Table of Contents
- What are we looking at here? What is consulting?
- So far, sounds good. Are there any downsides?
- Got it. And what about Staff Augmentation?
- What are the benefits of Staff Augmentation?
- Sounds interesting. Any “pitfalls”?
- How do I know what is best for me?
- Consider our team to find more qualified experts
- FAQ
The matter of IT staff extension is gaining popularity year by year. Companies are interested in getting more engineers on board as global demand for technology grows. The further efficiency of the company depends on its staffing solutions. Depending on the staffing strategy they choose, cost-effectiveness and flexibility may vary. But which approach to choose? Staff augmentation vs Consulting — who will win? Let's try to figure it out.
What are we looking at here? What is consulting?
In one "corner" of the staff augmentation vs consulting ring, we have Consulting, a popular outsourcing solution for companies looking for experts for specific projects. They have time to prepare, choose a highly specialized team of professionals and develop a work plan using their own experienced managers. In this case, the consulting company decides everything, from selecting a team to organizing the work process.
So far, sounds good. Are there any downsides?
Obviously, no method is perfect and both staff augmentation and consulting have their downsides you should consider before deciding. As mentioned above, consulting gives you the opportunity to partner up with a group of highly specialized professionals, trained and selected in advance, to deliver complex projects. Accordingly, there are certain limitations.
Time and flexibility
Not all subject IT specialists will be available right away, i.e. it may take some time to select the team for the project. Also, there will be certain timeframes, during which your company will have access to this specific group.
Prioritizing
Since consulting companies provide services according to pre-established workflows, they can allocate work to several clients at once. This can cause different levels of client prioritization, depending on the workload of the team. Your project might not be prioritized, which can affect timelines and quality.
Subject expertise
A skilled expert who is versed in a few tech stacks is worth his weight in gold. In reality, a consulting team will most likely not always be able to solve all tech questions that arise. That is, if you work with a consulting company, be prepared that their team's expertise will be limited to a few project types or technologies.
Pricing
Sophisticated requirements can come at a cost. The company will need to allocate a particular budget for the consulting team. Since the employees' abilities will be carefully selected to fit the project, their services will cost more.
Got it. And what about Staff Augmentation?
Staff augmentation is one of the emergency solutions when it is necessary to quickly find an effective tech team to supplement your permanent employees. These professionals can strengthen an organization if someone is on sick leave, or have their hands full with regular workload. IT staff augmentation prospects are promising for when you need to mitigate operational costs or decide to scale up fast. It’s usually a temporary solution that doesn’t include company benefits for the temporary employees.
What are the benefits of Staff Augmentation?
Staff augmentation allows you to fill gaps in the company when you need it most: during time-sensitive projects, where every second counts. Some of the points might help with the consulting vs staff augmentation argument.
More flexibility
Other pros of Staff augmentation include finding a staff member quickly and putting them to work right away. There is no need to wait until a specific person is available, there is always a wide selection. New employees can also shift focus and work on different tasks if it’s required of them.
Total control
The company in need of expanding fully controls how the work is done by engaging its tech managers. New employees study all the internal processes of the company and understand the company rules and procedures.
Cost-effectiveness
Simplification of hiring and management processes helps to reduce company expenses, which is important for the optimization of resources for further operations. Up to 59% of businesses save their money by outsourcing or outstaffing their work. Pricing is one of the main points in favor of staff augmentation vs project-based consulting.
Security
Because the augmentation process takes place within the company, you don't need to share important security information with any third parties. All access rights and important documents remain secure.
Sounds interesting. Any “pitfalls”?
It's all up to you
Staff augmentation process requires allocation of time and management for the new workers. The new staff will need training and infrastructure set up to operate. All of it should be provided by the hiring company.
Too many choices
Due to the high competition, it can be difficult to find a company you can trust with the expansion of your staff. But the pros of staffing agency far outweigh the cons. Making the right choice is extremely important, because the quality of further performance will depend on it.
How do I know what is best for me?
If you're not sure what to choose based on the difference between staff augmentation and consulting services, here are a number of considerations to help you make up your mind.
Timeline
Decide if you can wait until you have a team of specialists assembled, or is the project too time sensitive for that. It’s one of the main decisions that help with the IT staff augmentation vs consulting argument.
Tech Stack Specialization
If you’re having trouble deciding on the type and amount of extra help you’ll need to get for your project, choose the right tech stack and technology first –– PHP, NodeJS, VueJS, Python, React Native, etc. It will help determine the types of developers (frontend, backend, full-stack) you’ll need to hire first and foremost.
How much to delegate?
Decide what level of involvement is right for you. Which processes do you want to manage, and which ones are you willing to outsource? Is it important for your project that you control all of its aspects, or do you want to "untie your hands" by redistributing responsibility? Answers to those questions might help you decide on the model of staff expansion.
Team evaluation
Study your staff: what are their strengths and weaknesses, what is missing, how to optimize their work. Finding gaps and setbacks makes it much easier to decide if you need to additionally hire people to create a full in-house team.
Consider our team to find more qualified experts
If you decided on scaling your business, that’s great! The first step is to choose HR-professionals you can entrust with looking for the new tech talent. Hire Outstaff Your Team to debunk the myths about outstaffing once and for all. Here are some of the services that were refined by our 12+ years on the market:
- Tailored search for the most fitting candidates;
- Successful team retention strategy;
- Truly time-saving EoR magic.
Want to try to augment your staff, but need some expert input? Contact us via hi@outstaffyourteam.com, and we'll get you the best candidates asap.
FAQ
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Why is IT staff augmentation in a high demand?
Staff augmentation is an efficient and cost-effective way to supplement a company's workforce in the shortest possible time. Companies providing augmentation services offer a wide range of versatile specialists to choose from, who will fit in with any company.
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Is there any difference between staff augmentation and consulting services?
There are a lot of discussions comparing staff augmentation vs. consulting services. The main differences are: the team’s expertise, availability and the responsibility delegation levels.
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What advantages of staff augmentation can I use for my business?
If you want to choose one thing, staff augmentation is extremely cost-effective and efficient, so it deals with multiple challenges at once.
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