IT Team Extension Models 2023

It is impossible to develop a business successfully without an efficient workforce management approach. This is especially important for IT teams that incessantly crave the best tech talent, which is confirmed by over 100k IT vacancies only in the US.

Building and managing in-house development teams is a challenging task, let alone seeking new professionals. This is the reason why many companies consider team extension services which are more flexible and cost-efficient by nature. Software team extension can improve your development capabilities greatly, so learn more about this process and how to use the latest team extension model effectively from this guide!

What Is a Team Extension in IT?

A cooperation model when a company signs a service agreement with a tech service provider to receive additional resources for an existing development team is known as team extension. Speaking of the IT sphere, an external provider offers professional software development or any other IT-related services that aim at growing the capabilities of the organization.

Moreover, this model is an excellent choice to utilize in the modern era. Numerous companies feel the pain of the shortage of IT professionals — the global shortage of IT talent may be over 85 million by 2030, so the use of team extension eliminates competition as well, as it allows for adapting to the project type by considering its long or short-term perspective. 

Want to know more about IT Team Leasing? Read this Article: What is IT Team Leasing?

How It Works?

In a nutshell, team extension is the process of adding new members to the existing team. This model works well for smaller businesses that can’t hire full-scale development teams and prefer to outsource their tech requirements to experts. 

These candidates are usually sourced from outside of the company with the help of IT team extension services like the ones provided by Staffing Partner, a global leader in IT recruitment solutions. Such firms and agencies use a team extension model that traditionally consists of the following steps:

1. Analysis of Needs. It is necessary to identify what areas of your business need improvement to deliver the best results. This analysis allows for developing a plan for the team extension procedure and defining the required roles more accurately.

2. Making a List of Requirements. An HR professional helps discover the tech skills that are required for having more efficient teamwork and to create a list of requirements for a potential candidate or for several of them. It is also important to specify the goals to be achieved with the help of the new team members to measure the ROI later.

3. Selection of Potential Candidates. A company receives a list of suitable fits for all the vacant positions prepared by the recruiting agency. This selection is made on the basis of the analysis of qualifications, experience, and a set of skills possessed by the candidates. 

4. Interviewing. A company can get acquainted with the most suitable candidates for every role and ensure that they can contribute to the success of their team.

5. Hiring. When the necessary candidates are approved, the recruitment agency usually covers all the administrative work for the process to be completed smoothly and without delay. This person should synchronize themselves with the traditional practices, rules, and internal culture of your company. 

Team Extension vs. A Dedicated Development Team

“Team extension” is a popular staff augmentation model that is always mixed up with “dedicated development teams”, since these terms seem similar. However, if you take a closer look at each term, you can see a huge difference between these two models.

• An extended team is a number of external specialists who became a part of the company’s in-house team. They work under the guidance of this team and assist with the performance of specific tasks. The main goal of the team extension model is to fill the gap of lacking skills and add the required qualifications to improve the overall project’s success and quality.
• A dedicated development team is an independent unit that works on the project from the very start to the finish separately, and is usually located on the premises of the outsourcing provider. This team takes responsibility for all aspects of the project and consists of cross-functional IT professionals who perform all the necessary roles.

Pitfalls Of Team Extension & Possible Solutions

Development team extension is very popular nowadays, so this approach has been tried by many companies with specific goals. However, despite such wide acceptance and good feedback about this model, it isn’t perfect.

There are some risks to be aware of, and they are described below:

• Treating it as a Short-Term Solution. Many companies believe that team extension is a way to bridge the existing talent gap for only a short period of time. Obviously, this is a mistaken opinion since temporary improvement will be reflected in the results.

• Putting a Priority on Cost Rather Than Value. Extension models have their own cost, which can seem rather high for the budget of a company. However, consideration of the cost vs. value ratio should be made with the project goals in mind.

• Creating Imprecise Expectations. Not all employers realize that it isn’t enough to order only team extension services for achieving their project goals. They should also put effort into developing an effective partnership between their new and existing team members.

• Treating Extended Team Members Differently. The value of an extended team is often very high, but it often happens that these employees are treated differently than an in-house team. Such a difference may affect the quality of their work, so providing equal working conditions for the whole team is of utmost importance. When employees feel engaged, appreciated, and motivated, they always show better results at work!

• Ignoring Cultural Peculiarities. When making use of a team extension model you should realize that new hires may have a different working and living culture. Naturally, a language gap can be a huge obstacle as well. 

Benefits of IT Team Extension

Though you may face some difficulties in using software team extension, it isn’t enough of a reason to neglect this model which has a really impressive number of benefits.

What are they you may wonder? Let’s find out below:

• Affordability

Team extension is a more cost-efficient approach than recruiting such professionals on an in-house basis.

• More Suitable Candidates

The possibility to hire a talent with a specific set of skills, qualifications, and experience. With professional assistance from an IT recruitment agency such as Staffing Partner, you get access to a much wider pool of talent that can help you fill all the necessary roles as fast as possible.

• No Delays or Unplanned Breaks

The project you are working on will continue to be developed, and probably more effectively and faster.

• Flexibility

This model allows scaling the existing team when it is necessary.

• A Better Retention Level

Employees hired by professional recruiters to extend the existing teams can easily deal with long-term projects since they get used to working together with their teammates, observing the necessary requirements, and stay on the team longer because of these positive advantages.

• Control of the Hiring Method

By getting professional assistance you can personally screen and interview candidates after their selection.

• Transparent Payment

You can suggest a fixed monthly fee and possible benefits. It allows for planning the budget efficiently and keeping track of your expenses.

When Should You Consider Team Extension Services?

Not all companies can achieve their desired goals by ordering software development team extension services. However, if your business faces the following challenges, it is time to think about this solution.

• Inability to Find the Necessary Tech Talent

Some projects are very specific and require C-level experts who can’t be found quickly. Being in search of the necessary skills, you can extend your team with one or two additional hires who will help you to achieve your project goals. Using team extension services, it takes less time to find a new professional than to look for an expert yourself or to retrain the existing staff.

• A Significant Increase in the Workload Amount

The necessity to complete a project development process or provide it with extra features may result in the necessity to find remote specialists to reach these goals. Your in-house team will be busy with many other tasks, so assistance from the outside can be a good idea.

• Your Recruiting Experience is Equal to Zero

Hiring tech talent is not an easy task since they have a range of specific skills that the  average employer may not aware of. Even an automated candidate search can’t guarantee 100% satisfaction since the range of tech skills is extremely extensive.

• No Readiness to Scale the Existing Team Members

Hiring new members to the team requires extra expenses for equipment, administrative work, and training, but hiring someone remotely saves an employer from paying for these expenses, while all the necessary tasks are still being completed. 

• The Absence of an Employee Resulting in an Inability to Complete Short-term Tasks

Such tasks don’t need a permanent employee to be completed, so it is more reasonable to get a talented and skillful professional for a specific period of time and save on your recruiting costs. 

How Much Does Team Extension Service Cost?

The team extension cost depends on several factors. Firstly, the type of project affects it, but it is not the only factor that makes an impact. The price can increase according to the number of members in the software development team and what seniority level they have, what their experience and background are, and where this team is located as well.

Would you like to know more exact numbers? Turn to StaffingPartner for consultation, and our company representatives will provide you with a preliminary estimate.

How to Choose a Trusted Team Extension Partner

Team extension can be an excellent tool for smaller businesses that want to improve their development capabilities, but it is necessary to choose a legitimate partner to provide this type of assistance. How to do that? These are some tips to consider:

• Think about the country or region to outsource a project: a company should operate in the area where you would like to seek potential employees. For example, Staffing Partner is a leader in international IT recruitment services, operating in the US and European countries.
• Choose a vendor that works with IT industry experts: they have a better understanding of the tech skills needed to cover vacancies and can find the best talent. StaffingPartner has an impressive database of potential tech candidates since the company primarily works with the highest level of IT professionals.
• Turn to a reputable company with a 100% customer satisfaction rate: you can read testimonials of previous clients and ensure that all the talent suggested to them by StaffingPartner professionals met their expectations very well.
• Start with extending your team with only one expert: when you see that a recruitment agency provides you with really suitable candidates, it makes sense to turn to it again. StaffingPartner is happy to help hundreds of businesses extend their IT teams!

Final Thoughts

A full-scale development team is a dream of many businesses, but only a small number of them can afford it. However, there is a reasonable alternative to software team extension services when a company gets a necessary expert from outside and complements their project development procedure greatly.

Team extension has a number of unsurpassed benefits and provides flexibility to be tailored to specific business needs. The only question left is where to seek excellent team extension services. Luckily, you can contact StaffingPartner and order the development of the best team extension solutions for your company, as well as get answers to all of your questions on this topic from industry experts!

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