
What are the Purposes of Staff Augmentation
Companies incentivize their employees to be more productive, but not every incentive works like a charm every time. You can give salary raises, extra weekends, and recreational activities, but there is a time when even these tools don’t work. These may work temporarily when efficiency is low or productivity is declining, but it is not a permanent fix to your recurring issues. So, when do these instruments fail to make a difference? You have a side project coming, your IT function lacks the required IT talent, and your in-house resources cannot handle the workload. Staff augmentation is the only right choice under such circumstances.
Team motivation tactics only last for a short time, and staff augmentation is your only solace. Many businesses choose to augment staffing through outsourcing. The outsourcing or augmentation models work for them. We know how beneficial augmenting models could be, which is why enterprises seek external hiring measures. This article will overlook some reasons and purposes behind talent augmentation.
1. Initiation of a Side Project
Most companies have multiple mega and small projects running simultaneously within or across departments. While mega-projects tend to take most of the resources, talent, and attention, there is little left for side projects. As a business leader, consultant, and IT head, you realize the shortage of tech people and talent in the side project. What would be your go-to move? How will you suffice for the deficit because the side project also holds a critical value for the business? In such conditions, you will likely turn toward augmentation techniques. It will help you capture the attention of new talent, increase your talent pool, and allow your project to run smoothly. You can sit back and relax while the new resource takes up the side project and commences working seamlessly on it.
2. Outsourcing Model Does Not Work
We know there is a clear-cut difference between outsourcing and staff augmentation models. Often companies seek refuge in outsourcing techniques before opting for talent augmentation techniques. The outsourcing model, in this case, does not suit your laborious tech task or project. Since the remote team is autonomous and independent, you feel an absence of sufficient collaboration and communication. So, companies shift their outsourcing model to talent augmentation to get rid of the utterly isolated working. The remote team will feel like a part of the company and work alongside the in-house resources. There will be clear, transparent, and open communication between them. Direct communication paves the way for collaboration.
3. Short-Term and Time-Bound Projects
External staffing is also a valuable tool for this reason as well. External talent acquisition methods are the best in the case of strict and aggressive deadlines for short-term projects. They fulfill your project demands, submission criteria, tight deadlines, and talent needs within your assigned time frame. Sometimes, the local teams are unavailable for short-term projects when they are screaming for attention because of time scarcity. You also cannot rely on the standard recruitment processes because they are long and exhaustive, and you do not have that much time on your plate as the project deadline is nearing.
4. Need to Launch Immediately
Often people confuse time-bound projects with quick-launching projects. They are both very different. One fundamental yet often ignored reason for staffing is the need to hasten the time-to-market. For effective business strategy, cutting the market competitiveness, matching the speed of your competitor, keeping up with the market trends, and getting the first mover advantage, products may require a quick launch. It happens mainly in the case of minimum viable products (MVP), which are under a tight schedule and deadline. These initiatives are necessary for the startup looking for a user-oriented solution. So, companies, startups, and enterprises choose external staffing models like staff augmentation supremacy because they need to launch the product immediately.
Conclusion
Apart from these purposes, there are other reasons and benefits associated with staffing models. These include:
- Staying ahead of the curve because of the fear or threat of competitors or losing an opportunity
- Keeping the cost low while amplifying the efficiency with new resources and talent
- Eliminating the outsourcing models that render less control and management
- Promoting a more collaborative, interactive, and open work culture with augmented and in-house resources.
If you have a reason or purpose similar to these, you should augment resources too.