Is Technical Staff Augmentation in Your Future? Take the Survey

Staff augmentation for technology professionals has a number of demonstrable benefits. Chief among them is the financial advantage of cost control and ROI. Other advantages include Agility and Flexibility, Access to Specialized Skills, Enhanced Productivity and Focus, Risk Mitigation, Innovation, Competitive Advantage, and Strategic Focus for Leaders.

Below is a concise survey designed to help leaders assess whether technology staff augmentation might be a good fit for their organization. Actually taking and scoring the survey can be a useful exercise but even reading through the questions can help attune leaders to key questions and issues worth considering and exploring.

Whether you are just perusing or hard-core scoring, the survey is worth sharing with others on your team. It can stimulate discussion and exploration of strategic opportunities that will help your organization to thrive!

Each question should be answered on a scale of 1 to 5, where:

• 1 = Strongly Disagree
• 2 = Disagree
• 3 = Neutral
• 4 = Agree
• 5 = Strongly Agree

After completing the survey, add up your scores to see where your organization stands. A higher total indicates a stronger alignment with the benefits that staff augmentation can offer.

1. Talent Gaps:
Our organization frequently experiences a gap between project needs and the available internal talent.
(1-5)

2. Recruitment Speed:
Our recruitment process is too slow to meet our project deadlines.
(1-5)

3. Specialized Skills:
We struggle to find specialized skills for our technology projects.
(1-5)

4. Flexibility:
We need a flexible solution that allows us to scale our team up or down quickly based on project demands.
(1-5)

5. Cost Efficiency:
Reducing overhead costs (such as benefits, training, and onboarding) is a high priority for our organization.
(1-5)

6. Time-to-Productivity:
It takes our new full-time hires 6-12 months to reach full productivity, and we need faster results.
(1-5)

7. Focus and Productivity:
Our full-time employees are often diverted from core project work by non-essential meetings and administrative tasks.
(1-5)

8. Regulatory Requirements:
Our projects require strict compliance and data security, which sometimes limits our ability to hire from a broad talent pool.
(1-5)

9. Global Talent:
We are open to engaging remote teams from different regions (nearshore or offshore) to access the specialized skills we need.
(1-5)

10. Operational Efficiency:
Improving operational efficiency and reducing overall labor costs are key strategic goals for our organization.
(1-5)

11. Capacity Constraints:
Our current talent pool is insufficient to meet our growing project demands.
(1-5)

12. Project Acceleration:
Accelerating project delivery is a critical need for our organization.
(1-5)

13. Access to Global Expertise:
We see significant potential in tapping into a global talent pool for our technology projects.
(1-5)

14. Remote Collaboration:
We are comfortable with leveraging technology to manage and collaborate with remote teams effectively.
(1-5)

15. Strategic Focus:
We are actively seeking solutions that better balance cost, quality, and speed in our project execution.
(1-5)

• Total Score Range: 15 – 75
  
  • 60 – 75:
    Your organization appears to face significant challenges that staff augmentation can effectively address. Consider exploring staff augmentation as a strategic solution to increase flexibility, reduce costs, and accelerate project delivery.
    
  • 45 – 59:
    There is a moderate alignment with the benefits of staff augmentation. While it may not be a perfect fit for every need, exploring a pilot program or targeted staff augmentation initiative could provide valuable insights.
    
  • Below 45:
    Your current operations might be well-supported by your existing talent model, or your needs may not yet justify a shift to staff augmentation. However, it may be beneficial to periodically reassess as your projects and market conditions evolve.
    

Use this survey as a starting point to evaluate if staff augmentation is a strategic fit for your organization. It can help identify areas where flexible, on-demand talent might not only fill gaps but also drive innovation, improve productivity, and optimize costs.

 If this topic is of interest, you may want to check out

• Staff Augmentation eBook: The important role of technical staff augmentation
• Staff Augmentation: Onshore, nearshore, offshore
• Staff Augmentation: Statistical value
• Staff Augmentation: Specialized skill case study
• Staff Augmentation: Agility Case Study
• Staff Augmentation: Productivity and focus
• Staff Augmentation: Innovation and competitive advantage
• Staff Augmentation: Strategic focus for leaders case study
• Staff Augmentation: Cost efficiency and ROI case study