Difference Between Staff Augmentation & Consulting

In today's world, there is a need for more staff augmentation. This is because the population is growing, the economy is booming, and more people are seeking careers in the field of business.

Augmentation refers to the expansion of a company's manpower by adding additional employees to its workforce. This can be done by hiring new members or bringing on existing employees from other companies or agencies. The problem is, you are still confused whether to go for consulting or staff augmentation. Well, we understand the hustle, and so in this article, we are going to tell you all about staff augmentation & consulting and how they differ. 

So let’s start with Staff Augmentation:

What is staff augmentation? And why do we need this?

Staff Augmentation is also called Resource Augmentation. It is used at a time when the development team requires a small number of developers with specific skills given for the project. Such developers are needed at the time when there are new project requirements or the employee leaves the company and when they move to any other project.

Mostly, in these cases, the project’s guidelines are already set by the company and its team members, or outsourced developers are there to fill in the required job. IT Staff augmentation is a term that describes the process of bringing in new, temporary employees to help cover for a team's regular employees. This can also be used to help companies retain key employees who may be considering leaving as they look for work elsewhere.

Let’s move ahead with Consulting Services.

What are consulting services? Why do we need this?

Consulting is more about hiring the whole team to see the project from start to end.  It is also defined as Project-based Consulting, refers to hiring a software development team from a consulting firm. In this stage, many employees have good knowledge and expertise that spans many stages of software development: from conceptualization up to post-launch support.

The company requires the whole team to have skills related to a certain project the time they use project-based consulting. These teams get hired at any stage of the project or are also useful in defining the parameters of the project, its scope, or even required resources.

Now you know what exactly these terms are, but if you are still startled to understand the difference between staff augmentation and consulting services, keep reading.

Staff Augmentation vs Consulting: The Difference 

Now let us read about the main reason for which these two outsourcing hiring methods are used, lets's look at the difference between staff augmentation vs consulting:

1. Cost Efficiency

It depends on a number of factors, including the specific needs of the business, the skills of the staff being augmented or hired, the availability of consultants, and the overall cost-effectiveness of the two options. 

In general, however, staff augmentation is typically more cost-effective than consulting, as it allows businesses to tap into a larger pool of talent and utilize existing staff more effectively. Whereas, consulting is typically more flexible in terms of pricing, since the consultant can work on multiple projects at once.

2. Control

Consulting provides outside expertise to help you solve specific problems or take advantage of opportunities. Staff augmentation, on the other hand, is the addition of skilled personnel to supplement your internal team. The main difference between the two is that consulting is more strategic and tailored to your specific needs, while staff augmentation is more hands-on and operational. 

Staff augmentation the company has more control over the work as the new staff are working within the company's existing structure. With consulting, the company  hires an outside expert and so has less control over the work.

3. Flexibility 

Staff augmentation is often less flexible than consulting because the staff member is hired for a specific project and is expected to complete that project. Consulting is often more flexible because the consultant is not hired for a specific project and can be used for multiple projects.

4. Security 

Staff augmentation refers to the outsourcing of non-core business functions to a third-party provider, whereas consulting refers to the outsourcing of specialist expertise to a third-party provider. Security is a key consideration in both staff augmentation and consulting, as both involve the transfer of sensitive data and information to a third party. However, staff augmentation is generally considered to be more secure than consulting, as the provider is typically bound by contract to maintain the confidentiality of the client's data.

But, Which Service to Choose? It's a tough choice, we know. Consider below points while selection.

Of course, neither option is perfect—you could end up with less than what you want or need out of either one. That's why it's important to do your research before making any decisions!

Know The Key Takeaways 

It is important to know the pros & cons of both the methods. That's why we've put together this handy guide to help you figure out which is better for your business: Staff Augmentation or Consulting.

You see, there is a big difference between getting hired as an employee and being given the opportunity to do what you love—with one key difference: You are sacrificing money!

But there's a lot more to it than just money, isn't there? While employees get health insurance and paid vacation time, consultants get none of those things. And how much money do you really want to give up? It's your call, but here are a few things to consider before deciding which way to go:

Of course, if your company is small enough that they can afford a consultant, then go ahead and hire one. But if they can't afford one, then stick with hiring staff augmentation instead.

The key difference between IT staff augmentation services and consulting services is that staff augmentation is a short-term solution for a small team of employees, while consulting is a long-term solution for your entire business.

Conclusion

Staff augmentation or consulting are two different methods that can be used to increase the number of employees in your business. Both have their own perks and disadvantages, but they can both help you grow your business. That’s why, at TECHVED, we specialize in helping businesses with their staff augmentation needs, from training new employees to finding creative ways to increase productivity. We can also provide you with consulting services if you'd like us to come in and give you advice on how to solve your challenges. Visit our page and contact us now www.techved.com