In today's fast changing and extremely competitive technology-driven business world, the demand for software team extension is greater than ever. Quick access to the right technical knowledge not only allows you to quickly respond to the market changes, but also helps your company accomplish the key development projects on time. So, here we’ll discuss a team extension as a service.
Types of engagement models
Development team extension model involves a much broader partnership than just expanding the team for development. It also covers a wide range of software-related services such as business analysis, CTO as a service, design, UI/UX design, quality assurance, project management, support and maintenance. You may also try IT Staff Augmentation or a remote dedicated team.
More often the dedicated team model is a type of outsourcing where you hire an entire remote extended development team and outsource the project to them. The outsourcing company you choose has a dedicated team, but it also includes a project manager, which reduces the need for hands-on management by the client.
The teams are hired on the basis of the Fixed-Price Model or The Time & Material Model more often than other cooperation models.
Also, read about Customer-Centric Company: Key Features & Examples.
What is the team extension model?
With a team expansion model, your company can minimize the costs associated with hiring, payroll, and project management. This model is also scalable - it's much easier to scale a development team than an employment contract. In addition, this complete shift of responsibility allows you to cut down on HR and employment formalities and focus on your core business.
Team extension vs dedicated team: What`s the difference?
Unlike team extension, in the dedicated team model, the software service provider is deeply involved in the development process, so their incentive to achieve the best possible outcome is higher. In fact, the software provider acts more like a close and trusted partner than a temporary service provider.
So, the team extension is a type of outsourcing of software development services in which a software company provides its specialists in the form of external hiring, usually on the basis of a contract of time and materials.
Benefits of team extension cooperation model
From finding the right candidates, to motivating your team, the benefits below will help you and your team make the right decisions and get the best results. Having an extended team leads to a number of benefits:
1)Access to international experts
Effectiveness of your projects depends on the expertise. With extended teams you get the expert in any field from an international labour market and your company doesn’t have to rely entirely on local experts. To survey the best talents on the international market and find exactly the right professional is always a benefit.
2)Clear and well-organized payment model
What both the vendor and the teams like the most is a transparent communication and well organised payment structure applied with augmented tem cooperation. Since proper budgeting process lets an organization plan and prepare its budgets for a set period, in dedicated teams the terms for that remain very flexible. Efficient control of expenditure is also a plus.
3)Transparent and flexible management
In fact, a number of benefits may arise from the close agile collaboration between the augmented team and the company’s core team:
- Transparency around the project & terms,
- Continuous and productive communication,
- Shared responsibility & leadership,
- Improved productivity.
Fostering an agile culture in any organization is an ongoing process of encouraging behavioural norms to develop an agile mind-set and a great corporate culture for dedicated teams.
4) Increasing business visibility
Giving your developers more visibility into the business is another way to ensure that your technical teams can bring a deeper understanding of what needs to be done to achieve mutual business goals.
5) Moving on to cross-functionality
Sometimes the best way to get more out of your product development team is to split them up and put them into cross-functional teams that bring together talent from different aspects of the business. This is especially effective if you find projects that are stalling due to communication issues between the departments.
Software development team extension challenges
Software development team extension is a great idea for your business, but you should mind some challenges too.
1/Empowering your engineers
Engineering teams can often find themselves at odds with the management, business development, or marketing of any project - often because they are seen as serving others, rather than like-minded business partners with specific skills.
2/Lack of ideas and knowledge
Due to staff growth, software developers may lack knowledge about your company, your projects and products, your previous work experience or industry knowledge. Therefore, they cannot be expected to be as active or innovative as regular employees.
3/Trust issues
Long-term relations need trust. Looking for a reliable software development partner and an extended development team to hire you will definitely mention trust as the ultimate factor for making the final decision. To reach out to a credible partner who is capable of seamlessly extending your team without any hidden motive and deliver the project on budget and in time may be challenging.
Rules for integrating an extended development team into your project
An extended software development team may be integrated easily if follow a couple of simple rules.
1. Provide multiple communication avenues
From the on boarding period for developers to accepting their roles and then being able to complete their sprints independently there should be clear and straight communication. This way they will be familiar with the business, the code they are working on, and how your team actually operates.
2. Make it a close partnership
Without a solid foundation of mutual trust and understanding, there can be no fruitful business partnership. By outsourcing a dedicated development team, companies usually establish long-term and permanent business relationships. A close partnership allows you to better understand the real needs and challenges your company faces. Without trust, it is difficult to avoid frustration and discomfort in everyday work.
3. To err is human
No one‘s perfect, neither your team is. Processes remind us that all we are dealing mostly with people, and they are not programming machines, and when they err we need to provide an ethical and supportive path to a problem solution. Organization should also allow the team to be part of the key decision-making process, provide solicit feedback and arrange brainstorming sessions on a regular basis to prevent any further mistakes.
4. Practice inclusion
The point is that when new people enter your usual circle they’re strangers. In-house team or in-house plus your extended development team, and there will be the collection of people who still need to be the one, a unit and the team as if it was forever. So here it’s wise to make sure that each member needs to feel a part of the team, either of them.
How to determine the correct extended command structure?
To create an ideal extended team, you need to create a basis for effective and transparent communication, form a management bridge that will further connect both the in-house team and the members of your new remote team and make estimations. Then it will be easier to define the type of the structure that will perfectly fit your business as per the current business goals and other requirements. Clearly define project goals and criteria.
Why choose Fireart as your team extension partner?
The extended team model may fit you the best as the tactic if you need to get your startup fast into the market. By means of using the ideal extended team model you are able to grow your business capabilities without eating the margin. To respond quickly to the market changes and move by the competition will be the best way. To ensure the smoothness and efficiency, you will need a wise advisor. And that’s Fireart digital product agency because it has years of practice and a reputation.
If you have doubts or concerns about staffing services, it is best to seek specialist advice. At Fireart Studio you can get a free consultation from our experts. Describe your project, requirements, time and budget constraints, and what level of flexibility you expect, and our team will select the most convenient and cost-effective model for you.
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