Staff augmentation is becoming standardized among startups. Smart leaders know that filling critical staffing needs, particularly in highly-specialized roles like IT, needs to be done quickly and correctly to scale their needs appropriately and meet ever-changing project demands. The right staff augmentation choices allow business leaders to ensure seamless collaboration with staff members, cost-effectiveness, and successful projects.
Key Factors in Choosing an IT Staff Augmentation Partner
To make the best possible choice when looking for an IT staff augmentation partner, you should lay out your criteria clearly in advance. The best partners, such as Softellar, will meet all your requirements.
Define Your Project Requirements and Goals
To understand precisely which needs you have to fill, you need to define your project components and goals clearly. This means:
- Outlining the entire scope of your project, including its technical requirements, as well as specific objectives and larger goals.
- Having the ability to explain your needs in such a way as to easily identify suitable partners. Finding the right partners ensures that your technical, communicative, and overall needs will be met, and you will not need to redo any of the work that has been done.
The importance of aligning your goals with the capabilities of potential cannot be overstated. Specialists are trained in specific areas so that they can perform tasks that others are not capable of. Startup leaders don’t have time or money to waste on getting it wrong because they already have too much work to do just getting off the ground.
Evaluate Technical Expertise and Industry Experience
Once you know what needs you have to fill, the next task is knowing what to look for in the specialists you choose. Keep in mind the following:
- You should look for a partner with experience in the field, and in the areas you need specifically. Even if developers are very sharp coming out of college, it doesn’t mean that they can handle unexpected situations, stress, or many other things that only come in the real world. Look for people with experience working with startups in particular.
- You should conduct a thorough review of particular case studies that potential partners have worked on, look up their client testimonials, and take their larger portfolios into consideration.
- Look for particular certifications in the technologies that you are seeking help with. Experience is valuable, but certifications can attest to particular industry knowledge by themselves.
Assess Communication and Collaboration Practices
Beyond technical skills, being a good communicator will provide your company with additional IT staff augmentation benefits. Even if specialists are able to fulfill the task in the right way, your own team members might become confused if the partner is not good at communicating the specifics of their work.
There are numerous factors that contribute to effective communication. Beyond personality types, there are technical considerations such as language differences, time zone discrepancies, and other cultural factors that can play a role in how your project plays out.
Check for Flexibility and Scalability
Scalability is essential when running startup projects. Your business could suddenly take off really fast, or conversely you could face conditions that cause you to suddenly have to downsize your projects. Either way, you need a partner who will be able to adjust project parameters along with you quickly and seamlessly.
Flexibility in all aspects of project development is essential. This could involve changing terms, project participants, objectives, or other conditions. Be sure to feel out potential partners and be sure that whoever you choose will be flexible when working with you. To assess their level of flexibility, create a list of questions involving potentially changing circumstances and see how they respond. Looking up client testimonials is also helpful.
Review Security and Compliance Measures
When working with IT teams, you deal with a lot of potentially sensitive data. Hiring people on the outside means exposing previously unknown people to information that needs to remain classified.
To make sure that your potential partner meets your security requirements, check to make sure that they meet industry standards for compliance. This can include:
- HIPAA certification for anything involving healthcare
- GDRR certification for EU-related projects
- ISO certification for quality guarantee
You will have your own confidentiality agreement to be signed with your partner, but it is best to take measures in advance to ensure that you are making a solid choice. Creating secure development practices from the beginning of your business is essential to making sure that you carry the same standards through all your projects.
Conclusion
Following IT staff augmentation tips can do wonders for small businesses. When you hire a staff augmentation partner, you are providing yourself with multiple benefits. Most importantly, you are getting experienced, targeted assistance in exactly the areas in which you need it most. You do not have to worry about cumbersome onboarding procedures, expensive hiring processes, and the long-term relationships between specialists and your staff. When you go through a staff augmentation procedure, be sure to go through a detailed checklist to make sure that you are getting the best partners possible and that they meet all of the technical and security requirements that you have.
James is the head of marketing at Tamoco
