Software Development

Outsourcing Software Team Extension

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20 March 2024
Outsourcing Software Team Extension

Given the increasing demand for outsourcing services, it’s likely that you came across the term “team extension model” while searching online for software engineers to assist you with a project.

The team extension outsourcing strategy entails adding highly skilled developers to your internal development team on a temporary or permanent basis, depending on your business requirements.


With this methodology, businesses can achieve optimal outcomes while reducing expenses associated with hiring and managing specialized personnel.

Working with an outsourcing partner from Europe, for example, gives you access to a large talent pool where you may select and hire the best professionals to bolster your team, rather than having to choose from a small pool of specialists in your area.

It is therefore feasible to conclude that team extension is a more effective strategy for rapidly hiring the ideal software team extension with specialized talents, but there is more to it than that.

You will gain a comprehensive grasp of the service by reading this post, which will walk you through all the important points, such as:

  • The functioning of team extension

  • What sets it apart from traditional dedicated team service

  • Benefits and drawbacks of team extension services

     

  • How to pick a reliable companion

  • And a ton more
    Let’s examine this innovative approach to selecting the best IT team extension professionals now.

How Team Extension Operates

Generally speaking, the process of outsourcing IT team extension is pretty simple and straightforward. This type of service is offered by established outsourcing companies all over the world. As you probably know, the top destination for outsourcing software development are several countries in Eastern Europe such as Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, and so on.

As a rule, those companies operate in the IT market for many years or even decades, therefore, they have unique access to a wide talent pool of software engineers with a diverse range of skills, knowledge of programming languages, and other competencies. It gives them a competitive advantage over other agencies and they can search for and compose a team according to your requirements pretty quickly.

Offshore team extension is not only about offering quality services but building long-lasting and trustful relationships with a client and becoming a part of their team to assist them in solving their business problems.

Dedicated Development Teams vs. Team Extension Teams

There are two outsourcing methods that are somewhat similar: team extension and dedicated development team. But not all entrepreneurs know the key distinctions between them or how to choose the option that would work best for their firm.

An extended team is a subset of your internal team, while a dedicated development team operates independently and is housed at your outsourced partner’s location.

The team extension approach aims to supplement the current team with certain unique technical qualities or close any skills shortages. Simultaneously, a committed team comprised of all the experts required to work on your project from the beginning is assembled.

In summary, the team extension model is appropriate for companies who are prepared to engage in a long-term relationship with an outsourcing provider and are prepared to grow their internal team by adding outside experts. They will be able to accomplish remarkable outcomes through this collaboration, which is appropriate for large-scale, long-term development projects.

In relation to committed teams, this model may be a viable option if you wish to complete the task remotely and are not prepared to welcome a new team into your property. Furthermore, it will be appropriate for less sophisticated and shorter-term projects.

Advantages of Team Extension

We will go over each of the four significant benefits of team extension below.

Adaptability in Nearby

Regardless of where the client and developers are located, team extension seeks to match clients with the appropriate developers and negotiates a mode of cooperation: nearshore, which is close to the client, onshore, which is on the client’s property, or offshore, which is remotely.

In this case, team extension should try to work out the most flexible terms possible, with a developer (or developers) flying in as needed to work as a dedicated onshore team, or working onshore or nearshore with the option to work remotely.

Specialized Skills

Many businesses seek to outperform their rivals and meet the needs of contemporary consumers when it comes to software solutions and digital goods. This is typically accomplished by putting the newest technologies into practice.

A devoted software development team made up of competent engineers with the right mix of hard and soft talents is what makes a software development team ideal for projects involving augmented reality, blockchain, or the Internet of Things.

Elevated Scaling Rate

Companies that provide team extension employ a large number of software developers full-time since they have at least five years of experience managing software development teams. Additionally, they have access to a pool of developers because there is a large concentration of highly skilled software engineers in this part of the world.

A good example of balancing code quality with cost-effectiveness is Eastern Europe. Due to the size of the talent market and the regulatory environment in the area, businesses operating in the area are able to provide extremely flexible team extensions.


The great degree of flexibility offered by Team Extension also reaches to the hiring procedure, which may be customized to meet the needs of the customer and enable them to meet the demands of a constantly evolving business environment.

elevated loyalty

The key to team extension is creating an environment at work where developers are encouraged to stay and where new talent is consistently drawn in. Professional management and career planning are equally vital.

Consequently, team extension provides an unparalleled low attrition rate for a group of software developers, enabling them to work on extended projects lasting more than a year.

 

 

Team Extension Pitfalls and Potential Fixes

Although comprehensive IT services have many advantages, this strategy is not flawless. In order to know how to overcome certain obstacles, business owners need to be aware of a few of them. The most frequent dangers are listed here so you may be ready for them and know what to anticipate should you decide to work with a vendor.

trying to find a temporary fix

The most common error businesses make when selecting team extension services is to think of them as a temporary fix to bridge a gap in the team. This strategy will not lead to the success of this collaboration.

The key to averting letdowns and subpar outcomes is to establish enduring connections and gradually incorporate an external team into your internal team. This is the only thing that will enable you to attain optimal performance, total alignment with corporate goals, and excellent outcomes.

putting money before value

Each engagement model has its own pricing, even though outsourcing is a great strategy to save software development costs. Generally, businesses may prioritize costs over the potential value that a team could provide.

Try to refocus your attention away from costs and onto the value that an extended team, with their IT skills and competences, will bring to the table.

Having ambiguous expectations

Developing a software development team will require more work on your behalf to establish a successful relationship. No matter how experienced your extended team is, in order for them to provide the greatest outcomes, you must clearly define your expectations, goals, and deliverables as well as your main business objectives.

Give careful thought to exactly what you need from each new team member, and provide thorough documentation that will help them along the way as they work on your project.

Considering your extended team differently

Members of your extended team are an important asset to your business. But not every business owner is aware that they are a member of a team and should be treated equally.

They should participate in extracurricular office events like corporate parties and have the same working conditions as other team members in order to function at their best. Their level of engagement will be determined by your attitude, and by inspiring them, you may guarantee future success for your company.

Not appreciating cultural diversity

It’s critical to keep in mind that your new software engineers come from a different cultural background, something you should also consider if you decide to expand your software development team.

However, you can pay a little bit more and invite experts from Eastern Europe who have a more comparable attitude and can all speak English fluently, rather than taking advantage of the low cost and bringing specialists from Asia who have a different mentality and language barrier. It will make it easier for you to bridge cultural differences and improve communication within your team.

 

 

Structure of Team Extension

The composition of your team will rely on your company’s goals and needs, but you should ascertain the precise reasons for each specialist’s hiring. Effective extended team participation typically occurs when you have pressing, difficult assignments to do but insufficient funds to hire additional internal experts. Hundreds of lesser explanations and subtleties could apply to you under this broad concept, including:

  • You must create your MVP as soon as possible.
  • The expanding scope of the project must be addressed as soon as possible
  • because your internal team lacks the free resources necessary to handle crucial project activities.
  • You can’t accomplish your unclear goals with your present crew.

Integrating an extended team into your present project team is the fundamental idea behind recruiting one. That translates to astute supplementing and empowerment in real terms.

Once all the issues and holes have been identified, consider searching for each specialist on a freelance site. Hiring an online vendor, however, is usually simpler than hiring a dedicated team because they will handle all the hiring, management, and auditing that is required.


Here’s the typical structure of a committed team that we suggest our clients to follow, if you need a starting point:

  • Front-end engineer,
  • Back-end engineer,
  • QA,
  • UX/UI designer,
  • DevOps engineer,
  • BA,
  • PM.

 

Is This Committed Team Model a Better Use of Money?

Due to the great flexibility that team extension provides, the customer has plenty of room to allocate their budget wisely. Possibilities include assigning a specialized engineer to a short-term task (or problem-solving) as a member of an already-existing development team.

In the end, for most projects, there may not be much of a budgetary difference between the team extension and the typical dedicated team method. However, that was never the original goal of the program.


The primary distinction between team extension and traditional team extension services is the emphasis on loyalty and increased efficiency at critical phases.

A Committed Team with Team Extension—Who Would Hire Them?

The primary sectors searching for this new focused team approach include tourism and hospitality, along with a large number of pharmaceutical enterprises in the healthcare sector. In order to deploy new technologies and provide nearly perfect software for internal and patient use, the first needs trustworthy partners.

In the meantime, businesses in the hotel and tourism sectors must consistently provide extremely efficient IT solutions. For instance, modern travelers anticipate that their stay will include mobile service and that a hotel’s comfort level will be reflected in its mobile app.

The staff members on the other side of the reception desk require efficient digital tools in order to provide the services. It’s interesting to note that in order to thrive with big projects, many entrepreneurs also look for team expansion services.

How to Choose a Trusted Team Extension Partner

With the additional requirements for a team extension, finding a dedicated team becomes more difficult, therefore transitioning to a higher speed and effectiveness demands the right understanding. We advise reaching out to a professional who can help you locate genuine experts for your project and has access to all the useful resources available.

To hire a committed team with team extension, there are four fundamental guidelines to follow. To put it briefly, you should confirm that the new team members have extensive industry experience and are a perfect fit for the project. You must have complete control over the circumstances and a precise understanding of the project’s objectives.

Make sure the folks you recruit are a perfect fit for your project.

Careful planning is essential for incorporating team extension since it maximizes speed and effectiveness when working on a project. Make sure the selected experts can provide your work their complete attention without juggling many projects before employing.

We also advise getting to know each new team member in person. Since you’ll be collaborating for several steamy months, amicable integration is essential.

Verify the expertise of a committed group.

It will frequently happen to you when implementing a project that anything goes wrong. However, you can lessen the amount of ambiguity and stress by identifying the appropriate individuals with in-depth knowledge. They can handle each of these difficulties and raise the efficacy of your project as a whole.

As part of team extension, assume direct leadership over a committed team.

Never give up control to your colleagues who work in a different workplace! The team extension approach assumes that you still retain complete ownership of the project. Therefore, be prepared to handle the steady stream of technical advancements, modifications that require your attention, and different kinds of tactical and strategic decision-making.

In addition, you’ll be in charge of performance reviews, efficient team communication, and process control for development. To put it briefly, you will still have work even if the team becomes more effective, and you should accept that duty.

Project goals and criteria should be clearly defined.

You must have a clear understanding of your project’s direction in order to assess the productivity and efficiency of a committed team under team growth. Establish each team member’s responsibilities as well to prevent confusion and ineffectiveness. In real terms, this entails establishing project milestones and drafting an evaluation strategy for each new project participant. Don’t be afraid to have direct conversations and create goals using the SMART method with your extended team.

Seek out software development firms that have been in the IT industry for more than five years for the greatest outcome. A lot of them provide the model of team extension. While each firm may have a somewhat different service offering, all companies should make the same primary promise.

Generally speaking, team extension is the ideal structure for a startup with multiple ambitious initiatives, an established company managing difficult long-term projects, and a developing digital agency. Additionally, it is less effective when there are financial constraints, a narrow project scope, or a lack of emphasis on excellent quality. You won’t be able to continue managing the extended team in these situations and benefit from its efficiency and quickness.

Visit our Team Extension page to learn more and become acquainted with the entire range of services and advantages you may receive from working with Intellectsoft if you’re searching for more personnel to help your company implement your ideas and create cutting-edge software to accelerate your growth.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are prepared to appoint and manage a development team. For more than ten years, our software engineers have assisted Fortune 500 businesses, SMBs, and startups.

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