--- title: "Dedicated Software Development Team: A Complete Guide | Azendo" description: "What a dedicated software development team is, how it's managed, what it costs and how it compares with staff augmentation and outsourced builds." url: "https://azendo.co/blog/engagement-models/dedicated-software-development-team/" --- 1. [Home](https://azendo.co/) 2. [Newsroom](https://azendo.co/newsroom/) 3. [Engagement models](https://azendo.co/blog/engagement-models/) 4. Dedicated software development team # Dedicated software development team: how it works and what it costs. A dedicated software development team is a group of engineers who work full time on one company's product, usually through an outside provider, often an offshore one. The idea is simple. The details are where providers differ: who manages the team, what happens when someone leaves and how the fee works. This guide covers all three. By [Mikkel Schmidt](https://azendo.co/about/mikkel-schmidt/) 24 September 2026 One team, working on one product, year after year. ## What is a dedicated software development team? It’s a group of developers, testers and other specialists who work only on your product, every day, for as long as your roadmap runs. They join your tools, your repositories and your sprint rhythm. The provider employs them, and depending on the model, either you or the provider manages them. The simplest test is to ask who else the team worked for last month. In a truly dedicated team, the answer is: only you. Everything they learn about your product stays with your product. The team also changes with you. A team that starts with two engineers and a designer often adds QA in the second year, and at Azendo that change goes through your [service delivery manager](https://azendo.co/how-it-works/) at the next monthly cycle. ## What to expect from dedicated developers **They work only on your product.** Your specialists focus on your roadmap and nothing else. **The same people stay.** The engineer who learns your codebase in the first month is still working in it years later. Our specialists stay with Azendo for 3.3 years on average. **One person answers for delivery.** Your service delivery manager plans the work, checks quality and reports to you. **The team grows when you need it to.** Add hours or a new discipline at the next monthly cycle, under the same agreement. **They work from real offices.** Our own floors in Chiang Mai and Bangkok, on our equipment and our network. Nothing is subcontracted. ## A managed development team compared with staff augmentation and project vendors There are three common ways to get outside engineering capacity. They differ most in who manages the work and how long the arrangement lasts. Scroll the table sideways to see every column. | Compared | Staff augmentation | Project vendor | Managed development team | | ---------------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------- | | Who manages day to day | You | The vendor, within the project scope | A service delivery manager on the provider's side | | How long it lasts | Until the contract ends | Until the project ships | As long as your roadmap runs | | When someone leaves | You find a replacement | The vendor reshuffles its team | The provider finds and onboards the replacement | | Who answers for output | You | The vendor, until handover | The provider, throughout | [Staff augmentation](https://azendo.co/blog/engagement-models/staff-augmentation/) works well when you have management capacity to spare. A project vendor suits a build with a clear end. A managed team suits a product that keeps growing, which is why it’s the model behind every Azendo team. ## What a dedicated software development team costs per month It’s priced as one fixed monthly fee for an agreed number of hours, covering everyone in the team. The hours depend on how many specialists you need, and the rate depends on their seniority. You get one invoice, the same every month, whatever the mix of disciplines. There’s no separate management charge, because the service delivery manager is part of the model. [Committed monthly capacity](https://azendo.co/pricing/) explains how the fee is built. ## How to set up a dedicated development team 1. **Share your roadmap.** A short call about what the team will build and which disciplines it needs. 2. **Review the proposed team.** Named specialists, their roles and the monthly hours. 3. **Sign one agreement.** One monthly fee for the whole team. 4. **Start in four to six weeks.** Your team joins your tools and your sprints, with a service delivery manager accountable for what ships. If you’re ready to [hire dedicated developers](https://azendo.co/hire-a-dedicated-development-team-in-thailand/), our hiring page compares the routes and what each one costs you. To see how companies [outsource software developers](https://azendo.co/services/software-development-outsourcing/) discipline by discipline, start with our service pages. ## Questions about dedicated teams. Is a dedicated software development team the same as staff augmentation? No. With staff augmentation, the developers join your team and you manage them. At Azendo, the team is managed by our service delivery manager, who answers for the output. You set the priorities and we run delivery. How is it different from hiring in-house? You get the continuity of an in-house team without the recruiting, HR, equipment, office space or day-to-day management. Can one team cover more than one discipline? Yes, most do. Development, QA and DevOps in one team under one agreement is the most common setup. How quickly can the team start? Four to six weeks after signing. You get a firm start date in the proposal. What happens if someone on the team leaves? We find and onboard the replacement, and your service delivery manager keeps the work moving in the meantime. ## Tell us what the roadmap needs and we will tell you what it takes. A service delivery manager replies with the disciplines we would assign, the monthly capacity and what the first month looks like. [Get in touch](https://azendo.co/get-in-touch/) [How it works](https://azendo.co/how-it-works/) ## Not sure which engagement model fits your roadmap.