In previous articles, we’ve talked about nearshore software development as a means for companies to accelerate their product development process, comparing them with alternatives in offshore and onshore software outsourcing. We’ve also discussed in depth about the benefits of two common engagement models that outsourcing companies follow. Now, the question is: what model best suits your own project?

For this article, we’ll expand on this idea, by offering a comparative analysis between the it staff augmentation and dedicated development team engagement models we’ve discussed before, allowing you to decide which one suits your project best. The next time you’re choosing between any nearshore software development providers, make sure you take this into consideration when deciding how to proceed.

IT Staff Augmentation Recap

As we’ve mentioned, we spoke in depth about it staff augmentation in a previous article. We recommend reading this article if you’d like a more in depth look at how it staff augmentation works. For this particular article, we’ll give a brief refresher on what this engagement model is all about for it outsourcing and nearshore software development overall.

So, what is it staff augmentation again? IT Staff Augmentation refers to the engagement model that uses temporary software developers to enhance a companies workforce during spikes in work output by filling temporary positions to manage specific project requirements. These temporary resources work directly with your internal software development team, meaning they’ll be fully under your supervision for the duration of the project or until the requirement is fulfilled. Taking into consideration these two specific attributes, it staff augmentation helps companies reach their goals by giving them short-term flexibility over their team composition making workloads more manageable, keeping full control over your project without having to hand the reins over to an external team, and allowing these resources to be fully integrated with your internal team.

Dedicated Development Team Recap

Like it staff augmentation, we also talked about dedicated development and dedicated development teams in a separate article. The same recommendation given in the previous section still applies here, so keep that in mind.

A dedicated development team refers to the engagement model that let’s companies work with full teams of independent, dedicated hires to take on tasks or specific business requirements that you’d like your internal team to not be their main priority or focus. Like it staff augmentation, a dedicated development team also consist of resources that last for a specific amount of time, however these work as a separate team form your internal one, with their own scrum master, tech lead and developers organizing their time and effort around a given task. Also, unlike it staff augmentation, a dedicated development team is there for longer, betting on a long-term relationship with their clients.

This leads into the first benefit of a dedicated development team; looking towards a long-term commitment with a dedicated development team helps maintain some of the more cost-effective benefits that nearshore software development provides, but also allows your team to maintain focus on the tasks that matter. Second, a dedicated development team is comprised of a more diverse team in terms of skills; since these are fully fleshed out teams compared to it staff augmentation, you’ll have a wider range of skills working on the project that you need. Lastly, these teams are independent, meaning you only need to supervise fully your internal team, only needing to have updates with this dedicated development team, usually in the form of sprints, to keep up with progress.

Comparative Graph Between IT Staff Augmentation and Dedicated Development Teams

Below is a table that shows a comparative look at both engagement models through the lens of different attributes important to the organization of any given project:

Recommendations from the Teravision Technologies Team

Based on this comparative chart, we recommend you take into consideration these tips when deciding on your next nearshore software development project:

• Understand your project plan to determine if there are any moments in your project’s timeline where outup is low to plan accordingly
• Have a clear vision of if you’ll be needing long-term support for your project or not
• Understand how much control and flexibility you’ll need for your project Still need help? Contact us and we might be able to help you out and find the right engagement model for you.