What is staff augmentation?
The short staff augmentation definition: a provider finds you a specialist and handles their employment and payroll, while you direct their work. You set their priorities, review their output and answer for the result. Once the person is in place, the provider’s role is mostly administrative.
That’s the core of the model, and everything people like or dislike about it comes from there. Companies use it to hire remote developers quickly without setting up employment abroad.
Providers in Eastern Europe often call the same arrangement outstaffing, which is worth knowing when you compare quotes.
When it works well
It works best when you’re missing a skill, and your team structure is otherwise in place. You know what needs building, an engineering lead has time to direct someone, and the work has a foreseeable end. In that situation it’s often the fastest and cheapest option.
If you’re comparing suppliers of this model, the differences between a staff augmentation agency, a freelance marketplace and a managed delivery partner are covered in a separate guide.
Where it gets harder
It gets harder when what’s missing is management time. If your leads are already at capacity, adding specialists who need direction adds work to their week.
Continuity is the second challenge. The relationship is with an individual, so their knowledge leaves when they do. Teams that augment for two years can find themselves back at the start after a few departures.
Accountability also stays with you. If an augmented specialist underperforms, you handle it.
Larger organisations sometimes set up an offshore development center instead, which suits a bigger programme. Providers who sell augmentation usually market it as IT staff augmentation services, and the useful comparison is between models, then between vendors.
Staff augmentation compared with a managed offshore team
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Compared | Staff augmentation | Managed offshore team |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | A person's time | A team's delivery |
| Who manages day to day | You | The provider |
| Who answers for output | You | The provider |
| When someone leaves | Their product knowledge goes with them | The team keeps it, and the provider finds the replacement |
| Best fit | A defined, short gap | Ongoing work you want managed for you |
The alternative to staff augmentation
Azendo works with the managed model. Your specialists work only on your roadmap, and an Azendo service delivery manager handles management, quality and reporting. You set the direction and review the output, without managing individuals.
It’s built for companies with a roadmap that keeps growing. Our guide to the dedicated development team explains how the model handles management, cost and continuity. If you’re thinking about adding a whole group instead of one person, team augmentation is the same model at a larger size and raises the same question about who manages the team.