Explore our top client Q&As on staff augmentation, from defining the service to managing teams and ensuring quality, cost, and collaboration.

The landscape of team building is evolving with staff augmentation becoming a go-to strategy for businesses seeking agility and specialized skills. We often encounter a variety of questions from our clients regarding how to implement and optimize this model. Here, we address these inquiries, including a key question about team logistics.

1. What Is Staff Augmentation?

Staff augmentation is a flexible outsourcing strategy that allows businesses to adapt to changing project needs and market demands by hiring skilled external professionals on a temporary or project basis. This approach enables companies to address skill gaps, scale their workforce up or down as required, and tackle specific challenges without the long-term commitments associated with full-time hires. Augmented staff work alongside the existing team, often integrating into the company’s workflows and culture as if they were in-house employees. This model is particularly effective for projects requiring specialized skills not available within the current team or for meeting critical deadlines.

2. How Is Staff Augmentation Different from Traditional Hiring?

The primary difference between staff augmentation and traditional hiring lies in the nature of employment and the flexibility it offers. Traditional hiring focuses on long-term employment, where individuals are recruited to permanently join a company’s workforce. This process involves significant investment in terms of time and resources, from sourcing and interviewing candidates to onboarding and providing ongoing benefits.

In contrast, staff augmentation is designed to be a temporary solution that provides immediate access to specialized talent. This model bypasses many of the costs and commitments associated with permanent hires, such as benefits, long-term salaries, and the risks of downsizing. Augmented staff are employed by the service provider, reducing the administrative burden on the client. This approach allows businesses to remain agile, adjusting their team composition in response to project demands, technology trends, and budget constraints.

3. Is Staff Augmentation Economically Beneficial?

Yes, staff augmentation can offer significant economic benefits, especially for projects requiring specialized skills or temporary scaling of the workforce. One of the most apparent advantages is cost efficiency. Companies can save on the overhead costs associated with full-time employees, such as health insurance, retirement benefits, paid leave, and workspace expenses. Instead, they invest in the specific skills they need for the duration they need them, optimizing their budget allocation.

By leveraging staff augmentation, companies can focus their resources on core business activities while still ensuring project success with the help of specialized, external professionals. This strategic approach to workforce management supports scalability, agility, and economic efficiency, making it an attractive option for businesses looking to maintain a competitive edge in the digital age.

4. Can Augmented Teams Work Together in One Office?

Yes, it is entirely possible for an augmented team to collaborate in a single office location. While one of the benefits of staff augmentation is the ability to source talent globally and have them work remotely, some clients prefer or require their teams to work on-site. In such cases, we can arrange for the augmented staff to be located in your office or at a dedicated workspace, ensuring that they can work together in-person. This arrangement depends on the project’s needs, the availability of talent in the region, and compliance with local employment laws and regulations.

5. Who is responsible for supervising the augmented engineering team’s work?

When you bring on augmented engineers from our team, we assign a project manager (PM) and a team lead alongside them at no additional cost. These roles are not tasked with handling day-to-day task assignments; instead, they are dedicated to clearing any obstacles and ensuring that our engineers perform at their peak. This structure helps maintain workflow efficiency and guarantees that your project objectives are met with the highest standard of work.

6. How do your services stand out against more affordable options in India or Asia?

Our services distinguish themselves from more affordable options in India or Asia through a combination of high-quality standards, cultural and time zone alignment, and comprehensive support. Specifically, we offer:

Quality Assurance: Our commitment to quality is unwavering. We ensure that each engineer or team member meets a high standard of expertise, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with rework or errors often encountered with cheaper resources.

Cultural Compatibility: Our teams are well-versed in the cultural nuances of working with Western companies, facilitating smoother communication and collaboration. This cultural alignment can greatly enhance project efficiency and team dynamics.

Time Zone Advantages: We provide teams that work in time zones closely aligned with or identical to your business hours, enabling real-time collaboration and faster resolution of issues. This is a significant advantage over dealing with the time zone challenges presented by teams in India or Asia.

Added Value of Leadership Roles: At no extra cost, we assign a project manager and a team lead to every engagement. These roles are instrumental in removing roadblocks and ensuring our engineers’ performance, not just in task management but in guaranteeing that our team integrates seamlessly with yours, enhancing productivity and project outcomes.

Through these factors, our services offer a superior blend of affordability, quality, and convenience, ensuring that your investment in staff augmentation delivers maximum value and impact.

7. How does staff augmentation address performance issues with augmented team members?

Staff augmentation addresses performance issues through proactive measures, such as targeted training and clear communication. If these steps don’t resolve the problem, the provider can promptly replace the underperforming team member to ensure the project’s success. Additionally, assigned project managers and team leads help to preemptively tackle obstacles and maintain high performance standards.

8. What are the differences between the staff augmentation and dedicated team services offered by SMBS?

With staff augmentation, we provide you with the specific talent required to fill the gaps in your existing team on a temporary or project basis, offering flexibility and expertise exactly when you need it.

On the other hand, our dedicated teams service involves assembling a full-time, exclusive team of professionals, which can include software developers, QA specialists, and project managers. This team is committed to your long-term projects, ensuring sustained progress and cohesion with your internal processes and goals. Both services aim to enhance your team’s capabilities and adapt to your project’s scale and complexity.

9. What is the process for scaling a team up or down with staff augmentation?

Scaling with staff augmentation is a straightforward process. To scale up, we identify additional professionals who match your project’s requirements. To scale down, we work with you to determine a transition plan that minimizes disruption. Throughout, we maintain clear communication to ensure your project goals are continuously met.

10. In staff augmentation, who manages the day-to-day tasks of the augmented employees?

In staff augmentation, the day-to-day management of augmented employees is typically the responsibility of the client’s in-house team. However, augmented employees come with the support of our PMs and team leads who ensure the employees are well-equipped to meet your project needs effectively.