IT Staff Augmentation Services

Do these things if you want to hurt your IT Team Productivity

Introduction

AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT, INDIA, July 15th, 2024 /https://medium.com/@elijah_williams_agc — In a rapidly evolving tech industry, an IT leader plays a very important role in guiding their IT team towards success. Despite being experts these leaders might fall into traps that would affect productivity and hinder innovation.

Understanding these pitfalls would lead IT leaders to employ strategies like building remote teams or hiring IT staff augmentation services to enhance their efficiency and achieve growth.

Before understanding the solution let’s understand a few questions that are most asked about IT leaders and the concerns they face while managing the team.

4 Most Asked Questions about IT leadership

What’s the worst thing an IT leader does that actually damages team productivity?

One of the worst activities that an IT leader would do is micromanage their team. This means that the IT leader would take control of too much of the work and won’t let the team members make their own decisions.

What makes this action so counter-productive?

Doing micromanagement can be harmful because it stops team members from developing their own problem solving techniques and independence. When team members aren’t allowed to make decisions, they would become less interested in whatever tasks they are performing.

What would be a better approach?

A better approach would be for IT leaders to give clearer instructions at the start, provide the resources needed, and trust their team to handle the tasks. They should check in with the team to offer help and advice, not to control how they do every part of their job.

How can an IT leader learn how to build a productive team?

IT leaders can become better at building productive teams by constantly learning new management skills and listening to feedback from their teams. They can attend training programs, workshops, and get advice from mentors.

Learning from both their successes and mistakes and staying updated on new management strategies is also important. They should know their team well, recognize each person’s strengths and weaknesses, and create a supportive work environment.

Now, further let’s understand what are the common pitfalls that an IT leader faces while managing their team.

6 Common Mistakes of IT leaders which can hinder Success

Lack of Concise and Clear Communication

Effective communication is necessary for any IT team if they want to become successful. In the tech world, when projects and technologies are evolving at a faster pace, a lack of clear, concise and frequent communication would lead to confusion over project goals, priorities and deadlines, thus resulting in a decreased productivity.

What is the solution then? Let’s find out!

Solution: IT leaders should use effective project management tools to keep everyone on the same page. For remote teams, using tools that help in interacting or conveying messages can be helpful. Moreover, using tools that give real-time updates can help in minimizing communication gaps.

Micromanagement

Doing micromanagement can hugely demotivate a team which will hinder skill development and will also increase the employee turnover rate. So, what’s the solution? Let’s find out!

Solution: Leaders should build trust in their team’s ability by offering them freedom to tackle the tasks and achieve results in their own way, this will enhance creativity and morale.

Ignoring Employee Feedback

Ignoring the feedback from your employee would let you miss crucial insights that can help in improving processes and products, thus making employees feel valued. So, again what is the solution?

Let’s figure it out!

Solution: Building an open feedback culture with regular sessions and anonymous surveys to collect information can help in building strategies to come back stronger.

Failing to Adapt to Change

In a sector which is rapidly evolving, a little resistance to change can trouble the growth of the team. How to cure this then? Let’s understand the solution.

Solution: Encourage continuous learning and provide resources for team training to keep skills sharp and relevant.

No Proper Recognition and Rewards

Avoiding acknowledging team efforts can lower down morale and reduce productivity. So, what is the best way to tackle this?

Solution: Apply a powerful recognition system and celebrate all the achievements to create positive behaviors and outcomes.

Overlooking the Importance of Team Composition

An imbalanced team can lead to conflict and inefficiency. So, how to minimize the concern? Let’s check out the solution.

Solution: Utilize HR analytics and personality assessments to assemble a well-rounded team where each member’s strengths are maximized.

Based on the above pitfalls it becomes clear that managing IT teams can become a failed approach if these concerns are not addressed properly.

Want to stay away from these barriers then hire remote developers to build an efficient remote team who helps you manage the software development project in a seamless manner.

Before understanding how Remote Team can be a beneficial idea, let us understand what does the term Remote team means?

What is a Remote Team?

A remote team is a group of people who work together from different locations, rather than being in the same office or physical space. They communicate and collaborate using technology like video calls, email, and online messaging tools.

This setup allows them to work from anywhere, such as their homes, co-working spaces, or even different countries.

Now, let’s understand what are the advantages of a Remote Team?

Benefits of Building a Remote Team

Global Talent Access: Remote teams allow project managers to recruit from a global pool of talent, enhancing the team’s diversity and bringing in new perspectives that can lead to innovative solutions.

Increased Productivity: Studies suggest that remote workers are often more productive than their in-office counterparts , largely due to reduced commuting times and fewer office distractions.

Extended Work Hours: Having team members across different time zones can extend the hours during which someone is always working, potentially speeding up project timelines.

Innovation Through Diversity: Remote teams bring diverse experiences and viewpoints. This diversity can drive innovation, as different perspectives often lead to unique solutions.

Focus on Core Business Functions: With routine tasks handled by augmented staff, the core team can focus on strategic goals, driving business growth more effectively.

Risk Reduction: Augmentation reduces operational risks by ensuring compliance with global standards and providing flexible staffing solutions that can adapt to changing business environments.

But, how to build and manage Remote Teams, if this is the question that is bothering you then we’ve got an answer for you. By using IT staff Augmentation services you can hire remote developers to build remote teams that will meet your software development requirements.

Let’s begin by understanding what IT Staff Augmentation is.

What is IT Staff Augmentation?

IT staff augmentation is a way for companies to add skilled technical professionals to their existing team for a short-term or specific project. Instead of hiring new full-time employees, companies temporarily ‘hire’ specialists from an external service provider. This helps companies quickly increase their team’s capabilities without the long-term commitment of hiring new staff.

Now, further let’s understand how to strategically implement IT staff Augmentation services.

Strategic Implementation of IT Staff Augmentation services

Scalability:

IT staff augmentation lets companies adjust their team size based on current project needs without the long-term commitment associated with permanent hires.

Expertise on Demand:

Augmentation enables access to specialized skills for specific projects, ensuring high-quality outputs without the need for extensive retraining.

Cost Management:

By adjusting team size as needed and hiring from regions with lower labor costs, companies can manage budgets more effectively.

Wrapping Up!

By recognizing and correcting common leadership mistakes, IT leaders can significantly improve team productivity. Building remote teams or utilizing IT staff augmentation offers strategic benefits, not only helping to mitigate leadership errors but also positioning organizations for successful adaptation in a dynamic technological landscape.

IT Staff Augmentation: Guide to Improve Communication

Introduction

Every single part of our life relies on technology during the 21st century. Moreover, companies can see a huge growth in the technological advancements. As a result, this growth has increased the demand for IT Augmentation professionals.

A study by Statista has predicted that the IT sector will generate a revenue of $1570 million by the end of 2027. However, this growth has posed an abundance of challenges for the organizations. One of them is a shortage of highly skilled IT professionals.

The number of job openings for IT professionals is growing, but the lack of the right skills keeps the void as it is. According to one research by PwC, the United States alone will incur a loss of $8.5 billion by the end of 2030.

Hence, companies are using IT staff augmentation services to fill skill gaps instead of hiring more employees.

If you are an organization that is looking to leverage IT services, then this blog is for you. In this guide, we will learn everything about & around staff augmentation. Let’s get started!

What is IT Staff Augmentation

It is when organizations hire remote developers globally to fill skill gaps. By using the staff augmentation model, companies can hire remote tech talents to meet the immediate requirements. Furthermore, the companies that do not have time to implement a lengthy hiring process then this method comes to their rescue.

Hiring remote developers can help organizations achieve smooth integration between both in-house teams & remote teams.

Why should you consider IT Staff Augmentation?

The amount of advancement in technology has led organizations to boost their productivity & efficiency. But, it is unlikely that every organization would have the right resources to meet the technological advancements. Therefore, it becomes crucial for organizations to use staff augmentation services to meet the uncertainties.

The remotely dedicated team will carefully work with your existing team to achieve a successful project deliverability. Moreover, you should consider hiring staff augmentation services to get access to a diverse pool of IT professionals.

Furthermore, hiring a staff augmentation company will also help you reduce the costs incurred by a lengthy hiring process.

Want to know more about top It Staff Augmentation & Companies?

Check Out the Top 10 IT Staff Augmentation Companies in India.

Different types of Staff augmentation services

Project-based augmentation

This method lets organizations hire software engineers with expertise in software development. Project-based teams focus on working towards a specific software development project.

Skill-based augmentation

When organizations hire software development teams to bridge required skill shortages. By, hiring these teams companies ensure to enhance their skill gaps effectively.

Time-based Augmentation

Using this method enables your company to hire remote developers to work for a specific period. Moreover, the organization will dismantle these teams after project completion.

Hybrid staff augmentation

When an organization combines different models, it is called a hybrid model. Using, this model will allow the organization get double the benefits

Onshore Augmentation of IT team members

When a company hires augmented staff from the same country, it’s called onshore augmentation. By hiring such teams companies aim to fulfill the technical skill gaps.

Nearshore Augmentation of IT professionals

Hiring a development team from a nearby country with the same time zone is known as nearshore augmentation. Additionally, by using the nearshore model companies ensure a smooth development process.

Offshore staff augmentation

When organizations opt for working remotely they hire offshore staff. However, hiring an offshore development team can be riskier if the strategy is not implemented thoughtfully.

Dedicated teams

When companies want to hire a remote team to only focus on a specific project, they use this hiring model. Dedicated teams will bring a high set of skills & expertise to the project management.

Based on the specific requirements & needs organizations can choose the best fit that meets their requirement. Further, let’s understand the pros & cons of IT staff augmentation.

What are the Pros of IT Staff Augmentation services?

By using IT staff-augmented services organizations get the luxury to observe five pros for their business. Let’s learn about all the advantages of Staff augmentation.

Access to global talent

Organizations can access more IT talent worldwide by using staff augmentation services. Moreover, this method allows the companies to hire the right professional for a specific expert task.

Cost savings

By leveraging staff augmentation services, companies can attain cost-cutting. Staff augmentation services allow the companies to minimize the hiring process to save both time & money.

Flexibility

This method lets the organization adjust their development team size according to their needs. Staff augmentation services allow the company to hire developers temporarily.

Faster time to market

Organizations that use IT outsourcing services get access to the global talent pool. Thus, it allows them to attain speedy project deliverability.

Reduction in scope of risks

By hiring an external team, you can reduce the risks of hiring more in-house developers.

What are the drawbacks of Staff augmentation?

Despite the advantages like cost savings & flexibility, there are still a few challenges companies face when hiring remote developers. Let’s learn some of the most significant drawbacks of Staff augmentation.

Communication barriers

As remote team management comprises IT professionals from across the globe, it becomes difficult to maintain communication. It’s difficult for organizations to have smooth communication when remote team members speak different languages.

But, using effective communication channels can help organizations streamline the flow of information.

Additionally using communication tools like Slack, Google Meet & Zoom can help the organizations in streamlining the communication flows. Organizations should create various ways to communicate, such as emails, messaging apps, and video conferencing tools, for smooth communication.

Lack of control

By using staff augmentation, you are handling the project control to external teams. This handover can pose some severe data security risks.

Steps to follow when hiring IT Staff Augmentation services

IT augmentation services comprise five steps. Keep reading to understand all the steps.

Identify the Needs

Before opting to hire staff augmented services it is necessary to identify your needs & requirements. Additionally, the companies should state the number of resources & skills required to outsource.

Determining the scope

Further, the organization needs to define the roles & responsibilities & project duration to all the remote members. Moreover, they should also state the skills & expertise required.

Choosing the right candidates

Out of the shortlisted candidates, the organizations should hire the best fit of candidates that meet their requirements.

Onboarding & integration

After choosing the right fit, the next step is to run a thorough induction process. The company must provide the right information to each remote team member.

Management & Oversight

During the development process, the organization should run a thorough process to oversee the progress of the work. Moreover, they need to provide constructive feedback for improvisation.

How to choose IT staff augmentation

Look for relevant experience

Before hiring an external staffing partner, companies should look for the industry-level experience of the staff augmentation company.

Assess the technical expertise

It is important to analyze the technical expertise of the outsourcing vendor before finalizing the deal. The skill set availability, project management efficiency, etc. need to be analyzed.

Checking cultural fit

While hiring remote employees, it is important to check the cultural compatibility of the vendor organization.

Communication skills

Analyzing the communication skills of the vendor part becomes an important point of consideration during the hiring process.

Reviewing data security measures

The organizations must check the data prevention measures taken by the outsourcing company. Data security is a concern to be mindful of.

Evaluate Cost

Before outsourcing IT services, it is important to evaluate the costs charged by outsourcing vendors. Later, choose the option that fits your budget & fulfills your requirements.

Connecting with references

Before hiring IT outsourcing services, it’s important to check references to find the best fit for your needs. Additionally, taking proper feedback from past clients will be quite helpful in decision-making.

IT Staff Augmentation: How’s the future?

It has a promising future. A report by Grand View Research predicts that the market for augmentation services will be worth $147.2 million by 2028.

The growing use of Cloud computing, AI, and IoT is leading to more staff-augmented services being used. Moreover, after COVID-19 remote work culture has become popular.

Advancements in technology have encouraged companies to adopt staff augmentation services to hire developers to meet the skill gaps.

Wrapping Up!

By using IT staff augmentation organizations can hire remote developers to meet the skill gaps. Based on the considerations stated above companies can find the best fit to achieve a successful project completion.

We at Acquaint Softtech specialize in IT staff augmentation for the past 15+ years. Our team of developers can help attain a successful project deliverable.

Step-by-step Guide to Software Development Outsourcing

Introduction

Are you bored of keeping up with the ever-changing demands of the costs of software development projects? Is meeting project requirements proving to be a difficult task for you?

Are you looking to focus on the core business activities, but want to deliver software development projects on time?

If so then, hiring software development outsourcing services is the solution. In this guide, we’ll take you through the ocean of software outsourcing services. We’ll also cover the best practices of hiring remote developers. From understanding various software development models to choosing the right outsourcing partner, we will cover everything in this guide.

So, take note & let’s begin the journey by diving into the ocean of software outsourcing!

Let’s begin by understanding the term Software Outsourcing

What is Software Outsourcing

Software outsourcing is a process where an organization delegates its software development project to an external software development team. This team can be either a remote team of developers, software development outsourcing companies, or freelancers.

This is a practice, where companies outsource some or the whole of their project to these external software development teams. Outsourcing is done to attain cost-effective project success, improve efficiency by focusing on core tasks, etc.

Software development outsourcing services can be for various tasks like web & app development, software testing, etc.

In the recent past, this has become popular as an effective way to hire developers having specialized sets. However, it is advisable to note that outsourcing software development requires careful consideration & planning.

Let’s understand what you need to plan when looking to outsource software development services.

Now, let’s first understand why is Software development Outsourcing important?

Why is Software Development Outsourcing Important?

Software outsourcing services have become important for businesses. It helps in providing knowledge to in-house tech talents. It also helps organizations attain cost reduction by allowing the involvement of remote team members in the development process.

Leveraging software outsourcing services, also allows the organization to get access to a global pool of talent. This allows them to develop high-quality software projects faster as compared to their in-house development team.

By using software outsourcing. organizations can leverage the available resources by enabling them to focus on other core business activities.

After understanding why Software development outsourcing is important, let’s understand why companies outsource software development.

Why do companies opt for Software Development outsourcing?

There are various scenarios when companies opt for software development outsourcing services

Focus on core business:

Companies are on the hunt to focus on their core business activities by outsourcing software development

Flexibility in team scaling:

By hiring a software outsourcing company, organizations can scale their development up & down as per their project needs & requirements.

A sure-shot solution for any size of project

Irrespective of the project size, software development outsourcing services can help fulfill any project requirements efficiently.

Minimizing the hiring process

By outsourcing software development, organizations can minimize the cost incurred by lengthy hiring processes.

Reduction in development costs

By using software development outsourcing, companies can minimize the development costs which are higher with in-house teams.

Access to higher-quality talent

By hiring software development outsourcing services, companies get access to a higher pool of talent.

The above scenarios emphasize the point about why companies must opt for software outsourcing services.

Now, let’s move ahead & understand what are the types of software outsourcing

3 Types of Software Development Outsourcing

Companies leverage software development outsourcing to achieve a successful project deliverable. There are mainly three types of software outsourcing that any organization can choose from

Offshore software development

Onshore software development

Nearshore software development

Let’s begin with the first type of software development which is “Offshoring”

Offshore software development outsourcing service

This is an outsourcing strategy where a company hires software outsourcing services from another country. The organization aims to seek assistance from an external development team to achieve a successful software development project.

Leveraging offshore software development outsourcing has become popular in the recent past. Some advantages that this method provides are access to specialized skills, it increases the speed of project deliverables, etc. The biggest benefit is it enables cost savings.

By using the right software development tools, offshore software development has become easy & efficient. By using proper collaboration tools, like Asana, Slack & Clickup project management has become effective.

Despite all the above benefits, there are certain challenges that offshore software development poses. It creates challenges like cultural & communication differences. It is important to analyze these pros & cons before opting to hire an offshore software development service.

Now, let’s understand what an onshore software development service is.

Onshore software development outsourcing services

Onshore software development outsourcing services are the opposite of offshore development services. In this strategy, the company chooses to outsource their software development projects within their country, by hiring local developers.

Compared to offshore, onshore provides more valuable benefits, like communication, cultural alignment & quality control. By collaborating with local developers, organizations can avoid language barriers & cultural shortcomings.

This shows that onshoring is the perfect piece of choice for outsourcing, Isn’t it?

No, there are certain limitations to this method. One of them is, that it limits access to the talent pool to be available only from local boundaries. This type of hiring is more expensive than other outsourcing services.

Now, let’s understand the last type of software outsourcing service, i.e., Nearshore Software Development

Nearshore software development outsourcing services

Nearshore stands as the middle ground between the two previous outsourcing models. This is a practice in which companies outsource their projects to a nearby country that shares a similar time zone & culture.

This strategy enables the teams to work with skilled developers living near their country. This will result in faster travel, effective communication & better cultural alignment. By adopting this strategy, companies can also expand their operations & enter new markets.

Even though nearshore outsourcing is cheaper than onsource outsourcing, it remains expensive as compared to offshore outsourcing.

Based, on the above information, any organization can choose the right outsourcing fit that suits their needs & requirements.

Now, let’s understand some important statistics about software development outsourcing.

Software Development Outsourcing: Some Statistics to understand

Software outsourcing services have seen a huge growth in their adoption, let’s find out some statistics that prove the argument

As of 2020, IT outsourcing was valued at $92.5 billion, which is estimated to grow by 3% to 5% by 2024.

37% of small businesses are leveraging outsourcing services, which is almost over half the value of global outsourcing.

The above-stated figure is directly impacting technology like cloud computing, an important tool for 90% of companies.

Now, let’s understand some of the basic outsourcing software development models used for software development outsourcing

3 Software Development Outsourcing Models to watch out for

There are namely three software development outsourcing models to choose from while using software development outsourcing services.

They are as follows:

IT Staff Augmentation
Project-Based Outsourcing
Dedicated remote teams

Let’s understand all of them one by one.

IT Staff Augmentation

The first one on the list is IT staff augmentation. The staff augmentation model enables organizations to hire remote developers to bridge their collaboration with the existing teams.

In this approach organizations, hire remote developers temporarily to work with their in-house teams.

IT Staff augmentation provides various benefits like:

Access to a broader pool of skilled IT professionals.

Flexible scalability to meet project needs

Cost savings

By using Staff augmentation organizations can quickly fill skill gaps, boost their project timeline & maintain control over development processes. Staff augmentation enables organizations to combine the benefits of both an in-house team and an external team.

Project-based outsourcing

This method allows the organization to outsource certain specific projects or tasks to external teams. Instead, of hiring long-term software development outsourcing services, companies leverage this method to address specific development needs.

Project-based outsourcing model also provides agility & flexibility enabling the organizations to adapt to the changing business needs

This method lets the organization focus on its core business activities by helping them outsource other technical tasks.

When you hire project-based outsourcing services, the software outsourcing company takes full responsibility for the project management.

Dedicated Teams

A dedicated teams model enables the organization to hire a dedicated team that manages the project entirely. This remote team will be responsible for working & managing only a specific project fully.

This method is more useful to companies, that need getting custom software developed to fulfill their business needs.

As per the requirements, organizations can find the right fit for software development outsourcing services to fulfill their needs.

Now, let’s understand the Pros & Cons of Software Development Outsourcing.

Pros of Software Development Outsourcing

Outsourcing software development has become popular & organizations are using this technique to get their solution solutions delivered effectively.

This popularity has a reason behind it.

Using software development outsourcing services provides lots of advantages to companies. Let’s understand all of them.

Cost Savings:

Using software development outsourcing can help companies minimize a lot on their costs. Outsourcing development helps organizations reduce costs towards development as compared to hiring an in-house team.

Not only this, organizations can get access to highly skilled IT professionals by outsourcing to lower labor costs countries.

Access to specialized skills:

By using software development outsourcing companies can get access to a wider pool of specialized skills.

By collaborating with outsourcing companies, organizations can tap into a global network of skilled professionals with technical skills. Doing this will allow the organizations to minimize geographic boundaries.

Faster-time-market:

By outsourcing software development to external parties, organizations can boost project execution boosted.

The external programming experts will bring an agile approach to the development process by accelerating the project timelines.

By using external services companies can optimize their development cycles, &complete projects for digital products.

Scalability & flexibility:

Outsourcing software development allows companies to scale their team strength up & down based on their requirements. Whether they want to ramp up the organizations for larger projects or scale down during small ones, outsourcing can help.

External teams are always ready to handle the diverse scaled-up approach using their expertise during development projects.

Focusing on core competencies:

By outsourcing, organizations can focus on other core job responsibilities by utilizing the skills of an in-house team.

Outsourcing partners will be responsible for taking all the necessary responsibility for software development. This will help organizations improve their business performance.

Now, let’s understand the cons of software development outsourcing.

Cons of Software Development Outsourcing

As it is said, anything on this earth has two sides of the same coin. Though software development outsourcing provides various benefits, it also has a few disadvantages to be considered.

Communication challenges:

Software development outsourcing is one of the pressing challenges of communication. Organizations that outsource software development find it difficult to maintain a smooth communication flow.

Using proper communication tools can help the organizations build an effective communication. Finding organizations that align with your communication patterns & time zones is very crucial for smooth integration.

Quick Control Risks

Choosing the right software outsourcing partner can be tough. When any external software outsourcing company doesn’t work as per the required quality it will result in a loss.

The organizations should ensure the quality standards used by external vendors before hiring them.

Now, let’s understand the process of hiring a software outsourcing company

10-Step Process to Software Development Outsourcing

After learning the meaning, types, pros & cons of software development outsourcing, let’ understand the process of hiring external vendors.

A software development outsourcing process comprises ten steps, let’s understand all of them one by one.

Defining project requirements

The step is to define the project requirements. It is necessary to define each project requirement to run a project delivery successfully. The company should list down the hourly rates compensated the skill set required & the tech stacks needed to work on the project.

Search for potential vendors

Based on the requirements, it is important to find all the right alternatives that meet the requirements. Based, on the list of alternatives the best fit for the project should be shortlisted.

Conducting a background check

After finalizing the outsourcing vendor based on the requirements it is necessary to run a thorough background check.

Establishing communication channels

The organizations should build & use the best communication channels to maintain smooth project management.

Setting clear project milestones

After setting the communication channels, the next step is to define the KPIs. Setting goals can help team members understand what is expected from them.

Establishing a Contract

After setting the goals, organizations need to sign contracts with external vendors to initiate the software development work.

Conducting regular meetings

Organizations should conduct regular meetings the external vendors to understand the progress of the work. By conducting meetings, the organization can understand the progress & can improvise the process if required.

Monitoring the project quality:

The organization must monitor the project quality. By analyzing the progress & process of the project company can suggest proper feedback to attain quality project deliverability.

Maintaining a good work relationship

Maintaining a good professional relationship with the vendor is essential for project success. A successful project case study always has a flavor of cooperation between the concerned parties. By building effective communication & conducting face-to-face meetups companies can build a good relationship with external parties.

Finalizing the cooperation

After the nine steps, the organization needs to move ahead to the final step of finalizing the contract. The organization should sign the deal with the external software outsourcing company mentioning all the details of the project.

While outsourcing software development going through all the above ten steps is necessary to attain a successful project deliverability.

Now, let’s understand how much software outsourcing costs.

What is the cost of Software Development Outsourcing

We have identified the cost of software development outsourcing based on different regions. To get a broader view about the costs of software development outsourcing check the below.

Best Software Development Outsourcing Regions :

US : $90-200 / hr
Western Europe : $60-80 / hr
Eastern Europe : $30-60 / hr
Canada : $35-60 / hr
Asia : $20-45 / hr

Based on the above table we can state that outsourcing development services from Asia is cost-effective

Now, let’s understand why Acquaint Softtech is considered the best software outsourcing company.

What makes Acquaint Softtech the best Software outsourcing company?

Acquaint Softtech is a software development company specializing in IT Staff Augmentation Services and custom software development.

Our team of experts has 15+ years of industry experience in helping our clients build custom software solutions.

We can help your organization hire remote developers who meet your requirements based on hourly rates. We have vast experience working on various programming languages.

If you find software project management difficult, then worry not we are here for your rescue.

Wrapping Up!

Outsourcing software development can help organizations in bridging the gap available in their software development team. Organizations can choose the right strategies onshore, offshore, or nearshore to meet their requirements. Different models like IT staff augmentation, project-based outsourcing, or dedicated teams can help find the right fit.

Despite a couple of drawbacks, outsourcing software development is a strategy worth implementing to meet the skill gaps.

Myths in IT Staff Augmentation: Regain Project Control

Introduction

In the technology landscape, IT staff augmentation has become a key strategy for businesses seeking specialized skills. Yet, there are instances when organizations hear some myths about losing project control while leveraging IT Staff Augmentation services.

This article will highlight the myths and realities surrounding IT staff augmentation for hiring remote developers.

Before heading into the myths, let’s understand what is IT Staff Augmentation.

What is IT Staff Augmentation?

IT Staff Augmentation is a hiring process where organizations enable themselves to hire remote developers to meet their requirements. By hiring an augmented tech talent the company can scale their team up or down as per the needs and workload.

This model offers flexibility, access to global talent, and cost-effectiveness. Despite a lot of benefits, there are a lot of myths surrounding remote work and IT staff augmentation.

Let’s understand all the Myths & their realities one by one.

5 Myths about IT Staff Augmentation

Myth 1 vs Reality:

Myth:

The IT-augmented staff is less committed as compared to the In-house team.

Reality:

IT staff augmentation team members are highly dedicated and experienced.

The best integration strategies to use while integrating remote teams with in-house team

Develop an equal company culture
Setting up goals & expectations
Provide necessary tools & support

Myth 2 vs Reality:

Myth:

Communication barriers in IT staff augmentation can lead to loss of control.

Reality:

By using proper communication tools, these communication barriers can be easily minimized.

Key communication strategies involve:

Use diversified communication channels
Plan an immediate contact point in case of emergency interaction.

Myth 3 vs Reality:

Myth:

By hiring remote employees, work quality gets compromised.

Reality:

External developers are highly skilled and committed to achieving project excellence quickly.

To ensure high standards:

Implement a thorough onboarding process.
Establish clear reporting and feedback frameworks.
Build collaboration between existing teams and augmented teams for knowledge-sharing & problem-solving.

Myth 4 vs Reality

Myth:

IT Staff augmentation leads to a lack of long-term commitment and stability in projects.

Reality:

IT staff augmentation is project-specific, and many external professionals show a level of commitment towards their work. By, doing this the company can achieve long-term collaboration.

Let’s understand how to achieve long-term commitment

Professional Integrity & Reputation:

The IT-augmented staff strives to achieve a strong professional reputation. This motivation helps them to achieve excellence consistently.

Opportunity for extended engagement:

Businesses tend to find a greater value in specific remote workers. The company takes the responsibility of ensuring they achieve a higher engagement by rehiring them. Rehiring an existing remote worker will help them build stable working relationships.

Strategic Resource Planning:

The companies can align their staff augmentation goals by planning long-term project goals, ensuring stability & continuity.

Myth 5 vs Reality

Myth:

The Augmented IT staff negatively impacts the company’s organizational culture.

Reality:

If managed properly, distributed teams can integrate well with the company culture. This integration will bring a fresh perspective to enhance the remote working model.

Cultural Onboarding:

Including augmented staff in cultural onboarding sessions helps them understand and embrace the company’s values and work ethos.

Promoting Inclusivity:

The organization needs to promote an inclusive work environment. An environment where all team members are treated equally. A friendly company culture will help the members of the team participate in team meetings

Regular Culture exchange:

Regularly conducting team-building activities can help the IT-augmented staff align with the company culture by contributing positively.

Now, let’s understand some strategies to retain control.

What are the effective ways to retail project control?

Dedicated Teams that work remotely need to be managed effectively. Remote teams are comprised of IT professionals who are working in different time zones. But, they play a defining role in streamlining the software development process.

Maintaining project control after hiring a remote team needs a high level of efficiency. The below two points will help you regain control over your remote software development project.

Define Project Guidelines & Setting Decision making

To make any software development project a success, it is important to define proper guidelines. This includes defining the project scope, deliverables, timelines, & quality standards.
Well-defined project guidelines will ensure everyone in the team understands their roles & responsibilities clearly.
The company also needs to define the decision-making process clearly.

Regular Monitoring & Performance Evaluation Using KPIs

Implementing a system for regular monitoring & performance evaluation is essential in maintaining control. It is important to develop KPIs to measure the project’s objectives.

Let’s understand some of the metrics that can help develop the key performance indicators

Project completion rate
Quality of work
Budget compliance

It is necessary to assess the performance of in-house & remote teams based on the KPIs. Doing a thorough analysis will provide a clear picture of the improvisations needed.

Providing continuous feedback will help the team to move forward in the right direction.

Apart, from this, the company should also use effective communication & project management tools for better project management.

Let’s understand in brief some project management tools a company can use to maintain seamless integration.

5 Project Management Tools for seamless integration

Asana:

Asana is a project management tool that helps teams organize & track the progress of their work.

Key features:

It gives information about Task assignments & due dates.
It can easily integrate with Slack, Google Drive & Dropbox.

Trello:

Trello uses a card-based system that great for visual task management. It can be easily customized & is ideal for small projects and teams that use simple interfaces.

Key features

It uses boards, lists, and cards to organize & prioritize projects in the most rewarding way.
It can easily integrate with GitHub, Evernote & Google Drive.

Jira:

It is mainly used by software developers. Jira is used for bug tracking, issue tracking & operational project management. Jira is known as one of the most agile project management tools.

Key features

It provides customizable scrum boards & Kanban boards for managing the project.
It can help in achieving seamless integration with an Atlassian product like Confluence.

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project is a powerful tool for complex project planning & management. It offers detailed project management capabilities and is best suited for larger organizations with experienced project managers.

Key features

It uses Gantt charts.
The tool can help in project scheduling & resource management.
It can easily integrate with Microsoft Office applications.

Monday(.)com

Monday(.)com is a project management tool known for its ease of use & ability to adapt to various project types. It’s suitable for both small teams and large enterprises.

It provides features of customizable workflows, time tracking & automated notifications.
It can integrate with various tools like Google Drive, Slack & Zoom.

Now, let’s understand some of the communication tools that can help in managing remote projects smoothly.

By using any of the above project management tools, the company can easily keep track of the project. Using the right tools will help them analyze the progress of the project i.e., goals achieved, KPIs met or not, etc.

5 Communication Tools for Seamless Integration

Having your toolkit flooded with the best communication tools can help in achieving seamless project management.

Let’s understand the best communication tools you can use to maintain control over your project.

Slack:

Slack is a popular messaging app designed for team collaboration.

Key features

It provides a feature for direct messaging & group chats.
It helps in organizing teams or topics and helps in receiving & sharing files.
It can easily integrated with Google Drive & Asana.

Zoom:

Zoom is a popular video conferencing tool that gained popularity for its quality video calling. It is useful for both small meetings & large webinars.

It provides a feature of High-definition video and audio conferencing.
It can help in screen sharing, virtual backgrounds, and breakout rooms for smaller discussions.

Microsoft Teams:

Being a part of the Microsoft 365 suite, Teams is an effective communication & collaboration platform.

It provides a feature for chats & threaded conversations.
Enables the user to do video and audio conferencing.
Zoom can easily integrate with Microsoft Office applications.
It also allows to storage of files and documents.

Google Meet:

Google Meet is a video communication service provided by Google.

It provides a feature of secure video meetings.
Provides easy access to web tools, without the need to download the application.
Enables the feature of screen-sharing & generates real-time captions.
It can easily integrate with Google Calendar.

Cisco Webex:

Cisco Webex is a communication tool known for its enterprise-grade security & reliability. The tool is suitable for both internal team meetings & external meetings with clients & stakeholders.

It allows HD video & audio conferencing
It provides end-to-end encryption for security.

How Acquaint Softtech can help in IT Staff Augmentation?

Acquaint Softtech is a software development company specializing in IT Staff Augmentation Services and custom software development. We are a team of experts having 15+ years of industry experience in helping our clients build custom software. We can help your organization hire remote developers that meet your requirements.

Wrapping Up!

Debunking myths with realities shows that control in IT staff augmentation is not compromised. By using clear communication & strategic integration the organizations can reap numerous benefits. By, using IT staff augmentation the organization can regain the lost control over project management.