A cohesive, well-coordinated team is capable of anything. And in this case, "well-coordinated" is crucial. It can be much trickier to ensure proper administration of temporary staff when software development is outsourced. Unless you implement the paradigm of a dedicated software development team, which has both benefits and drawbacks.
The absence of ongoing collaboration and poor communication have always been the fundamental complaints against IT outsourcing. Some potential clients who want to establish a more long-term relationship with the IT service provider are put off by this one-and-done job approach. To address this, the dedicated team concept was developed.
Let's dive deeper and explore the benefits of adopting a dedicated team model for your next project.
Simply put, a dedicated team model involves a group of skilled professionals working on a client’s project exclusively. These professionals are handpicked based on their expertise, ability to work collaboratively, and commitment to delivering top-quality work. Every member of the team is working together toward a common goal, with a deep understanding of the project's requirements and challenges.
A dedicated project team is a kind of long-term partnership model in which, for instance, a software development agency provides a client with a team for continuous full-time cooperation. It is somewhat comparable to outsourcing. The outsourcing approach provides you with a third-party provider who is entirely in charge of the project and who has its own set of regulations and organizational structure.
With the dedicated team approach, the team and its work are fully under the client's management which places it more in the staff augmentation or outstaffing category. The members of the dedicated team are picked based on the criteria and qualifications for knowledge and experience set forth by the customer. It implies that this team has been specifically chosen for you and is giving your project its undivided attention. The customer is then given a choice between managing the team themselves or assigning that responsibility to a project manager who is more familiar with the team.
For companies who have a difficult time deciding how to proceed with their project, we’ve compared the three most popular team development models.
When you opt for a dedicated development team, you can be certain of their deep understanding of your goals and priorities. The intimacy level of this approach allies to enabling superior collaboration and, thus, better decision-making. All this means you can expect high-quality work that may not be available through other models.
On the other hand, the time & material model allows companies to scale up or down as needed: paying only for the work being done can be particularly helpful for projects that are difficult to estimate in terms of scope or duration. However, with this model, managing quality control or ensuring a consistent level of expertise across the team can turn into a real problem. Also, because the team is not dedicated solely to a client’s project, expert coordination can be more complex and time-consuming.
The fixed price model is based on a clearly defined set of deliverables and a fixed budget. This is convenient when the project requirements are static, and there is little to no need for ongoing support or maintenance. Still, it may also lead to sacrifices regarding flexibility, scalability, and quality output.
The dedicated development team model is taking off lately and for a good reason. The approach offers many merits, especially for large projects.
Like every other development model out there, the dedicated team comes with its cons. Firstly, finding the perfect dedicated team can be time-consuming, which can delay the start of the project itself. The task is further complicated if the skills required for the project are highly specialized or rare. This can lead to resource exhaustion in terms of both time and money.
Secondly, while a dedicated team generally possesses specialized skills and experience, it doesn’t mean they will be familiar with the specific needs of the project. If the domain is too complicated, the adaptation process might take more time than expected. Adaptation is vital for the outcome to meet expectations. In case the team is not able to adapt, it can impact the quality of the project and the likelihood of it meeting the deadline.
Thirdly, the expenses related to hiring a dedicated team often exceed the overall costs other options carry, such as outsourcing or employing freelancers. For short-term or small projects, this may not be the most cost-effective solution.
You should carefully weigh all the pros and cons before deciding on the best approach for your project.
Alright, let's dive deeper into the dedicated project team structure. The structure involves different roles with specialized skills, all working towards a common goal: delivering a successful project.
To help you decide whether the dedicated team is a perfect model for your project, let’s review who can benefit from it the most.
While dedicated development teams offer a plethora of benefits, they are not always the ideal solution for every project. This approach may not always outperform the benefits of an internal team. And in other situations, compared to other outsourcing tactics, it won't offer enough savings. Here are a few illustrative examples of when the model may not work:
The dedicated development team model provides a sense of ownership and continuity while maintaining a high level of quality and predictability in the development process. If you are looking to take your development efforts to the next level, our dedicated team services may be just what you need.
At Clover Dynamics, we specialize in offering startups and small to medium-sized organizations full-cycle, high-quality, and dependable IT outsourcing services, including discovery service, web browser extensions, and real-time communication solutions. Contact us, and our specialists will help pick the right experts for cutting-edge technology solutions development.