Team Extension: Features, Benefits & Process

In short, team extension is about bringing more members to your existing team. It can cover the higher demand for skilled individuals. According to Statista 2022 research, about 19% of developers have spent less than a year coding, which means they need more time to complete tasks. Also, it may include requesting a third-party opinion on the project objectives.

A typical software development team comprises a product owner, business analyst, engineers, QA specialists, UI/UX designers, etc. However, if you aim to increase the team’s output quickly and save costs on onboard training, you’ll need to find more experienced employees who can work with no or little supervision.

In this post, Devox Software will share the secrets of a successful team extension and IT staff augmentation. Our clients get much more than a quality code: they reach higher levels of customer satisfaction because of outstanding product quality. Learn about the role of the team integration process and how it may impact your day-to-day operations.

Types of Cooperation Models

Team extension is just the tip of the iceberg: it opens the way to more complicated corporate relationships.

To explore the company’s potential, don’t limit yourself to software outsourcing as a solution to all problems. There are at least three options for distributing the workload between the in-house teams and an outsourcing vendor.

Extended team 

Businesses integrate top specialists into their in-house teams with this model. It allows access to a global talent pool as additional members can join remotely.  

Managed team 

It is an intermediate option between the extended and outsourced options. This approach allows the extended software development team to work in-house. Yet, they stay under the supervision of an outsourced project manager. The latter then ensures that project results align with the requirements.

Outsourced team

The most traditional but the least hands-on option. You may send the project specifications to remote employees who will finish tasks and return a product by the agreed time.

To take the company to the next level, the leaders should upgrade their teams with new specialists. Everyone can pick up a different strategy for driving great results. Below is a practical example of how the cooperation models combine with various project stages.

Defining Team Extension Model

A software development team extension means recruiting developers with the right culture fit and expertise to contribute to a project. 

The idea behind a software team extension is to provide more opportunities for tech specialists to advance in their careers. It also ensures seamless integration between departments.

The team extension model is a part of staff augmentation: it reinforces teams with skilled development staff. An extended software development team is a great choice for small and medium-sized businesses, helping to address resource-intensive tasks.

With team extension, you can:

• Hire top-notch specialists from all over the world
• Pick up a strategy that aligns with your expectations
• Expand your team’s technical capacity
• Save time on recruitment practices, focusing on business goals instead.

Devox Software Brand promise is to help our clients digitally transform their businesses. We can pick up the right model of IT staff augmentation to fulfill your business needs. Our company provides ready-to-go teams for urgent tasks. We are ready to take over management duties at any moment.

How You Can Benefit from Team Extension Model

Here’s the list of main benefits for owners who prefer a team extension model:

• Eliminating the skill and headcount gap
• Interacting with extended team members directly
• Improving the team’s productivity over a short time
• Avoiding hiring and onboarding costs
• Staying in control of the SDLC (software development lifecycle) process

Thanks to global digitalization, you may conduct a software development team extension regardless of geographical borders. Spare tedious employment procedures and invest in a long-term partnership with an outsourcing vendor to enjoy cooperation with reliable talent.

When Should You Use the Team Extension Services

The right extended software development team completes the project within the deadline and follows specific requirements. At Devox Software, we share the same passion for making IT products better and offer you insight into situations when the team extension can save your business.

• Prolonged requirements: when you need a core engineering team for a task
• Shortage of expertise: when you lack talented employees, and the team’s productivity goes down
• Demand for a cloud team: when you need to work with cloud migration services
• Enhancement of tech outsourcing: when extended team management may contribute to your business goals.

Team extension deals with the dynamic demand for developers in the business world. Startups and tech companies are actively hiring new developers with specific skills. Depending on your request, you may use this permanently or as a temporary outsourcing solution.

Devox Software can provide the extra force for an existing or upcoming project. We can assist with an effective vendor transition and take over the project at any stage. Let us save you from IT recruitment hassles and receive direct access to a vast talent pool! You can participate in a screening process and get yourself only top-notch specialists.

6 Methods to Grow Your Team

It’s always about a choice: expand your local team or outsource the project completely or partially. In the latter case, you give the work to an outsourcing firm: the assigned vendor executes your project within a particular set of requirements.

A software development team extension has different approaches. As with any corporate metrics, it’s flexible and adaptable for a specific business model, whether your startup is works in the beauty industry or developing an educational app.

1. In-House Team

It’s hard to establish a middle ground between in-house hiring and outsourcing. In-house team extension allows co-workers to communicate directly and makes it easier to manage the workflow.

Conversely, an extended software development team will complement a skill set while leaving the company’s organizational structure untouched. In-house hiring will help you to create a more positive corporate environment and promote an atmosphere of collaboration.

2. Freelance Developers

Hiring freelancers is the best approach for a software development team extension if you are looking for affordable prices that do not impede efficiency. This model aligns with a cost-reducing principle: no need to care about office spaces, provisions, or software licenses.

Freelance contractors typically use their hardware and do not depend on many side factors, including the weather, public transportation, etc. Freelancing is a mutual agreement between an employer and developer to complete a task together without additional obligations.

3. Outstaffing Company

Outstaffing is a peculiar type of team extension. Generally, it means getting a new specialist who does the job for you yet remains an employee of an outstaffing company. 

Outstaffing is an optimal solution if you don’t have much access to a global talent pool. You’re selecting a third-party company like Devox Software that screens and picks the top professionals. 

The best thing about outstaffing is that you express your preferences for the extended software development team, and your outstaffing partner gets things done. Once approved, we will take care of onboarding procedures and set up a communication flow. 

4. IT Outsourcing

Outsourcing works well for startup founders who don’t want to dive into all the technical details. It can also benefit small businesses ready to try new ideas but unsure about their product strategy.

An outsourcing team extension model means the client entrusts the whole project to a third-party company. In this case, the company rarely has access to the development team: you just come to an outsourcing agency with an idea and a vision, and they complete the rest.

The main difference between outsourcing and outstaffing lies in operations. Outstaffing wins if you want to have a team at your disposal. In this case, your partner hires the developers and is responsible for their wages, bonuses, and equipment. You, the client, manage the team and assign their tasks.

On the contrary, outsourcing is your choice when you need to cover specific IT projects, such as building an app, speeding up the testing stage, etc. This type of software development team extension aims to fulfill your short-term needs without specialists going deeply into the company’s vision.

5. IT Staff Augmentation

While the outsourcing model only provides the final result, IT staff augmentation will give you control over the operations. This hiring solution is suitable for any size of business that needs talent for short-term positions.

IT staff augmentation helps you to keep up with the driving market changes. You can leverage the model if you need expert help urgently. With the top-notch professionals available at Devox Software, you won’t regret it!

We offer full support in a process (yes, you’ll get a personal account manager!), an option of a permanent extension of your IT department, and flexible project management. You can delegate the job to a part-time or a full-time project manager or assign tasks on your own.

6. Dedicated Development Team

The last model resembles outsourcing and outstaffing in some way. The collaboration period is much longer, though: all the dedicated team members work exclusively for your company, just as the in-house team.

According to a Deloitte survey in 2020, cost-cutting is the top reason (70%) for outsourcing. A dedicated development team has a simple pricing structure, releasing you from paying extra costs (for example, office rental, electricity bills, or taxes). The one thing you pay for is an agreed hourly rate.

By hiring a dedicated development team with Devox Software, you have an opportunity to fill the missing gaps in your business goals. However, you are free from regular employment matters like paperwork, taxation, and other HR issues.

Therefore, you kill two birds with one stone: ensuring team extension for existing co-workers and avoiding excessive bureaucracy regarding hiring, onboarding, etc.

Pros and Cons of Team Extension Approaches

An extended software development team is a big advantage for business owners looking to expand their expertise. But how can you navigate in the swirling waters of IT recruitment?Take a look at the obvious benefits and challenges of various team extension approaches to find the best match:

Looking for a software development team extension, you need to think about the end goal you’re doing this for. If you’re developing a brand new line of products, you may need to change the software adapting it to market needs quickly. In this case, the earlier-mentioned team extension models will work great.

For more information on the available services, connect with Devox Software. We’ll define your project goals and help to find the best hiring model to boost productivity.

Contribution of Devox Software 

Devox Software is a team of ambitious leaders in software development. Our main goal is to upscale your organization by providing value-added solutions and services.

We can support client-led projects or take responsibility and supervise teams independently. Spare the hassle with your in-house team and enjoy the business benefits while we will take care of the rest.

Before we get started, choose one of the options that align with your expectations:

• Fixed bid: provide us with clear project requirements and deadlines to complete a fixed-price project
• Time and material: for work that has a flexible timeframe and material count. We’ll adjust timing, ensuring your direct engagement in a process
• Dedicated team: find high-skilled developers, contribute to your corporate reputation. The dedicated team at Devox Software is about erasing borders on the way to true excellence

Devox Software is an international company operating in Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and other countries. We value our customers and aim to deliver the best quality of service in the IT market worldwide.

Talking About Team Integration 

Team integration has been widely fostered to improve collaborative relationships between different organizations. It allows companies to expand their expertise and create a more competitive product.

Through years of experience, we can say a successful team integration depends on understanding the requirements of all stakeholders.

It consists of three core points:

• Leadership: executive leaders try to find a reliable partner to upgrade their development processes. 
• Management: product and project managers work on the decisions to reach higher velocity and productivity amongst developing teams
• Execution: team leads and developers execute the tasks with different complexity levels. 

Regarding remote teams, team integration is challenging in terms of effective cooperation. American psychological researcher, Bruce Tuckman, has developed several stages for successful team integration:

1. Forming: when team members don’t know much about the project and struggle to make connections
2. Storming: active work on task demands, trying to express their individuality in a process
3. Norming: an open exchange of views about the team’s problems and working on a common solution. At this stage, workers also collaborate on the project’s objective
4. Performing: the final touch to a picture, when the team is fully ready to execute tasks, being more flexible and efficient.

These four stages come in handy when trying to put remote or virtual teams on the same page. Without proper intra-department cooperation, the co-workers won’t be able to deliver a high-quality product in time. So, once you’re done with hiring new developers, don’t ignore the need for team integration for a project’s sake.

Key Takeaways

Team extension means finding the best candidates to let you reach your business goals. It may be a temporary outsourcing cooperation or a search for a dedicated team who’ll be working side by side with you for years.

Before choosing a software development team extension model, answer the following: how long will the project take, and what are your objections? Focus on the end product and the features it should have to spark a customer’s interest.

If you just need a temporary addition of IT talent to finish the project, you may try a freelance platform or outsourcing agency. In case you own a startup and look for a long-term collaboration, think of hiring a dedicated team or putting a request to an outstaffing agency.

Devox Software will be happy to give a hand with recruitment procedures. We’ll provide access to top-notch developers and ensure their seamless work. As a leading software development company, we will augment your team with top talents. Call us to get more details!