Published on May 10th, 2023
What should you do when you own your personal internal team of developers, however, you’d like to increase it (but do not want to deal with hiring new staff)? Let’s discuss team expansion when outsourcing.
As we continue our tale regarding the outsourcing model, we move to the model that typically is the best option in the event that you already have experts in your internal team. This is the point where you can use the Extended Team Model (ETM) as a good option.
What is the Extended Team Model?
The extended Team Model is a form of outsourcing with an enclosed and direct relationship with the client as well as the development team in general. It is like the counterpart of the Dedicated Team model. The only difference is that it’s not your primary team, but rather an internal team extension (that operates not in your workplace, but at the office of the outsourcing provider.)
The development team is not treated as a third party, instead, it is viewed as an offshore component of the larger overall team. Being a component of the overall team has completely different things than being an individual contractor.
The main difference in this model from other models is in the manner in which communication is structured.
Contrary to the Time and Materials as well as the Dedicated Team model, where the client typically interacts directly with the manager of their project and delivery manager, in this Extended Team model the communication, in the majority of cases occurs directly between participants of the group. Outsourced employees communicate in direct contact with both the customer as well as the other members of the main team, with the home employees.
It means that an expanded team is fully connected to the workflow, which increases the efficiency of the turnaround as well as simplifies communication.
Extended team models are an excellent model for the following types of tasks:
- Multi-part, long-term projects that have an ever-changing set of requirements, in which you may not have all the necessary technology available
- Projects that could be an additional project that you don’t want your primary internal team to be working on, and divert attention from your core business
- In-progress projects that expand slowly and require a lot of personnel to manage
Also Read:Â How to Convert Your Existing Mobile App to Flutter Quickly?
What are the Advantages of Outsourcing Extended Team ModelÂ
Great power is accompanied by responsibility, as the saying is. An Extended Team has numerous advantages However, all of them require great communication.
1. Team Synchronization
The synchronization of teams from the main and outsource team is the most significant benefit that the model of Extended Team has to offer. Because of how vital it is to ensure that everyone is on the same level, synchronization is essential for long-term multi-part projects that are constantly changing demands and shifting objectives.
The process is usually slow and can take a long time due to intermediary communication, or long iteration time.
A team model that is extended allows for the development process to be more dynamic with increased scalability, and cohesion.
Another benefit of synchronization is the feeling of shared responsibility among teams from the outsourcing and main team members.
2. Efficient Communication
Communication is perhaps the most difficult thing to accomplish during an outsourcing process. Everyone is a human being and at times we do not understand each other, especially when information flows through multiple individuals in the chain. Yet, ETM streamlines the communication between team members, essentially cutting out middlemen (because team members are able to communicate directly with one another.)
3. Greater Transparency and Control
Clarity and transparency are more prominent when using The Extended Team model because you as the client or owner of the product can access more details regarding the development of your project.
Contrary to it being a self-contained Time & Materials black box and outsourced teams, ETM the mainland, and outsourced teams have unified repositories, which allow centralized bug tracking. This can, in turn, allow an easier and more frequent cycle of iteration.
This is because there is a lot more confidence in the team and less second-guessing that often occurs in projects that are outsourced.
Transparency is the key to a productive team dynamic built on a high level of accountability. This can be an essential element in maintaining an efficient and healthy workflow within the whole team.
4. Shared Responsibility
The result of greater accountability is sharing obligation for the general quality and efficiency of the process of development and the results. Sharing responsibility fosters cohesion between the core team and the one that is outsourced. It follows the premise of “we’re in this together” and helps create more productive relationships among the members of the unit.
Common contribution creates equal responsibility. This results in an environment of collaboration that is more active which improves the overall capacity that the entire team can handle. This is a good thing.
5. Scalable Development Capacity
A very essential aspect of managing any type of group of developers is their capacity to grow according to the demands of the particular project.
What exactly does this mean? There are instances when you have to ramp up your team, but you’re not able or have the desire to manage all the job interviews or administrative tasks. There are times when you need experts that are costly or difficult to locate depending on where you live. This is why ETM will prove to be the most effective solution, which allows you to add people to your team, while you focus on the core business requirements.
With the team extension, you’re not burdening your existing internal developers with the work that needs to be completed (which helps to avoid the risk of burning out) but the work isn’t slowing down.
It can be a difficult business at times. The primary question you have to answer is what you’re trying to find.
- Time and Materials: When you want the task to be completed and you don’t like the technology
- A dedicated team: A dedicated team is when you need an entire team of developers that are focused solely on your project. There are more options with the technology
- Extended Team: Extended Team is when you have internal developers however you need to expand your team to be efficient for being involved in the same work or another project that is related to your primary product.
Your choice is entirely yours but please let us know if you’d like to arrange a phone call together to talk about your specific needs.
Do You Want to Expand Your Team with Outsourcing Extended Team Model?
iTechnolabs can be your best partner for your Outsourced Extended Team. Our team of developers are keen observers and coders, that will give their best shot in making your project a huge success.Â
