What is IT Staff Augmentation? Simply put: “Staff augmentation” or “staff extension” means hiring temporary personnel from outside your organization to boost your capacity and bring in new expertise.
Curious to learn more about the different types of staff augmentation, their pros and cons, and the top 8 challenges we’ve identified? Keep reading!
At Euvic, Inc., we’re all about helping our clients and partners achieve success by providing access to our highly talented engineers, consultants, and project managers in managed teams. Want to know why Poland is the leading destination for software development outsourcing? Our +5000 A-Player developers and +100 expert managed teams are the pillars of our success.
These expert teams come into play when you need specific industry knowledge and experience to execute your project successfully. Staff augmentation is our flexible engagement model tailored to support our clients’ needs. Recently, there’s been a surge in demand for external engineers specialising in AI and machine learning to help innovate both existing solutions and new products.
The Difference Between IT Project Outsourcing and IT Staff Augmentation
Ever wondered how IT project outsourcing differs from IT staff augmentation? It all comes down to how we select and deploy our IT experts for your project.
With project-based IT outsourcing, we handpick and manage a complete team tailored to meet your project’s needs, guiding it from inception to completion.
In contrast, IT staff augmentation involves integrating individual experts or specialised teams into your current workforce. This approach bolsters your resources and adds niche skills and expertise exactly where you need them.
Here are some of the dynamic IT staff augmentation services we offer:
- Technical Consulting
- System Architecture
- Project Management
- UX/UI Design
- Front and Back-End Software Development
- Infrastructure Development (Multi-Cloud or Hybrid)
- QA & Testing
- Business Analysis
- DevOps
- AI/ML Data Science
Let’s supercharge your team with the right talent and watch your projects soar!
When Should You Choose IT Staff Augmentation Over Project-Based IT Outsourcing?
The choice between augmentation and outsourcing lies in how teams are built and managed to meet your unique needs.
Project-Based IT Outsourcing Is The Right Choice When:
- You need a team with deep, contextual industry experience.
- You’d rather not deal with the hassle of managing in-house teams.
- Speed, reliability, professionalism, and cost-effectiveness are your top priorities, without the time-consuming processes of recruiting, screening, training, onboarding, and retaining talent.
- You want a trusted partner to manage your software development, helping you stay ahead of the competition or launch a groundbreaking new product.
- You aim to free up your in-house team to focus on what they do best by outsourcing specific projects or development tasks to an expert partner.
When IT Staff Augmentation is Your Best Move:
- You need specialised resources to fill a gap in your team.
- Your teams are missing critical skills or expertise, like AI knowledge.
- You want to accelerate an existing project without extra overhead costs.
- Hiring in-house is too slow, and you need a faster, more efficient solution.
The Different Types of IT Staff Augmentation Companies
Navigating the world of IT staff augmentation can be tricky, as various companies might seem identical at first glance. Though they all offer a vast pool of IT talent ready to join your team, key differences set them apart.
Regular IT Staffing Companies
Regular staffing or IT staff augmentation firms typically hire engineers based on their resumes. Some take it a step further by conducting background checks, ensuring greater consistency in talent and experience.
The more advanced companies don’t just stop at hiring; they meticulously match candidates to your specific needs and assist in smoothly integrating them into your business.
In these scenarios, you’ll usually find engineers with broad expertise in the chosen technologies. However, industry-specific knowledge and the ability to seamlessly communicate and collaborate within your team may not be guaranteed.
Software-Development-First Companies
At Euvic, we proudly categorise ourselves as a software-development-first company. Imagine our teams as soccer players out on the field every day, playing to win. They excel in communication and are laser-focused on delivering results.
Our engineers bring a wealth of industry-specific knowledge and are continually trained and educated. They work with cutting-edge systems and technologies like Generative AI, adhering to best practices. We scout talented players for you, embedding them into your company to support or lead your software development needs and other IT initiatives.
We meticulously select the best engineer for each project, whether from our in-house team or by screening external candidates. Due diligence is our priority to ensure every candidate fits seamlessly with the client’s needs and culture, boasting the necessary skills and expertise. Poland and Ukraine are rich with talented IT professionals, and Euvic’s strong brand helps us attract and retain the best. By choosing the right candidate, we minimize costly churn.
What sets us apart is our thorough screening process, which evaluates both technical hard skills and essential soft skills. Many companies overlook this critical step, leading to a flood of unqualified candidates in hiring managers’ inboxes. By investing time in proper vetting, we save hiring managers from the hassle of endless interviews, bringing you only the best.
Top 8 Challenges, Reasons, and Benefits of IT Staff Augmentation
Our seasoned software development consultants have uncovered eight key challenges, reasons, and benefits you should consider when exploring staff augmentation for your business.
1. Challenge: Filling Niche Positions
In the fast-paced IT industry, new technologies, niches, and industries are emerging at lightning speed. Many companies struggle to keep up with the ever-evolving demands and the need for specialised expertise. For instance, finding experts and engineers in the machine learning and AI space can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.
On the flip side, legacy systems and older technologies are becoming increasingly rare, making it tough to find specialists fluent in these areas. Staff augmentation or IT outsourcing can be the lifeline you need to bridge this gap. This is a common challenge our clients face, and we’re here to help them navigate it successfully.
2. Challenge: Avoiding Inaccurate Candidate Applications
Finding top-notch software developers can be a daunting task. With software development in high demand and a vast pool of IT talent available globally, it seems like there are always plenty of applicants for developer positions. But here’s the catch: reviewing endless applications with varying skills and qualifications is incredibly time-consuming.
The toughest part of hiring IT talent? Verifying skillsets. This process can lead to high costs, wasted time, and endless cycles of new applications until a position is finally filled.
We get it—the hiring process can feel like a never-ending headache. From sifting through unqualified resumes to conducting interviews to find the perfect fit, it’s exhausting. That’s where we come in. Our goal is to make your life easier by providing fast, efficient services that screen and deliver only qualified candidates who are ready to hit the ground running.
Staff augmentation is your best bet to tackle this challenge head-on. Skip the complicated recruitment process and gain access to a consistent level of talent and expertise. We speak your language and understand your needs. Let us handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on what you do best.
3. Challenge: Speed of Project Progress & Deadlines
Meeting deadlines for IT projects is a common challenge for companies. Unexpected issues can arise, dramatically slowing project progress. Whether you’re building new in-house technology, launching a product, or delivering client work, the pressure is on.
Hiring talent from scratch takes too long. That’s where Euvic comes in. Our experienced staff augmentation services give you instant access to the right talent for your needs, drawing from our extensive expertise.
4. Challenge: Fluctuations in Market Demand Restricting Growth
The IT sector is notorious for its fluctuating demand for skills and talent. As investment interest grows, so does the demand for software development services and products.
Interestingly, demand often isn’t tied directly to the economic situation but rather to its perception. Decision-makers tend to dive in during a positive economic outlook and pull out at the first sign of a downturn. These fluctuations make it risky to hire and maintain large engineering teams.
With IT staff augmentation, we help you navigate these cycles seamlessly. Ready when you are, we offer the flexibility to scale up or down to meet market demands without long adaptation periods.
When reducing staff, companies with full-time employees face longer timelines and potential legal issues. But with staff augmentation, we shoulder that risk. No need to worry about severance packages or litigation—focus on your growth while we handle the rest.
5. Challenge: Recruiting Timelines
HR managers and their teams often struggle to meet deadlines for opening and closing new positions for engineers and IT professionals. Some roles are easier to fill, while others come with tighter deadlines.
An excellent solution? Partnering with a trusted IT staff augmentation provider. This approach allows you to build your in-house team while seamlessly bringing in external engineers as needed.
Never miss a timeline or serious deadline again. Stay connected with our staff augmentation experts to keep your teams on track and maintain your pace.
6. Challenge: Uncertainty When Building Up a Pipeline
Market demand fluctuations aren’t the only reason companies miss out on larger, unexpected projects. In the IT world, project decisions can be slow, but once approved, they need rapid execution. These urgent projects are often the most profitable and can significantly boost your ongoing work.
The problem? Companies often accept these lucrative projects without having the necessary in-house resources, leading to disappointed customers or, worse, losing clients mid-project.
Enter IT staff augmentation. This strategy allows you to take on extra projects and deliver the flexibility and speed your customers crave. With our pool of over 5000 top-tier Polish engineers, we’re ready to tackle your large projects swiftly and efficiently. Don’t let opportunities slip away—leverage our expertise to stay ahead.
7. Challenge: Uncertainty About The Length Of a Project
One recruiting dilemma is setting clear expectations for candidates. Applicants eyeing long-term employment might be discouraged if they hear about your short-term needs. This practice can drive away highly skilled candidates who have other job opportunities lined up. To avoid this, some companies conceal their short-term intentions, which isn’t fair to potential employees.
But there’s a better way! Staff Augmentation offers a flexible solution for short-term projects while allowing companies to retain top talent as needed. Our consultants often stay with clients beyond the project’s original duration because of the immense value they bring.
8. Challenge: Negative Opinion and Avoidance of Staffing Companies
The final challenge we’ve pinpointed is the generally negative reputation of staffing companies. Many staff augmentation providers focus on scouring the open market to find candidates quickly, often neglecting to properly vet them for the right fit. This can lead to poor teamwork, bad communication, and a lack of value that these new hires bring to your business.
It’s no wonder some outstaffing businesses have a terrible reputation, be it from negative client experiences or word-of-mouth from colleagues.
But here’s the difference with us: Euvic is a software-development-first company. Think of it like training a soccer team: we prepare our players meticulously so they can perform brilliantly on the field every day. Our large pool of 5,000 engineers doesn’t just mean numbers; it signifies a team that works closely with our clients, gains industry-specific knowledge, stays current with the latest technologies, and knows how to deliver the results you need.