1. Not knowing the company’s organizational culture

Outsourcing of new staff usually implies that the company will work with people from a different country, which is why it is crucial to remember the cultural differences they might have, that also includes differences in the organizational culture. Many companies don’t take into account how they can adapt the augmented staff to their organization, they usually skip that. 

In order to avoid this mistake, all the cultural differences that might be sensitive and have an influence in cooperation must be carefully analyzed. In some cases, a training on the subject  for the employees is necessary, in which additional methods and policies of cooperation can be introduced, so it can fit both parties and work adequately for the project at isse. Sometimes, not knowing a company’s culture well enough will bring insecurities about the capacity of having the right talent in the company. 

2. Lack of research in the market

Reviewing and researching the market implies checking the experience, comments and case studies that the different companies offering the staff augmentation service have participated in. Clutch, for instance, is one of the platforms in which very complete and necessary information (such as client’s testimonies and reviews) can be found in order to evaluate a potential partner. 

To avoid making this mistake, it is important that the company you choose to partner with appears in one of these B2B platforms, since that will allow you to check all their experience. On the contrary, if you do not find comments or reviews about this company and it does not appear to be on these platforms, that might be a sign that the team does not count with the right experience.  

On the other hand, you can also review the solutions used by different competitors and recognized companies among the IT industry. Since hiring a specialist in this service is a very important decision, the market research will allow you to estimate the risks and possibilities you have. That does not mean you have to copy it or try to develop the same, but it could give you a general understanding of the options you may opt for when augmenting your staff. 

3. Not knowing the requirements well

Not having a clear vision about what you really need and not presenting the right requirements, can result in misunderstandings and wrong or incomplete information for your augmented workers. 

In order to avoid that, we recommend to observe the entire internal team, roles and responsibilities of each member on it, afterwards, carefully analyze to understand what you  expect from an augmented and remote team, which are the tasks you need to assign to them, those the project or company need to complete.   

A full and clear description of the project’s ideas can be prepared, one that includes every detail necessary (this can be done in a written document). That way,  you will be able to present the requirements in a much better way, because, even if you have many talents on your team and high qualified developers, they won’t be able to present you the expected results if ideas are not transmitted correctly. A continuous communication with the team is necessary, so that everyone has the chance of clarifying information, in case doubts come up.

4. Thinking you don’t need a project manager

It is usual that startups or companies that do not have much experience using staff augmentation don’t pay much attention to having a figure that is in charge of the communication process between the developers team and the client. A project manager is usually in charge of verifying the process and creating tasks for an entire team. Also, he’s responsible for understanding and communicating what the clients want to the developers.

To avoid this mistake, it must be understood that adequate communication allows the project to be safe and having a project manager in charge will make processes easier. It is important to comprehend that the responsibility of having a specialist does not rely on the partner providing the service, unless you do not count with this type of talent in your team and also want to get it. 

A project manager does not replace the IT specialist. A CTO or chief technology officer’s  participation will also be important for the team, without him, it won’t be so easy to fulfill all the expectations. 

5. Choosing the wrong outsourcing model

A big amount of companies usually rush and pick an approach that seems to be the simplest and, as the market, IT companies usually offer a wide variety of services (such as managed services, custom software development, consultancies, product’s designs, etc) there can be confusions.  Impatience for outsourcing as many tasks as possible prevents companies from recognizing the model that suits their needs best. 

That is why it is essential that before making a decision, you review the different cooperation models that your potential partner offers with him. This will also imply analyzing the project, its size, the already defined requirements, budget; on the other hand, risks, advantages and disadvantages of every option, one by one. Afterwards, you will know what to internally do with your company and on what ways you can hire the talent you require. 

Whether you decide to have a dedicated development team or augment the specific staff, the relevant thing will be that it actually adjusts to what is missing. You will avoid money and time loss, by obtaining better results. 

Finally

The ones mentioned above are tips you can follow to avoid inconveniences when augmenting your staff and hiring developers. You can take the necessary time to review all the aspects we mentioned, what’s important is making the right decision, and that it brings the best benefits for your company or project. You must be aware that you need to dedicate a lot of time and effort on this matter, but also, with an excellent IT staff augmentation partner you will realize that hiring new developers is easier than it looks. 

Lastly, choose a company willing to go with you along the process, to resolve your doubts and negotiate. You will be able to tell the experience of the company with details such as: attitude, commitment when guiding you step by step to give you solid agreements. 

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