The pace of growth in organizations is more rapid than ever before, and access to tech talent capable of scaling organizations can be somewhat of a deterrent to growth.
Today’s IT environment has created a competitive atmosphere with the emergence of IT Resource Augmentation as a flexible hiring model for companies to increase capacity when needed without the full-time commitment of a traditional staff hire.
While resource augmentation has benefits, it can create complications for an organization that could lead to negative timelines and outcomes if not strategically managed. This blog highlights a few of those issues and provides solutions for addressing them.
What is Resource Augmentation in Today’s IT Ecosystem?
Simply stated, resource augmentation is a model whereby an organization brings in external resources to supplement internal employee teams or employees involved in projects.
This model allows companies to increase the workforce or level of effort needed for projects without the burden of traditional hiring overhead. When discussing resource augmentation, it is important to understand the distinction between Staff Augmentation and Resource Augmentation.
Typically, staff augmentation involves augmenting an organization's workforce by adding a talent resource, whereas resource augmentation may include entire teams or a skill set focus tailored to an end project or project goals. While both may be commonly sought, they each serve specific and strategic purposes.
Challenge 1: Limited Visibility into Global Talent Pools
One of the biggest challenges organizations face when considering resource augmentation is the lack of clarity on talent pool availability. Often, internal HR teams are constrained by time to recruit resources and by geographic reach.
A certified and trusted Resource Augmentation Company will have the capability to supply access to highly skilled resources globally across a variety of projects.
Using a trusted resource-based partner will not only enable the organization to avoid sequence and costly hiring cycles, but it will also limit the risk of a bad hire that is not aligned to skill level or status. Keep in mind, with a specialized provider, you also do not lose continuity when scaling.
Challenge 2: Communication and Cultural Gaps
Employing talent from different locations can create a barrier from communications, or a relationship where their work ethic is not aligned with your company's goals.
This can create stalemates in communication and ultimately produce deadlines that are delayed. Companies must put in place an effective onboarding process and conduct daily sync-ups. With tools like Slack, Zoom, and Trello being adopted by the workplace, it adds another layer of alignment between teams.
A reputable Resource Augmentation Service includes cultural awareness training and collaborative framework solutions that reduce friction and provides environment for stronger engagement across teams.
Challenge 3: Security and Compliance Risks
As with many outsourcing considerations, outsourcing leads to customary worries about IP, access controls, and how data is being handled. If these leaks aren't controlled properly, this introduces serious security breaches.
Companies that are implementing IT Resource Augmentation must use due diligence and conduct the proper vetting process with the provider after identification. It will be important to verify the provider's compliance with local labor law and request a signed NDA and access controls.
Further, implementing Secure VPN and role-based permissions will help in narrowing exposure while providing an additional layer of security.
Challenge 4: Managing Productivity Remotely
When companies are scaling with external resources, it can be difficult to
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