How to do team augmentation really well
Sounds like a really fancy term but what should you imagine under it?
Team augmentation simply means an in-house team that has been enhanced by adding specialist members that aren’t part of the original company. This can be on a longer or shorter-term basis, often depending on a particular project or the type of work needed.
This kind of setup allows the business to maintain control and visibility while adding the key skills and knowledge that are needed to keep moving forward and progressing.
So now that we know what it is, let us take a deeper look into the benefits of it, how to do it really well & make it work, how to keep the progress going, and what are some of the outcomes that can be expected from such exercise.
When is a good time to think about it?
You may be asking when would a company need to think about team augmentation.
Let’s take a look at a few examples.
When a business takes on a brand new project but doesn’t have the required amount of staff or resources (such as money, specific skills, or time) to train new employees to complete the project within the given deadline.
When an employee quits his/ her job because they have been given a better opportunity somewhere else or even just takes a few days/ weeks of annual leave, suddenly there is a gap in a particular skill/ knowledge that may just be key and slows the entire project down or in a worst-case scenario stops it entirely for the duration of this person’s absence.
While a business is looking for the best permanent team member or an entirely new team to hire, staff augmentation can help bridge the gap and offer an interim solution. This ensures smooth continuity of the project and continued operation of the business as usual.
What are the benefits of doing it?
After reading up until now, there may already be many benefits that are most likely creeping up to your mind by now but let’s highlight a few.
Access to a wide skillset quickly
This means that companies don’t necessarily need to go through an often painfully long hiring process to find their new colleague with that specific skill but can simply just cooperate with someone outside of the organization for as long as needed and mutually agree on a suitable reward/ payment once the project is finished.
It’s much cheaper & faster
This point is partially already covered in the previous one. It is much cheaper, not to mention faster for a business to hire already qualified specialists from either an outsourcing agency or to agree to cooperate with an individual than going through the hiring process from start to finish. The company saves a lot of money as this person can only be hired for 1 particular project and a limited amount of time so there is a one-time payment only and no training time required
It is highly effective and efficient
Every business wants to have as efficient an operation as possible. Because not only does that save money but it also makes the customers happy and satisfied. Who wouldn’t want that? It is much easier to achieve all of this with staff that is already trained and ready to go, hence why team augmentation is a great way to achieve this.
How to do it really well
As with everything and especially with any change good quality prep time is key. The same goes for team augmentation. So what should you do if you are thinking about giving it a go?
Establish the goals and outcomes of your project
It is always good to sit down and properly think about what you want the end result to be when you want it and define the key steps and key outcomes these steps should deliver.
Identify any gaps
Establish all of the key skills needed for your project and look for experts who have them. Then it is just a case of mutual agreement, suitable and fair reward, and duration of the cooperation.
Be ready & willing to accept a different opinion/ way of working
Agreeing to hire an expert from “outside” can often mean hiring someone who may even be from a different country and therefore also culture and time zone. Be ready to accept any cultural differences, be open to working across timezones, and have an open mind to the different working styles of different people even if it means mild discomfort in terms of very early or late calls or meetings. Creativity is a mother of all invention and you never know, it may just bring you success.
Team augmentation is a great way to help your company, brand, and team to deliver a successful project or even a new product on the market. It helps to take a look at things in new & innovative ways and achieve great results fast. So who’s up for it?
