Resource Augmentation is a moveable, flexible, and cost friendly outsourcing strategy. It helps the company in contracting the top tech talent of the 3rd party for their multiple tasks. This resource augmentation provides startups, mid sized business, and the large collaborations too. These resources collaborate with the entire in-house team remotely. 

Let’s talk about resource augmentation in detail.

When is Resource Augmentation Needed?

Resource augmentation is necessary in the following situations

1-When the Business needs Help

When you realise that you do not have enough expertise to complete your specific task then you can have resources augmentation to set your business on the right track.

2- When your Team Lacks the Skills

Resource augmentation is the way to fill the gaps in the knowledge and the expertise of your whole IT team.

3- When You Need Specialised Skills

When your in-house developers lack that specific skill that is needed by your project then you can choose resource augmentation because it will provide you immediate assistance.

4- When You Need Temporary Help

When you want full time employees for your company but don’t want to waste time in the hiring process. You can take help from resource augmentation as it will keep your project going while you can find, train, and onboard the permanent employees.

Benefits of Resource Augmentation 

1-Enhanced Productivity

It takes a lot of time and effort to hire new and permanent staff. According to research, an employer spends 24 days and $4,000 dollars on hiring a single employee. Recruiting and onboarding also requires money. 

Hiring process can be made easier and faster with the help of resource augmentation. Augmented staff works on the project and you can focus on the hiring process.

2-Operational Efficiency 

In the small and medium sized business, developing new software solutions can be costly. Because the expenses are high and the investment is limited. So, with the resource augmentation companies can spend their financial assets efficiently and the operational cost will be reduced. If you get augmented resources from a trustable and expert vendor, your tasks will be completed more quickly and efficiently.

3-Reduced Development Cost

Reducing augmentations reduces the overall debt costs because they are hired temporarily and do not require full time salaries, tax costs, and employee benefits. You can also recruit augmented resources from abroad who require salaries and low cost of living. 

4-Improved Scaling Capability 

Sometimes development projects are not simple yet they acquire fully developed capabilities and additional manpower. Resource augmentation is a better option in this situation. With the help of this, company can be able to complete tasks more quickly without involving more hands. You also don’t need to have long term contracts with them.

5-Filling Workforce Gaps

As we know, the software development process is complex and requires more skilled people to get completed, but sometimes your team lacks those skills which are needed to start the project. In this case, you can take help from augmented resources to complete your task. You can hire them for a short time and they will skilfully complete the project. 

6-New Ideas & Expertise

In this rapidly evolving IT industry, all the business need new ideas and expertise to remain competitive. But the fix team can stagnant the ideas. The external minds can bring innovation to your business. Those external minds are augmented resources. It helps your team in leveraging new ideas. 

7-Access To Talent

With resource augmentation you can get access to the pool of talent where there are a number of skilled and professional people to help you. You can hire them for a short span to get all the significant benefits.

8- No Additional Legal Paperwork 

All the legal paperwork is needed when you hire a permanent staff member. But resource augmentation only needs a contract to sign. Nothing else. All the other legalities are done by the augmentation provider. 

5-Step Resource Augmentation Framework

1- Define your Needs

First of all decide how many people you need to hire for your project. Also define the specifications you need. The specifications include qualifications, skills, experience, and expectations.

2- Choose the desired Candidates

After defining your needs and goals, you should pick the candidates who meet your criteria. The automation provider will help you in finding the right ones. Once you find them, start conducting interviews and then hire. 

3- Establish Role and Work Process

After hiring, you can assign the particular roles to the skilled workers so that they know what to do. You can also follow the following practices:

1- Establish the acceptance criteria and the scope of every milestone.

2- Define the specifications to clarify everything.

3- Check the quality throughout the project.

4- Also check timelines and budget.

5- Check and give reviews and feedback.

6- Check the details of your workflow.

4- Maintain Transparent Communication 

When you have poor communication you can loose control of leading projects. Embrace transparent communication to avoid such problems. This will improve the collaboration between augmented resources and the in-house team.

5- Document your Code

Software has billions of codes that require regular updates. But the documenting code is imperative as it allows any developer to know the code of other to update it. So you must have your both codes-in-house developers and augmented resources document code. 

Final Thoughts

If resource augmentation is done right, it can totally set the organisation up for success. It is vital to have the experienced partner. It is a straightforward process and only a contract is required. You need to sign the contract and your provider will cover the cost of hiring and all the legalities to maintain the employees. This process is especially beneficial for the startups as they require less investment and more benefits. So, without wasting time, get your hands on this opportunity!