know for certain the person possesses the right set of skills to get the job done. This can save your organization a significant amount of money in the long-term.
Ultimately, if you’re considering staff augmentation, consider working with a company that can provide both staff augmentation and project outsourcing services. This offers your organization the option to combine both staff augmentation and outsourcing, should your organization’s needs to expand beyond one or the other.
