Many businesses outsource certain projects to qualified teams that have the technical expertise they don’t have themselves. There are many benefits to this approach, but there are also options as to exactly which kind of outsourcing team you can hire for the job.

One big debate many businesses have is whether to opt for staff augmentation or to hire a consulting agency. Here we take a look at staff augmentation vs consulting and go through the pros and cons of both, and hopefully, help you decide which might be the best option for your business.

The benefits of staff augmentation

Staff augmentation to complete a project is cost-effective as you are only paying the workers temporarily until the project is complete. You also save time and money on the training and development of in-house staff as the company you outsource a project to will already have the required expertise and skills.

Staff augmentation also affords businesses a lot of flexibility as they can hire the necessary expert staff to complement the in-house team on any task, not just the one project at hand. With an expert team handling a project, the project manager can also enjoy more control over the most important aspects due to the heightened communication levels that come with expertise and deep knowledge of a process.

If the project is data-sensitive, then you will also be safer working with staff augmentation than with a consulting service. Temporary technical staff augmentation can reduce the risks involved with data and identity theft, plus you have more control over each aspect of the project as it progresses.

The benefits of consulting services

Some of the benefits of consulting services overlap with those of staff augmentation, such as their cost-effectiveness and the fact that they can save you significant time and energy. You will also be able to rely on their infrastructure being complete for each part of the service they offer.

A good consulting agency will also have a very proactive approach rather than reactive, helping you overcome the challenges that inevitably occur over the course of the project.

Factors to determine when considering staff augmentation vs consulting

To find out which is better for your business when considering both staff augmentation and consulting, there are several factors to consider:

Your people

You cannot correctly determine what type of external assistance you require without first doing a full assessment of your current team. You need to understand their strengths and weaknesses to understand your requirements.

The company

You need to do research on your potential staff augmentation or consulting. Ensure that you opt for a company that is well established, clearly display their case studies and clients they have worked with. This way you can be more confident in their ability to help your business.

Your budget

The budget you have for your project can certainly be a major factor when trying to choose staff augmentation vs consulting. You need to be clear on the amount you have to spend so you know if you can get the resources required to accommodate your project.

Understand each market

Making yourself familiar with both the staff augmentation and consulting markets will be hugely beneficial. This will mean you are familiar with the available talent within the consulting market and whether that is enough to meet your requirements.

To find out more about our specialist staff augmentation services and to discuss your requirements, please contact our team on +1 800 974 7219 ext. 202. Alternatively, complete the online form here and one of our team will be in contact with you.