IT Staff Augmentation Guide: Services, Benefits, and Best Practices

Struggling to find the right people for your tech project? You’re far from alone.

An astonishing 77% of employers — particularly in the IT and data skills sector — are scrambling to close talent gaps. Many companies now use IT staff augmentation to recruit specialists in a talent-strapped market.

Everyone’s doing it — from startups to giants like Google (which famously bought Kaggle to access 600,000+ data scientists for its AI products).

And with spending in talent augmentation set to reach $81.87 billion by 2025, it’s clear that this staffing strategy is a great way to skill up, scale up, and stay ahead.

Here’s what you need to know about software staff augmentation services and how you can implement it in your business.

Article Summary

• Staff augmentation definition
• How is staff augmentation different from outsourcing and managed services?
  • Comparison matrix: differences between models of IT outsourcing
• What are the benefits of staff augmentation?
• Why choose staff augmentation for your app development project?
• How to manage IT staffing augmentation
• How to choose the best staff augmentation company
• Hire the best-augmented staff
  • How Cheesecake Labs approaches staff augmentation

What is IT staff augmentation?

Staff augmentation means hiring skilled professionals to blend into your existing team for specific tasks or durations.

Whether you need a software developer to crack tough codes or a project manager to bring order to chaos, staff augmentation services can extend your in-house team with specialized skills pronto. It’s a fast and flexible fix for your immediate requirements.

Different staff augmentation models

The major different types of staff augmentation services are:

What roles can you use software staff augmentation for?

Companies looking to use technology staff augmentation might be looking to temporarily hire tech specialists like:

• Software engineers
• UX/UI designers
• DevOps engineers
• Project and product managers
• Product owners

IT Staff Augmentation vs. Managed Services vs. Software Outsourcing

Staff augmentation is often confused with other IT outsourcing models, but it’s a different strategy.

Here’s a quick look at the differences between managed services vs. staff augmentation vs. outsourcing:

	Staff Augmentation	Dedicated Teams/ Managed Services	Software Development Outsourcing
What you do	You hire individual IT professionals (like developers or system admins) to fill vacancies in your existing team.	You collaborate with a whole team of IT specialists from a service provider. This team is dedicated entirely to your project.	You outsource your entire IT project to a third-party company located onshore, nearshore, or offshore.
What you get	IT professionals who can directly plug into your existing infrastructure and projects, bringing specific skill sets.	A consistent, specialized IT team dedicated entirely to your project and follows your project requirements. For more information, check out Cheesecake Labs’ approach to dedicated teams.	An all-inclusive team of IT professionals who can take your project from ideation to deployment.
How it works	You identify the IT skills and roles you need. The staff augmentation provider sources and helps to integrate these IT specialists into your in-house team.	You drive the requirements, and the provider oversees the team. Providers can equip the team with the tools and resources they need for the project or they can work in your environment.	You relay your requirements to the outsourcing firm. They manage the entire product lifecycle, including staffing, development, testing, and daily operations.

Benefits of Staff Augmentation

Staff augmentation services can boost your team’s short-term capacity. This flexible model allows swift talent acquisition to cover skill set gaps without locking you into long-term commitments. It offers several benefits, including:

1. Access to global talent: With staff aug, you can quickly hire skilled professionals whose abilities precisely meet your project’s needs. 
   
2. More cost-effective: With IT augmentation you only pay for the hours worked, removing the benefits, insurance, and other overhead expenses tied to full-time hires. 
   
3. Faster than recruiting: Staff augmentation solutions can fast-track the hiring process because you can access vetted candidates who can start immediately. With quicker negotiations and integration, you can extend your budget, maintain your project timelines, and potentially shorten your time-to-market.
   
4. Flexible and scalable: The staff augmentation model is elastic and makes it easy to add or replace team members, so you always have the right skills for the job at hand.
   
5. Maintain project visibility: One of the biggest benefits of IT staff augmentation is that it keeps all work and decision-making in-house, giving you total control.
   
6. Foster internal acceptance: Bringing in permanent hires with specialized skills can sometimes create tension among existing employees. Staff augmentation reduces internal concerns about job security, keeping your team focused and happy.
   
7. Trial team members: If you’re on the fence about needing to make a long-term hire, use staff augmentation as a trial run to fill the gap. It’s a great way to see how well a potential new member fits into your team and company culture before making any full-time employment commitments.

Why choose staff augmentation for your app development project?

While there are many ways to get the talent you need to build your mobile or web app, staff augmentation could be the best option if:

1. You need to fill engineering gaps quickly

With 54% of IT leaders unable to fill at least one vacancy — and 38% failing to fill three or more. Staff augmentation promptly addresses any deficiencies to keep you ahead of the curve.

2. You can’t find the talent you need while recruiting for your in-house team

Maybe you need blockchain services or AI expertise — both niche fields with fewer qualified candidates. Staff augmentation is a more flexible and lower-risk approach to sourcing specialists.

3. You need to accelerate your time-to-market

Did you know that being just six months late to market can slash a product’s five-year profits by 33%? Augmented staff can accelerate project timelines, so you can capture market share before your competitors. 

4. IT is not your company’s core competency

Not an IT expert? No worries. Your in-house team can focus on what they do best while the augmented staff takes care of the tech-heavy lifting.

5. You need IT experts immediately

Need help stat? Staff augmentation is a quick way to add specialized skills that your in-house team may lack.

6. You’re looking for fresh perspectives

Even innovative companies can get stuck in a rut. An influx of fresh talent can provide new viewpoints and methodologies to invigorate your team and projects.

How to manage IT staffing augmentation

Staff augmentation services can position your project for timely execution and great results — all done on a leaner budget.

But that’s just half the equation. You also need effective management for a successful staff augmentation project.

How do you optimize your contract team’s performance? Here are some staff augmentation best practices to keep in mind:

• Clearly define job roles and responsibilities

First, identify skill gaps in your current team to pinpoint the ideal candidates to fill those voids. Set clear project goals, schedules, and expected tasks to make the hiring process simpler. 

• Set up security processes and confidentiality agreements

In a hypercompetitive tech market, confidentiality agreements can safeguard your trade secrets and intellectual property and minimize potential risks to sensitive data and proprietary information.

• Set up a communication plan with augmented staff members

Well-connected teams are 20% to 25% more productive. Use tools like Slack for day-to-day interactions and video conferencing platforms like Zoom for more in-depth conversations.

• Make them feel like they’re a part of your team

Inclusion matters, even in a temporary arrangement like staff augmentation. Make augmented staff feel like part of your team by involving them in team meetings, including them in decision-making processes where appropriate, and giving them access to the same resources as your in-house team.

• Get them familiar with your team’s processes, tools, and documentation

Share all relevant documentation and procedures with your augmented staff to put everyone on the same page. Assign a point person (usually a project manager) to oversee knowledge transfer.

• Stay involved throughout the project execution process

Regular check-ins help align your external experts with your project goals and deadlines. If you can’t manage this yourself, delegate the responsibility to a liaison between you and the augmented staff.

• Acknowledge cultural and time zone differences

When you bring in people from around the globe, you’re also inviting a range of cultural norms and time zones into your workspace. Acknowledging these differences isn’t just respectful — it’s also good for business. 

Be aware of time zones, holidays, work styles, and communication preferences to prevent misunderstandings and foster a more inclusive environment. 

• Recognize and appreciate their efforts

Though your relationship may be temporary, recognition boosts morale and can lead to better work outcomes. Offer feedback both privately and publicly to motivate your augmented team and affirm their value.

• Plan for easy scaling 

Do you expect your project demands to evolve down the road? Be sure to agree on notice periods for scaling up or down.

How to choose the best staff augmentation company

1. Ask about their hiring and vetting process

How do they hire and vet their candidates? The answer will give you insights into the caliber of professionals you’re likely to get.

Staff augmentation companies with rigorous vetting processes are more likely to provide high-quality team members who are experts in their fields.

Make sure the company conducts multiple rounds of interviews, technical tests, and reviews candidates’ work experience and expertise to ensure competency and reliability.

Their process should take the pressure off of you — you won’t need to do in-depth interviews since it will already be done for you.

2. Evaluate their talent depth and retention strategy

Choose a provider that has both a broad talent pool and low turnover rates. They’ll likely be better at accommodating changes in your project’s size and scope.

3. Assess their reputation

Look for indicators of reliability and competence, including positive client testimonials and comprehensive case studies demonstrating a track record of success.

A provider with a strong company culture and employer branding is also likely to attract and keep top talent and can offer you a stable pool of skilled candidates to minimize turnover.

4. Is nearshore staffing right for you?

Nearshore staff augmentation means outsourcing your project tasks to a country that is geographically close to your own, usually in the same or a similar time zone.

For countries in North America and Western Europe, this means Latin America. Brazil, in particular, is one of the best countries for nearshore staffing for several reasons: cost-effectiveness, cultural similarities, tech education and IT talent, high English proficiency, and minimal time difference.

Hire the best-augmented staff

Looking for world-class software development staff augmentation? Cheesecake Labs has a lot to offer. There’s a reason we’re the  #1 app developer in Brazil and we’ve been certified as a Great Place to Work for eight years in a row!

How Cheesecake Labs approaches staff augmentation

Unlike other companies that hire per project, we have a pool of exceptional talent ready to jump into your project, ensuring quick scaling and staffing. Our vetted and onboarded specialists are the same high-quality professionals who work on the projects we fully manage.

Our top-tier hiring process means we always hire the right people with the right skills.

Here’s what Chief of People & Culture Officer, Caroline, has to say about our lean, laser-focused process:

At Cheesecake Labs, our hiring process is meticulously designed to ensure that we not only provide a positive experience for our candidates but also guide them through a journey that reflects what it means to be a ‘Caker.’

When we hire to fill out our talent pool, these are the steps we take:

• We prioritize aligning talent with our culture and technical expertise
• We carry out a two-step evaluation of hard and soft skills
• Our recruitment team works closely with technically savvy leaders who are trained to uncover and develop valuable skills and potential

We’ll also work with you to ensure our experts have experience with your tech stack. Here are just a few things the Cheesecake Labs team has expertise in:

• Flutter and React Native
• FlutterFlow and other low-code/no-code solutions
• Stellar blockchain protocol and Hyperledger
• Native cross-platform development
• Custom languages: JavaScript, Golang, and Python
• Custom frameworks: Next.js, Node.js, Python Django, and React.JS
• Cloud experts (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Heroku, Netlify, etc)
• And more…

Our approach to hiring means we can consistently deliver a WOW experience for our clients looking for staff augmentation.

If you want to know more about our IT staff augmentation services, let’s chat! We’ll help you build the best team for your business’s needs.