IT Project Outsourcing vs Staff Augmentation: Which is the best?

Hiring tech talent is getting more and more complicated. The demand has increased due to the digitization of hundreds of operations, which is why companies are increasingly looking for more experienced and certified professionals... which they often have a hard time finding. That is why they turn to outsource providers, to delegate the development of projects to Staff Augmentation and IT Project Outsourcing teams.

In both cases, in general, it is about adding experienced professionals to in-house teams, to strengthen operations and speed up software development. But there are several differences between both modalities and that is what we will explain in this blog.

What is IT Project Outsourcing?

This working model is perfect for those companies that need to develop their projects with efficiency, quality and speed, and do not have the operational force to do it at home or have a very small budget. So they turn to an outsourcing provider that provides them with this project development service.

“It allows companies to achieve their business goals profitably due to low labor costs in foreign markets. In addition, it allows you to take advantage of experience and performance at a level that the internal team may not be able to match”, they stressed on the subject in an article on the Ideamotive portal.

One of the great benefits of IT Project Outsourcing is that companies take advantage of the extensive knowledge of the engineers they are temporarily hiring, adding flexibility to the project and the company. And all this without having a fixed contract that adds administrative expenses and other kinds of economic commitments typical of a traditional contract.

“Inexpensive and easily accessible, these teams of professionals consistently provide critical skills and support. With these teams located close by, expect a complete understanding between them. With IT teams, your projects are in good hands”, they emphasized on the Software Hut portal.

Characteristics of IT Project Outsourcing

• Experienced global professionals. There are no geographical limits to get the profile that your company needs.
• The cost-benefit is high.
• The operational capacity is unlimited.
• Communication is consistent.
• It allows you to automate day-to-day tasks.
• Boost the productivity of the in-house team.
• Reduces employee burnout.

Good practices to implement IT Project Outsourcing

Have a clear project

When looking for a software outsourcing provider, the first thing you should do is be very clear about the project you want to develop, so that you can transmit this to the IT Project Outsourcing team.

“This element is especially important when you outsource IT workflow. This will not only set concrete guidelines for your external professionals to follow, but also highlight your expectations for each individual's contribution. This can save you time answering any questions in advance from your contracted experts and minimize errors by providing specific guidance at each phase of the project,” they explained in an Eire Systems article.

You as a company must have defined aspects such as the description of the project, the approximate budget, the expectations of the service and performance, specific deadlines for the development of the project, resources and skills necessary to develop it.

Excellent comunication

Communication is the basis of all human relationships, whether personal or work. “IT projects often require very complex tasks, and there are times when expectations need to be altered to match unrecognized constraints. For IT work to run smoothly, establishing a strong line of communication between an external team of IT service professionals and a liaison within the company is an important step", emphasized on the same note.

Focus on value, not cost 

Although one of the main reasons to implement IT Project Outsourcing is budget savings, the truth is that you should not simply focus on costs, but on the value that this outsourcing team will bring to your project. For example, you can get an extremely cheap, but mediocre supplier. Or find another with a slightly higher price, but with an unmatched experience. That would be the most suitable option.

“Outsourcing company rates are often a reflection of skills, experience and quality of work”, complemented an article on the Ideamotive portal, inviting companies to ask themselves what will be more productive and add more value to the project.

Constant sync

When working under any outsourcing modality, it is important to maintain synchronization, so that both the external team and the company's internal team are aware of all the work that is being done.

It is best to receive project updates in a fixed period, for example, it can be daily or weekly. This must be clearly stated. Sending reports periodically will allow some kind of inconvenience to be detected in time and adjustments to be made on the fly.

Support clause

Once the project is finished, the ideal is that there is some kind of support from the outsourcing provider, so that it can make the pertinent adjustments after the deployment of the application or platform that it created. The work of the outsourcing provider does not end when the project is finished, since it must continue to support the first phase of the deployment in case any problem arises.

How can IT Staff Augmentation be useful?

When we talk about the IT Staff Augmentation service, of course it also refers to the hiring of external staff provided by an outsourcing company. This staff injects greater capacity into the company's internal teams. And it is precisely that, it is about professionals coming together to support teams to develop a project, or to meet a specific need or skill.

If in IT Project Outsourcing the company delegates the development of a project to an outsourcing team, in the case of the IT Staff Augmentation service, this is not the case, since it is about integrating certain additional profiles to the in-house team to enrich the work and project. Here the company is still in charge of the project, only with additional external personnel that will help in the development.

Advantages of hiring IT Staff Augmentation

• They are qualified professionals who can work remotely. You as a company do not have to invest in more equipment or infrastructure.
• Low costs compared to local prices for IT services.
• Wide pool of global talent, there are no geographical limits to search and find the talent your project needs.
• Advanced and modern skill sets, ambitious.
• IT Staff Augmentation allows you to scale your in-house team.

Why do many companies prefer to implement IT Staff Augmentation?

• High productivity

By hiring highly experienced professionals through IT Staff Augmentation, productivity will increase considerably.

• Full time

While the in-house team has to divide their time between various tasks and projects, these IT Staff Augmentation resources will be 100% dedicated to the project assigned to them, ensuring faster and more efficient software development.

• They don't need training 

Imagine that you have a project on your hands but your in-house team does not have enough expertise. It is the ideal time to hire professionals through IT Staff Augmentation, because this staff is already perfectly trained to meet the needs of the project. 

Do you need support for the development of your software project? Our professionals have been working with global companies for +10 years, enhancing their digital transformation. Contact us!

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