Skill Gaps are a scare: How IT Staff Augmentation can help?

Introduction

In the fast-paced IT business landscape, there always lies a demand for IT professionals with a high level of expertise. The cloud, blockchain, AI, etc. are some of the growing IT trends. An expert opinion, says that organizations are not adopting more technologies due to a lack of technical expertise.

Such a scarcity has given birth to the concept of IT Staff Augmentation. This hiring approach has helped companies set up remote teams by hiring remote developers with specialized skill sets. By, using this approach companies can meet the growing demand of staff & bridge the existing skills gaps in their in-house team.

In this blog, we will learn about what is skill scarcity, its consequences & everything else around skill gaps. We'll also learn how IT Staff augmentation can be the lender of last resort to help you bridge the gaps.

Let's first begin with what is Skill scarcity or Skill gap.

What is a Skill Gap?

The difference between the required skills & the availability of resources is termed a skill gap.

In short, Skill gap = skills required - available skillset

Now, let's understand certain reasons for Skill Gaps.

What are the pressing reasons for Skill Gaps?

The rapid pace of technological advancement

The tech industry is seeing growth like never before. Additionally, this advancement has brought access to new tools, methods & languages. However, the training & education systems are unable to embrace the rapid changes resulting in the existence of skill gaps.

Mismatched Expectations

Like the sport of cricket where All-rounders are in high demand, companies are also seeking multi-skilled professionals. However, this unrealistic expectation is creating skill gaps, moreover, the number of experts available could be much higher.

Limitations in the education system

The traditional curriculum is not aligned with the present industrial needs. Universities & schools emphasize more on the theory side of education than practical exposure. Thus, it becomes difficult for the students to get hands-on experience in a specific domain.

Lack of on-the-job training

Companies are not flushing their money toward employee training & thus widening the skill gaps. However, this advancement has made it tough for even skilled professionals to showcase their expertise.

Geographical disparities

Some regions like tech hubs, i.e. Silicon Valley, have an abundance of skilled professionals, while other regions are falling short. Companies that are closing doors for remote work options are facing challenges to cope with these geographical skill gaps.

Bridging the skill gaps requires a multifaceted approach. Combining a revamped approach to the above points can help you cope with the existing challenges.

Now, let's understand how can you analyze the skill gaps to meet the skill disparity

How to run a Skill Gap Analysis?

After, understanding what is Skill Gaps & what the reasons for skill gaps exist. Let's understand how to run a skill gap analysis. Moreover, we will also learn how to use IT Staff Augmentation to minimize the skill gaps in the following sections.

Defining the skills

Before you look forward to minimizing the skill gaps of your team, it's important to decide the scope of skill gaps. If the gaps are present at the individual level, then you need to evaluate each employee's skill with their job roles. 

But, if it is at a company level, evaluate whether the team has the right skill sets to meet the requirements. Based on the analysis you will be able to make the right decisions to bridge the existing skill gaps.

Track market trends to identify the "future skills"

Keeping an eye on the key trends of tech is vital. By seeing the trends you will be able to identify which skills are going to be popular in the next 5 to 10 years. Moreover, doing this will help you set your target range of skills needed in the future. Additionally, using skill identification software will help you find the relevant skills

Analyze & determine the skills required in the future by answering the below questions:

• What jobs can be automated?

• What skill sets are currently rising?

• What new skills will be required to do the jobs in the future?

• Does the hiring process stick in line with the new skills required?

After answering the questions, rank your targeted skills based on urgency & importance. By, assigning a numerical value you can make things easier. Rate all the skills between one to ten based on:

• Level of importance (1-10)

• Level of proficiency in skill required (1-10)

By using these ratings you can easily measure your employees’ current skills.

Review the current skills of your employees

After identifying the required skills, the next step is to evaluate the existing skills of your team. To run this analysis you should use:

• Employee survey methods

• Assess the skill sets

• Interviewing the employees

• Analyzing the KPIs both on the team as well as individual level

• Taking feedback from a 360-degree performance review

Use data to plan for closing the skill gaps

Coming so far, we are sure you would have a list of skill gaps that need to be addressed. Usually, the skill gaps are filled by a combination of two methods: training & hiring.

Training to bridge the skill gaps:

Assess your employees & build a customized learning framework that focuses on the skills you're willing to upskill.

Once, you are ready with the plan, provide them the resources to train them. Additionally, the right training mechanism will help you close the gaps between current & desired skill levels. To do this, rightly, you can offer them:

• Team-level workshops

• Mentorship programs

• External certification courses

• Skill assessments

Hiring to bridge the skill shortages:

But, what to do when the training is so extensive & expensive that it becomes difficult to bridge the skill gaps? You, would hire an expert having those skills right? That's when IT Staff Augmentation services will come in handy.

A staff augmentation method will help you hire remote developers who meet your project requirements. Up your hiring game by:

• Implementing extensive screening of candidates for skills your company requires, into your hiring process. To do this, you can use pre-employment assessments to ensure the candidate is a good fit for your team.

• You can even source candidates via social recruiting when you are looking to hire niche skills.

• You can also use software development outsourcing services to hire skilled remote teams to meet the skill gaps. Moreover, by Staff Augmentation services you can cost-effectively hire remote developers based on hourly rates.

Make the skill gaps analysis in the ongoing activities

Bridging the skill gaps will only sound fruitful if you can merge the data extracted from the skill gap analysis with team objectives. Moreover, you can run a detailed analysis continuously to gain maximum results. Further, this will help you incorporate the insights to hire the best resources for tackling the skill gaps.

Now, let's finally jump into how IT Staff Augmentation can help you bridge the skill gaps by hiring remote developers.

First, let's understand what is IT Staff Augmentation.

What does the term IT Staff Augmentation mean?

IT staff Augmentation is a hiring model that allows organizations to hire remote developers temporarily. This hiring is done temporarily based on project requirements & is usually done through an IT Staff Augmentation vendor.

This hiring method gives access to tech talent that possesses high in-demand skills. Slightly similar to the traditional approach, staff augmentation has few vivid benefits for the organizations. By using staff augmentation services, organizations get access to a wider talent pool at cost-effective rates.

But, you would ask why to use Staff augmentation when you can use Software development outsourcing or hire a dedicated team? Additionally, you would wonder how IT Staff augmentation is different from other methods.

Let's understand the difference between all the three. If you want to have in-depth knowledge about everything surrounding Staff Augmentation then read The Ultimate Guide to IT Staff Augmentation.

Difference between Outsourcing, Staff Augmentation & Dedicated teams

The IT outsourcing industry has generated billions of dollars in the recent past due to the benefits it offers. However, despite the fact organizations are leveraging project outsourcing, staff augmentation services still have the upper hand.

Let's understand the differences between all three at length:

IT Staff Augmentation

Staff augmentation is a situation when you need to fill a void urgently & hire a company for help. However, unlike full-time recruitment of IT employees, staff augmentation enables you to hire remote developers for specific projects. Moreover, these individuals possess a particular skill set that meets a specific skill set for a specific project.

Outsourced Company or Software development outsourcing

Software development outsourcing is when your organization outsources the entire project to an external software development team. In such a case, you share all the details about your project like goals, period & so on. Based, on the requirements the software development outsourcing company will help you achieve a successful project deliverable.

Hiring a dedicated team

In this approach, you will hire a third-party outsourcing company that provides you with a dedicated team for the project. By doing so, you will be able to closely monitor whether your project is being controlled effectively or not.

Now, let's understand why you should choose IT Staff Augmentation above all other methods

Why choosing IT Staff Augmentation is a WOW idea?

Some organizations wonder why they should opt for IT Staff augmentation services above other services. If you are also among them, then we have three reasons to validate the choice:

Full Control

While hiring software development outsourcing services, you do not have control over your project. However, by hiring remote employees you can manage the remote team as per your project needs. This is possible due to IT Staff Augmentation services.

Reporting Authority

Both an outsourced software development team & distributed teams will report to an outsourcing partner. But, if you hire resources through staff augmentation they will report to you directly instead of the external party.

Internal Acceptance

Few organizations face resistance from their internal teams when we talk about collaborating with external team members. However, IT Staff augmentation eliminates this resistance as the hired remote members are a part of the internal team.

Now let's understand when you should opt for IT Staff Augmentation.

When to opt for IT Staff Augmentation?

When There’s a New, Urgent Project

Software development projects are often agile & need fast turnarounds. In a fast-paced industry, the time spent on hiring resources can cause a loss of money & time. Therefore, when a company has a new project they need a faster hiring approach, that's when IT Staff Augmentation comes to the rescue.

When You Have a Skill Gap

The skill gap has resisted 64% of organizations from adopting the new technologies, as a report by Gartner states. For businesses that need to experiment & innovate, these skill gaps become a major roadblock. However, relying on Staff Augmentation can help organizations cope up with all the problems caused by skill gaps.

When You Have a High Turnover rate

IT niche faces one of the biggest turnover rates of 13.2 percent as compared to other industry verticals. The reason behind this is because of the increased number of lack of skilled professionals & a high demand for special skills. However, if your organization is also facing this concern, using IT Staff Augmentation service is a doable idea.

Now, let's understand the benefits & drawbacks of IT Staff Augmentation

What are the Advantages & Drawbacks of Staff Augmentation

IT Staff Augmentation being a popular staffing model has its own set of advantages & drawbacks. We'll discuss some of them in this section:

Benefits of Staff Augmentation

Scalability & Flexibility

Using the IT staffing model you can easily scale your team strength up & down as per the project needs.

Cost saving

Using IT Staff Augmentation, organizations are easily able to minimize a lot of money invested in long hiring processes.

Access to top industry talent

IT Staff Augmentation allows you to hire remote developers from across the globe. These developers would be working in different time zones & would be available to work remotely.

Now, let's get a quick overview of the drawbacks of IT Staff Augmentation

Drawbacks of IT Staff Augmentation

Communication barriers

Maintaining a smooth communication flow & finding skilled professionals with the right communication skills can be tough. Moreover, maintaining smooth communication will be tough due to the lack of proper communication channels.

Security measures

While hiring remote developers, maintaining data security & data privacy is a concern to address. Data security becomes challenging with remote work as the remote developers would have access to all the company data.

Now, let’s move ahead & understand “How to successfully implement IT Staff Augmentation”

How to achieve a successful implementation of IT Staff Augmentation

Now that you already learned about the benefits & drawbacks of Staff augmentation, let’s break down a few tips to help you through the process. 

These tips will ensure you get the best out of the strategy.

Pre-assessment

The very first step in the Staff augmentation process is to identify the gaps in your workforce to get the right resources. This is divided into three steps.

Identify the needs & goals

Based on whether you are hiring for the project, or want to fill the skill gaps identify your needs before implementing the strategy. Ask yourself, why you need to opt for staff augmentation & what are you expecting from them. This will help you build the right strategy.

Identify your current workforce skills

To get the best outcome & results you need to monitor your workforce closely. Analyze their skill set, weakness & scope for improvisation. Hire a remote developer that fits your needs & adds value to your existing team.

Conduct Industry Research

Unlike any software solution company where decisions might be taken hastily, organizations need to have due diligence. Therefore, when you are looking to hire an IT staff augmentation service you need to do a thorough research about the vendor.

Look to gather reviews & recommendations, industry ratings & choice of industry leaders while choosing a Staff augmentation partner.

Hire a Staff Augmentation service provider

The second step in the Staff augmentation process is to look around for an expert & most reliable staffing augmentation company. Hiring an augmentation company based on nearshore, offshore & onshore needs thorough consideration. 

Based, on the requirements & fulfillment you should look forward to hiring the right fit for fulfilling your hiring needs.

The onboarding process

The last step in the process is known as “onboarding”. After, finalizing the process & hiring an IT Staff augmented company, initiate the onboarding process. Provide a detailed orientation, training & team meetup to help your augmented team kickstart the work. Remember, communication is vital at every stage of the process.

How Acquaint Softtech can help you with IT Staff Augmentation Services?

Acquaint Softtech is a custom software development company specializing in Laravel development. Our team also provides IT Staff augmentation services. 

Our team has been using its agile approach to help our clients meet their development needs for the past 15+ years. We also help organizations hire remote developers to fill skill gaps in their existing teams.

Wrapping Up!

Skill gaps in your development team can be a pressing concern, hiring skilled developers can help you minimize the skill gaps. By using IT Staff Augmentation services you can hire remote developers to fill the temporary voids present in your organization.

FAQ