Imagine for a second that you are bringing together expertly trained and diversely experienced individuals, driven by a singular goal, which is to ensure the success of a project or a task given by your organization. The practice of doing such is what is referred to as Staff Augmentation.
In technical terms, ‘Staff Augmentation and Outsourcing’ is an advanced business strategy adopted by organizations that allow for the flexible acquisition of talent across the globe, tasked with the completion of a certain project. It is the process of hiring external talent to work as part of a company on part-time contracts, accommodating for the shortage of manpower or skill lacking by the in-house staff. It is a special kind of recruitment because the talent in question is mostly hired indirectly, by an outsourcing agency that specializes in providing access to a large pool of remote talent worldwide.
BY APPLYING STAFF AUGMENTATION AND OUTSOURCING, COMPANIES CAN BRIDGE THE KNOWLEDGE GAP, SHORTEN THEIR PROJECT TIMELINE AND TIME TO MARKET, AS WELL AS GAIN ACCESS TO HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND HIGHLY TALENTED PROJECT MANAGERS.
And by further embracing open and cross-communication, clearly defining roles, using project management tools, and supporting documentation-driven development, companies can achieve goals and objectives much faster and also execute localization project plans on time.
Over the years, Staff Augmentation and Outsourcing have expanded beyond the IT and Tech development sector and have grown alongside the global staffing industry. In 2019, the Staffing Industry Analysts Market report indicated an explosive growth of up to $500 billion of generated income. And according to a report concluded after the Covid pandemic in 2020, the IT staff augmentation market alone generated a revenue of over $133 billion and is projected to hit $413.7 billion by the end of 2022. This goes to show just how much organizations are leveraging on the value-driven and profit-oriented outsourcing market.
BEST PRACTICES AND ADVANTAGES OF STAFF AUGMENTATION AND OUTSOURCING
Staff Augmentation and Outsourcing is a time-tested, and proven staffing model capable of serving as a flexible talent management plan for your organization. It is designed to supplement an in-house team in areas lacking, and qualified resources, in a cost-effective way, to meet project deadlines and achieve set objectives, as well as address the existing skill gap.
And as with any form of service provision, Staff Augmentation and Outsourcing has a set of best practices that you have to follow and agree with to achieve the best possible outcome:
First, it is advised to choose an organization that provides the necessary infrastructure for the position you are looking to fill in your team. On the part of the organization, the necessary tools and resources have to be made available to ensure the facilitation of the offshore team under consideration.
Following that, confirm from the vendor if they have dedicated professionals in positions such as human relations, client management, and corporate communications. These may not include the positions you’re looking to fill, but when a vendor or service provider has available various means of communication and support, there would be a smooth flow in operations.
And finally, when adding new members to your in-house team, make sure there are deliberate team-building interaction and integration exercises in place. This is to avoid the situation of an us vs. them scenario, which would most certainly cause the project’s implosion.
STAFF AUGMENTATION AND OUTSOURCING IS OFTEN A SUCCESSFUL SOLUTION FOR FILLING TEMPORARY GAPS, AND IT COMES WITH SEVERAL BENEFITS AND ADVANTAGES.
Below are a few of the many, available to any organization:
You are assured of finding the perfect fit for the project or task at hand. Staff augmentation services perform all the functions of a professional staffing agency, ranging from recruitment, and training, to the assuring of outsourced talent. All you have to do is to decide the number of team members you require, and the specific skills needed for the project, the rest would be handled by the agency.
You would be capable of quickly scaling personnel up and down, effortlessly. Project managers are professionals familiar with changing market conditions and have the ability to efficiently scale resources in different directions on demand. And staff augmentation helps move resources when and where they are needed, and this, in turn, would help organizations quickly scale down when necessary with little to no impact on directly.
You are assured of quality service. Staff augmentation allows you to shop around for the right person to fit your specific requirement to ensure project success after completion, without overdue commitment. This staffing solution aids in bringing together the best staff within the shortest period.
The proper use of the above-mentioned Staff Augmentation and Outsourcing model provides an excellent solution to your staffing needs and requirements.
BENEFITS OF UTILIZING STAFF AUGMENTATION AND OUTSOURCING FOR LOCALIZATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Localization project management is the process of planning, managing, and executing a localization campaign, translating large volumes of content into different languages for use in locales around the world. And it is the job of the manager to maintain relationships and ensure smooth workflow among translators, reviewers, and developers, as well as other stakeholders.
Below are some of the benefits that organizations stand to gain from utilizing Staff Augmentation and Outsourcing of a localization project manager.
Access to Highly Qualified and Specialized Managers:
Many business organizations today suffer from the lack of skilled and experienced managers capable of handling large localization projects, and to bridge that gap, organizations deviate to staff augmentation and outsourcing agencies and platforms, where several skilled freelancers, are available for contracting and hiring. And also, the global talent pool is readily available to your organization for outsourcing.
Reduced Cost of Recruitment
One of the most attractive benefits of utilizing Staff Augmentation and Outsourcing for localization project management is the cost-effectiveness of recruitment. You do not need to worry about office space or work equipment for the localization manager to be hired, you simply create an account on a platform like Fiverr or pay a fee to a staff augmentation firm, and the rest will be taken care of, providing more time to focus on achieving your core business objectives.
Increased Flexibility
This benefit applies to the hiring of external localization managers within a short period of time. It becomes easier to upsize or downsize the team depending on the direction of the project. And in a situation where the project volume and demands grow, you would be required to add to the existing team, talent who are skilled and qualified on a short-term contract, which is more effective than hiring full-time staff and laying them off when the project ends.
Faster Time to Market
In the business market, being able to release a product or provide a service on schedule is pivotal to the success of the localization project plan. Staff augmentation firms are fully equipped with managers capable, and ready to jump on board with your project, saving you weeks or even months in the traditional recruitment and training process. The process of staff augmentation of localization managers would certainly help you meet aggressive deadlines, and achieve set objectives.
In essence, Staff Augmentation is a flexible outsourcing strategy that helps businesses hire the talent they require for a certain project. And there are several ways to engage outsourced talent, but the most popular would include gig platforms, on-demand talent sourcing platforms, and independent contractors.
There are several benefits of utilizing Staff Augmentation and Outsourcing for localization project management, but to fully gain the best that staff augmentation of localization project managers has to offer, you have to encourage cross-communication between the outsourced staff and in-house staff, there has to clearly define job roles, and support must be provided with documentation-driven development.
