Staff augmentation is an increasingly popular approach to sustaining business operations in the IT industry. It can provide valuable expertise and resources in areas such as software development without requiring a long-term commitment. However, it is essential to be mindful of the potential challenges that can arise during the process.

This article will provide an overview of the top ten staff augmentation challenges and offer strategies for overcoming them.

What Is Staff Augmentation?

Staff augmentation is a business practice in which an organization brings in additional staff from outside sources to supplement its existing staff, increasing efficiency and productivity. The staff augmentation provider will assess the organization’s needs and provide the necessary personnel to complete the tasks.

How Does Staff Augmentation Differ From Traditional Outsourcing?

With traditional outsourcing, an organization typically contracts with an outside firm for the long-term completion of a project. With staff augmentation, the organization usually only brings in personnel to supplement the company’s internal pool of staff for a short period of time to complete specific tasks, allowing the organization to respond quickly to changes in the market.

What Are the Potential Challenges of Staff Augmentation?

Like any other staffing solution, staff augmentation can also present potential challenges. However, if analyzed properly, these staff augmentation challenges can be managed effectively.

Challenge 1: Finding the right talent

Finding the right talent means finding a professional with the right skills, experience, and attitude to fit in with your team and work environment. This can be challenging, as finding the right person requires time and resources. 

Additionally, you may have to compete with other companies for the same talent, as the pool of qualified people can be limited.

Strategies for an effective talent search

• Identify needs: What skills are required for the project? What experience do you need? What type of attitude is desired? Once you’ve identified your project’s needs, you can narrow your search for the right professionals.
• Partner with a staff augmentation agency: A high-quality staff augmentation vendor like WillDom has access to a large pool of qualified professionals and will go out of its way to match your company with the perfect candidate.
• Set clear expectations: Setting clear expectations will help ensure that the professional understands what is expected of them and can be held accountable for their project management and project implementation.

Challenge 2: Onboarding and integration

Onboarding and integrating an augmented team can be complex because they may not be familiar with your company’s culture, and a long recruitment process is not an option. Plus, providing access to the same resources and opportunities as in-house staff can be tricky if the augmented staff member is remote.

Best practices for seamless onboarding and integration

• Provide training: Providing the augmented staff member with the necessary training to do their job effectively is not an organizational waste when it comes to this particular remote working model.
• Enhance communication: Eliminate poor communication by doing regular check-ins with the staff member, ensuring they are on track with their tasks, and not having issues acquiring project details.
• Foster collaboration: Encourage collaboration between the augmented staff member and the in-house team to help ensure seamless integration.

Challenge 3: Legal and compliance issues

When bringing on remote teams of staff augmentation professionals, the employer must comply with all relevant laws and regulations. Employers must ensure the augmented staff member has the legal documentation and permits to work in their country.

Strategies for staying compliant

• Establish clear policies: Establish clear policies and procedures that define the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the staff augmentation professional.
• Monitor the agreement: Monitor the staff augmentation agreement to ensure the terms and conditions of the agreement are being met and that the staff augmentation professional complies with all relevant laws and regulations.
• Document thoroughly: Document all actions and decisions related to the staff augmentation agreement, including any changes to the agreement, to ensure compliance and protect the interests of all parties involved.

Challenge 4: Maintaining company culture

Maintaining company culture with staff augmentation can be challenging because the augmented staff member may not be immersed in the company culture like the in-house staff. 

This can lead to a disconnect between the external employee and the rest of the team, making it difficult to maintain the same level of team cohesion and collaboration.

Techniques for ensuring cultural fit

• Researching potential candidates: Researching potential staff augmentation candidates can help ensure that the augmented staff member is a good fit for the company culture.
• Set up interviews: Interviewing potential staff augmentation candidates can ensure that the augmented staff member fits the company culture well.
• Developing onboarding processes: Developing a solid staffing and onboarding process that is explicitly tailored to the augmented staff member can help ensure they know the company’s culture, values, and expectations.

Challenge 5: Communication and collaboration

Communication and collaboration can be difficult with staff augmentation due to different time zones, language barriers, and cultural differences. If the augmented staff member is remote, ensuring access to the same resources and opportunities as in-house staff can be challenging.

Strategies for improving communication

• Use collaboration tools: Utilize collaboration tools such as video conferencing and online workspaces so all team members can easily communicate and collaborate.
• Develop regular check-ins: Schedule regular check-ins with the augmented staff member to ensure timely progress on all tasks.
• Foster a positive culture: Foster a positive culture and create an environment of inclusion and respect to promote a successful working relationship.

Challenge 6: Intellectual property protection

Protecting intellectual property is a challenge regarding staff augmentation, as the augmented staff member may not be bound by the same confidentiality agreements and protection policies as in-house staff. 

Employers must ensure that all appropriate measures are taken to protect the company’s proprietary information.

Measures for safeguarding intellectual property

• Non-disclosure agreements: A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legally binding document that outlines an individual’s obligations to protect confidential information and is a must for safeguarding data.
• Data encryption: restricting access to specific details and requiring authentication for certain systems can help limit the spread of confidential information.
• Regular audits: Regular audits of staff, techniques, and procedures should be conducted to ensure that only authorized personnel are accessing confidential information.

Challenge 7: Managing costs and budget constraints

Managing costs and budget constraints can be a challenge with staff augmentation. Companies need to ensure the augmented staff members are cost-effective and they know of any additional costs associated with the staff augmentation, such as taxes, insurance, and other legal requirements.

Tips for optimizing costs

• Understand the job requirements: By conducting job analysis, employers can better understand the skills, knowledge, and experience required and identify the most cost-effective staff augmentation solution.
• Research the market: Research the market and identify a range of potential staff augmentation solutions that meet the criteria and budget.
• Ask about additional costs: Asking about any additional costs associated with staff augmentation and negotiating a more cost-effective solution can help employers manage costs and ensure they get the best value.

Challenge 8: Retaining augmented staff

Retaining augmented staff can be challenging as they may not be as motivated as in-house staff. The augmented staff member needs to be adequately compensated and provided with the same opportunities for growth and development as in-house staff.

Strategies for improving retention

• Professional development: Providing augmented staff with opportunities for professional development is a great way to ensure they remain engaged and motivated.
• Recognition: Recognizing and rewarding augmented staff’s efforts can help create a positive and encouraging working environment.
• Flexible working: Offering flexible working arrangements and allowing external staff to work remotely can help increase their overall job satisfaction and reduce the risk of burnout.

Challenge 9: Measuring performance and success

Measuring performance and success with staff augmentation can be complex, as tracking the augmented staff member’s progress can take time. Companies must find a way to track whether the external staff member meets their goals and expectations.

Methods for effective performance assessment

• Key performance indicators (KPIs): KPIs are a great way to measure the effectiveness of an augmented staff member, with metrics such as the number of tasks completed, the quality of the work, the speed of completion, and customer satisfaction.
• Employee feedback: Feedback from the augmented staff member’s colleagues and supervisors can help provide an objective view of their work and highlight improvement areas.
• Performance benchmarking: Performance benchmarking allows employers to compare the performance of their augmented staff member’s performance with their peers’ performance and identify improvement areas.

Challenge 10: Scaling staff augmentation efforts

Scaling staff augmentation efforts can be challenging, as it requires finding additional staff members with the right skills and experience to meet the company’s needs. The external staff members must be adequately trained and integrated into the team cost-effectively.

Strategies for effectively scaling staff augmentation

• Develop a plan: Developing a plan for scaling staff augmentation efforts ahead of time can help ensure that the process runs smoothly and that the company’s goals are met.
• Evaluate skill sets: Before expanding the staff augmentation effort, it is essential to evaluate the skill sets of the existing staff members to ensure an effective knowledge transfer.
• Use automation: Automation can streamline the staff augmentation process, making it easier to manage and scale.

How Can I Effectively Measure the Performance of My Augmented Staff?

To effectively measure the performance of your augmented staff, you should establish metrics for the project or task that needs to be met and track the progress of the augmented staff against these metrics. 

You should also monitor the quality of the work produced by the augmented staff, including timeliness, accuracy, and customer satisfaction.

How Can I Ensure the Quality of Work Produced by the Augmented Staff?

To ensure the quality of work produced by the augmented staff, you should create clear expectations and guidelines for the project or task and provide ongoing communication and support to the augmented staff. 

You should also perform regular quality checks on the work produced by the augmented staff, including reviewing the work for accuracy and timeliness.

Are You Ready to Boost Your Team Productivity Through Staff Augmentation?

For staff augmentation to be a success, it is essential to find a reliable staff augmentation company. The provider should have a proven track record of delivering successful projects in the past, have a network of skilled professionals who are reliable and able to deliver results on time, and provide cost-effective solutions.

WillDom is an IT staff augmentation service provider with competitive pricing, multiple success stories, and specialists in various fields. We have a thorough vetting process for potential employees and a solid commitment to helping our clients find the right people for their projects.

Contact WillDom today and let our staff augmentation services help you find professionals who will make a difference in your project.