You’re full of innovative software ideas, but your internal team is stretched thin. Building your dream development team from scratch or working with an existing team?
Choosing the right development model can make or break your project.
In this guide, we break down the two main options in clear and simple language – dedicated and extended teams. We will explore their strengths, weaknesses and ideal situations for each.
In the end, you will confidently choose the perfect team to launch your software project!
What are Dedicated Teams?
Have you ever felt on top of a big project and wished you had a team of qualified experts by your side? This is where dedicated teams come in! instead of recruiting and managing your own developers, you work with an outsourcing company. They assemble a team of experts tailored specifically to the needs of your project. This dedicated team becomes your unique software group, working exclusively on a project for a long time.
Think of them as your personal development superheroes. They deeply understand your vision, communicate directly with you and are fully invested in your success. It’s like an expert development extension of your existing team without having to manage them yourself.
Pros
- Focused expertise: The team is tailored specifically to meet the requirements of the project at hand.
- Streamlined communication: Direct lines of contact between clients and their dedicated team enhance collaboration.
- Long-term commitment: The dedication to the project ensures that the team remains focused on achieving its goals throughout the entirety of the project’s life cycle.
- Scalability: It’s easy to adjust team size according to changing project demands.
Cons
- Higher costs: Compared to other models, this approach tends to be more expensive due to the longer duration of engagement.
- Reduced internal control: Clients relinquish some level of project management and oversight to the outsourcing partner.
Best for
- Large, complex projects where a high degree of specialization is required.
- Ongoing development and support, such as maintaining applications after initial release.
- Lack of in-house expertise. When there isn’t enough talent within the organization to handle certain tasks.
- Speed and time-to-market. When quick delivery is crucial.
What are Extended Teams?
Does a project need that extra spark? Your team is great, but maybe they lack capacity or the workload is too much. That’s where extended teams come in, your secret weapon for speeding up your app development.
An extended team involves adding specialized developers or resources from an outsourcing partner to an existing internal team. This strategy helps fill skill gaps and provides access to specialist knowledge when needed.
They work with your own team to achieve a common goal, but are managed and billed by an outsourcing partner or an IT staff augmentation service provider. It is like bringing in temporary helpers to deal with certain challenges and speed up the progress of the project.
Pros
- Cost-effectiveness: Only pay for the specific skills and resources required.
- Flexibility: Easily scale up or down depending on project demand.
- Access to specialized skills: Acquire knowledge and experience unavailable internally.
- Accelerated project completion: Adding additional resources can help finish projects faster.
Cons
- Communication challenges: Coordinating efforts among both in-house and external teams requires extra attention.
- Cohesion issues: External developers may not fully integrate with the company’s culture.
- Split focus: Developers working on multiple projects simultaneously could lead to reduced productivity.
Best for
- Short-term needs: For projects with well-defined objectives and limited durations.
- Skill gap filling: To address deficiencies in the current in-house team.
- Burst development activities: For specific feature implementation.
Choosing the right team model depends on your specific needs.
- The complexity of the project : Multi-layered projects benefit from the focused expertise of a dedicated team.
- Budget: For projects with tighter budgets or shorter deadlines, an extended team can be more cost-effective.
- Internal Resources: A strong internal team can benefit from an extended team to fill certain gaps. A dedicated team is better than lacking in-house talent.
- Executive level: Need close supervision? Choose a dedicated team.
- Time constraints: A dedicated team can speed up development.
| Feature | Dedicated Team | Extended Team |
| Team structure | New, fully formed team built specifically for your project | Augmentation of your existing team |
| Engagement model | Long-term, exclusive focus on your project | Short-term, project-based or as-needed |
| Expertise | Tailored to your specific project needs | Fills skills gaps and provides specific expertise |
| Communication | Streamlined communication channels with dedicated team | Requires coordination between in-house and external teams |
| Cost | Higher, due to exclusive dedication and potentially higher hourly rates | Lower, pay only for specific skills and resources needed |
| Control | Less direct control, project management handled by outsourcing partner | More direct control, managed by your in-house team |
| Scalability | Easy to scale up or down as project needs evolve | More flexible scaling but may require additional effort |
| Best for | Large, complex projects, long-term development, lack of internal expertise, time-to-market critical | Short-term projects, well-defined needs, filling skill gaps, specific feature development |
Finally, the ideal team structure depends on the project’s unique goals and resources. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each model, you can make an informed decision and work with a team that will drive your software to success!.