You have an in-house development team, but you need to expand it. However, you don’t want to deal with recruiting new employees, so what do you do?
Let’s discuss outsourcing team expansion.
As we continue our discussion of outsourcing models, we reach the one that is frequently the most practical when you already have some developers on your internal team; the Extended Team Model (ETM). The Extended Team Model is a style of outsourcing that fosters a closer bond between the client and the primary development team.
What exactly is the Extended Team Model?
The extended team model, also referred to as staff augmentation, is a product development model that works as an addition to the internal team. To assist the head office with its work and to help with non-core IT tasks or fill other skill gaps, the core team is augmented by professionals located locally or in a different country. It is one of the easiest ways of how to extend a software development team.
Given that there are other options for outsourcing services, it’s crucial to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of choosing the extended team model. Do the advantages of using extended teams outweigh the disadvantages? Hiring an extended development team can give your team the much-needed manpower to meet deadlines if they are working on a big project. The extended team model can really help your business if you’re willing to make a few minor adjustments.Also use team management apps for your business.
While contrasting expanded software developers with two less well-known collaboration models, controlled and devoted teams, let’s first discuss what an extended project team accomplishes. Instead of focusing only on a project-based, short-term collaboration, squad extension emphasises a long-term engagement and collaboration among your group of experts and the hired experts from an offshore software company. Even though different companies offer diverse team extension tactics, this model’s three essential elements remain constant.
- The team has been expanded.
An extended group approach suggests that, like DDoS proxy security, paid experts must supplement instead of completely replace your workforce. The primary goal of such a group is to fill any skill and expertise shortages that your on-shore staff may experience.
- The task was divided equally between the two teams.
All in and external computer engineers will collaborate on the initiative, managing all risks and production difficulties while bearing equal accountability for the final product. Professionals establish excellent interaction, take part in all phase of evolution, organise all necessary meetings, and provide you with updates.
- The project is within your command.
Each stage of the procedure can be planned and managed by your CTO or project leader, who will also make sure that each software engineer implements the plan, adheres to timelines, and fulfils their given responsibilities.
Moreover, the development team is treated less like a third party and more like a specifically designed offshore component supporting the mainland team. The dynamics of being a team member instead of working alone as a contractor is entirely different. The communication organization is the primary way this model differs from the others. In the extended team model, team members communicate directly with one another. A staff member who is outsourced speaks with the client and the rest of the mainland team as if they were homebound employees. That implies that a larger team is fully integrated into the overall workflow, accelerating turnaround time and improving communication.
Now let’s discuss the pros and cons of extended team development.
Pros of the Extended Development Teams model
The most challenging aspect of outsourcing is probably communication. Because we are all human, there will occasionally be misunderstandings, especially when information is passed along a chain through a number of people. However, ETM streamlines team member communication, essentially doing away with middlemen (because team members can communicate directly with each other.) The extended team model makes it easy to expand the team, assign software development tasks to knowledgeable professionals, and deliver a high-quality product on time and within the budget allotted.
There are many other advantages to outsourcing IT tasks, especially when working on lengthy, complex projects.
- It saves time,
- reduces costs,
- and allows for the maintenance of process control.
- Shared Responsibility. Sharing accountability for the overall quality of the development process and the outcomes that follow results in greater accountability. The main and outsourced teams are more cohesive when there is a sense of shared responsibility. It adopts the stance that “we’re in this together” and creates more effective team dynamics. Equal responsibility results from shared responsibility. This fosters a more active, collaborative style that improves the team’s capacity to grow.
- A development team’s ability to scale according to the demands of the project at hand is one of the crucial factors you should consider when deciding on an outsourcing model to use. The extended team model makes it simple to expand the team, assign software development tasks to knowledgeable experts, and deliver a top-notch product on time and within the allotted budget.
- Because you, the client or product owner, have more knowledge about the project’s progress, clarity and transparency are higher in the extended team model. In contrast to self-contained Time & Materials black boxes, mainland and outsourced teams in ETM have shared repositories, allowing for centralized bug tracking and a more frequent iteration cycle. All of this translates to significantly increased trust in the larger team and decreased second-guessing, which occasionally occurs in projects that are outsourced.
Suppose a company needs to come up with an idea for a new project and wants to avoid paying for an internal long-term development team. In that case, it may want to consider applying the extended team model because the service provider offers full control from ideation to testing and launch.
Moreover, when a company’s internal team is already working on a significant project and needs assistance from a second team of developers to meet a deadline, it should consider hiring an extended development team that provides quick access to the required resources and expertise.
Cons of the Extended Development Teams model
- Management resources are needed to manage the remote team and organize communication. Integration may not be as easy because there may be communication problems due to linguistic or cultural barriers between the internal and extended teams. Evaluating a candidate’s language ability and corporate culture fit is advised before hiring. That’s a managerial process.
- The core, the internal team, is another area of difficulty. If the outside resources are out of step with the internal team, there may be potential communication and collaboration problems. It’s critical that the new employees feel supported as they adjust to their new surroundings and become familiar with the company’s internal processes by both the new management and new coworkers. It is crucial to let the core team know that their new colleagues are not meant to take their place, just to relieve them of some duties and streamline the entire development process.
- Any remote work has its restrictions because the business must spend more time managing those employees who aren’t physically present in the office. The management needs to be ready for more frequent calls and back-and-forth communication from the core and extended teams in order to maintain a smooth workflow.
- Possible disruption when teams must change course due to changes to core projects.
So when do you employ team extensions services?
Through this time, you might be wondering if a team extension approach is indeed the best choice for your company. We can state that if you have a solid in-house team of engineers, you will only be capable of fully profit from this cooperation.
The projects listed below are good fits for the extended team model:
(i) Projects that last for a long time have many parts and have requirements that change over time while you don’t have all the necessary technologies on hand.
(ii) Projects where you don’t want your primary in-house team to work on a side project and become distracted from the main business.
(iii) Ongoing initiatives that progressively grow and require a lot of labor to maintain.
Conclusion
Outsourcing your IT work has many advantages, including cost and time savings while preserving control. To maintain your competitiveness in today’s quickly shifting business environment, using the appropriate team extension model can help you maximize efficiency while remaining adaptable and keeping costs low.
Author bio:
Sharon Vanessa Subbiah
Sharon enjoys writing a lot, with a focus on factual material. Even s he seems to have more than ten years of work experience in the writing world and wants to expand her knowledge by learning more about publications. She likes watching period films or reading good books in her free time.
Caroline is a dedicated writer with a passion for keeping readers informed. Specializing in providing the latest news updates and unbiased reviews, she strives to deliver accurate and insightful content. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to journalistic integrity, Caroline ensures that her readers are always well-informed. Stay tuned for her latest articles to stay up-to-date on current events and trends.
