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Staff augmentation is becoming an increasingly attractive proposition for businesses looking to boost capacity, amp up in-house expertise, and balance the books.

But if staff augmentation is the answer, what’s the question? How do you screen and select the ideal candidate? Then how do you get the best out of the relationship? Adam Crofts, Head of Brennan Talent Solutions, unpacks the answers.

As inflation pinches and costs rise, optimising costs and boosting operational effectiveness is a common business refrain¹. IT leaders aren’t immune to these prevailing pressures.

Under the cosh to trim costs and headcount, yet maintain operational agility, capability, and scalability to deliver on organisational goals, aligning needs with budgets is a tricky tightrope to walk.

Labour market pressures might be easing². But when you factor in just how long (an average of 40 days³) and how much (anywhere north of $23,000³) it can take to hire competent staff, it’s no surprise a growing number of IT leaders are turning to IT service providers with staff augmentation capabilities for solutions.

It’s a clever fix for boosting capacity, bridging the skills gap between your business needs and the resources on hand to meet them, and utilising Operational Expenditure (rather than Capital Expenditure) to balance the books.

But when does the staff augmentation model work best? How do you find a provider that fits, and then get the most from them? Let’s unpack the answers.

Probing potential providers.

You’ve nailed down your answers. You know the scope of work to be completed. It’s time to find an IT partner. Shortlist your ideal providers, meet with them, and mark them against your criteria. These are a few worth thinking about.

• Do they see your problems? Technical nous and soft skills should be expected from any competent IT partner. But can they, and their technical consultants, deliver against your specific objectives? Ask for examples, experience, and case studies that correlate with your challenges or industry.
• Do they see you? Understanding your needs is one thing. Understanding you is another. Would their people play well with yours? Would they be a trusted IT partner? Would they and their technical consultants constructively challenge you in pursuit of better outcomes? Cultural fit is often just as critical as technical capability.
• Can they find a better way? A good provider may be able to answer your brief. A great provider can help you reframe it, and then offer constructive solutions that get the right outcomes for you – even if that means missing out on more lucrative opportunities for them.
• Do their practices align with yours? Do their modes, means, and methods of communication work for you? Do their security and data protection protocols measure up? Investigate their methods to see if they match your expectations.
• Can they scale? Success is a nice problem to have. But do your IT partners have the bandwidth and resources to grow at pace if needed? Are they even available?
• Are they stable? Experience counts. So does reputation. Cross-check references. Read reviews. Ask your network.
• How do they hire, train, and upskill their people? A partner is only as good as the technical consultants they (and you) use. Get to know who and how they hire and train.

Be clear from the get-go.

A vital component in getting the most out of any provider relationship is setting expectations before the work even begins. These are a few things worth considering and formalising before inking the contract with your preferred staff augmentation provider:

• Clarify the scope. What is the big picture and what are the key deliverables their consultants will need to deliver on? Be detailed.
• Button-down the timelines. Agree on what’s possible by when, scheduling check-ins, status reports, and due dates.
• Set up the service expectations. From working hours and office presence to resolution processes, be clear on your expectations.

All of these, as well as the pricing payment terms, should be clearly and carefully articulated in the contract.