Staff Augmentation
Definition:
Staff Augmentation (SA) is a recent term used as an alternative or a euphemism for outsourcing. SA implies a model of outsourcing that does not commit to a specific size of staff, allowing the outsourced team to grow or shrink in order to match the flow of projects. However, unlike traditional outsourcing that used a team of a (relatively) fixed size, an SA based team can have frequent changes in size, which will cause loss of staff and their acquired expertise.
An SA team can provide temporary support, especially as a supplement to a team that has fallen behind and needs additional help to meet deadlines. In this sense, SA is a very short term approach to outsourcing that focuses on individual projects and short-term goals, not on leveraging transformation or changing the price point for a service. For very short-term projects, the use of SA resources may be more expensive than existing resources.
SA, in many ways, is a throwback to earlier models of adding support, especially in IT. However, as traditional (and especially offshore) outsourcing firs continue to grow, they need new models to continue their development. Service Augmentation is not limited to just offshore resources. SA can include onshore services that allow outsourcing firms to develop higher revenue, and higher-value services that are the next logical step in their evolution.
Staff Augmentation (SA) is a recent term used as an alternative or a euphemism for outsourcing. SA implies a model of outsourcing that does not commit to a specific size of staff, allowing the outsourced team to grow or shrink in order to match the flow of projects. However, unlike traditional outsourcing that used a team of a (relatively) fixed size, an SA based team can have frequent changes in size, which will cause loss of staff and their acquired expertise.
An SA team can provide temporary support, especially as a supplement to a team that has fallen behind and needs additional help to meet deadlines. In this sense, SA is a very short term approach to outsourcing that focuses on individual projects and short-term goals, not on leveraging transformation or changing the price point for a service. For very short-term projects, the use of SA resources may be more expensive than existing resources.
SA, in many ways, is a throwback to earlier models of adding support, especially in IT. However, as traditional (and especially offshore) outsourcing firs continue to grow, they need new models to continue their development. Service Augmentation is not limited to just offshore resources. SA can include onshore services that allow outsourcing firms to develop higher revenue, and higher-value services that are the next logical step in their evolution.
