Dedicated team: what is it and what are the benefits

The article is a part of Code Inspiration’s software development outsourcing Knowledge Base.

Dedicated team meaning

Any IT project is a complex task, and its effectiveness largely depends on the interaction between the developers and the customer, as well as on the participation degree and skills level of each specialist.

Current trends require a close contact of the development team with managers, marketers, business analysts, as well as constant feedback from users. With this approach, classic models of outsourcing may be ineffective, which forces both customers and developers to look for new models of cooperation.

Actually, there are 3 popular approaches to personnel management. Let’s see them in brief:

Fixed price model

The model includes both detailed requirements and careful timelines. Such an approach is good for small and medium businesses with limited budgets, but it is carried out only by predefined and approved plan.

Time&Material model

The main argument for this technology is the high degree of flexibility. It is universally applicable for those projects, that don’t have the pre-determined scope of works. This approach is also based on ongoing adjustment of the requirements, so the project may warrant 24/7 attention.

Dedicated team model

This approach is suitable for cases when the client needs an increase in staff to solve a specific large-scale task. The advantage of this approach is the high control level and the development process most relevant to the client’s methodologies.

Team spirit is crucial for the future success of any business. This is especially true of IT, where every profitable project is the result of careful planning and close cooperation. That’s why dedicated team model is a great success now.

A dedicated team is a model in which project work is managed by the customer, who controls the workflow and regulates the developers’ workload. At the same time, the QA-provider assumes responsibility for attracting new specialists and administrative support of the team.

The performance of the team and the KPI of each specialist are regularly monitored, and if necessary, amendments are made to the workflow.

This model is ideal for long-term cooperation. You get a separate team of developers carefully selected exclusively for your project and in accordance with your requirements. The whole team is more deeply immersed in the affairs of your organization and fully available to you as long as necessary. In addition, this approach averagely saves up to 40% of the budget when developing long-term projects.

What’s important, this model is considered to be more people-centered. By hiring a dedicated team, most customers do not only look for additional resources, but also strive to get motivated professionals interested in the project, who will do their best to make the final product perfect.

Dedicated team advantages

Summing up, we can conclude that dedicated team model has a wide range of benefits, such as:

• Transparent management system;
• 100% involvement;
• High-level communication;
• Flexibility;
• Predictable budget.

How to find a dedicated development team

Therefore, the advantage is obvious. If you have your own large project idea, it will be better to look for a dedicated development team. There are numerous ways to search for specialists. Surfing on the specific professional sites, such as Freelancer.com, Upwork.com and Guru.com, is one of the most effective. It is probable that there you will be able to find most highly qualified IT-companies, which offer their development services. You can benefit from free profiling in the business-related networks. LinkedIn is the best choice, as it is convenient for searching due to its filtering system. And in some cases you just need to use a search engine query and browse suggested sites to find your dream team. But there are so many custom software development companies on the market and it is getting more difficult to choose the perfect partner, who will meet all the requirements.

We’d like to draw your attention to the features that need to be taken into account for making a reasoned decision:

1. Experience and competence. This item includes the possibility of producing quality software and implies not only a strong knowledge of basic technologies, but also the use of specific tools and frameworks that increase efficiency. Be sure to inquire about the quality definition metrics the developer uses. You can also check the websites that provide the company category rating like the Clutch.co in order to review company’s professional background.
2. It is necessary to find out if the company has experience in creating such projects. If the selected experts have already had development experience in a similar direction, it is more likely they will know how to avoid common mistakes and difficulties.
3. Most of the companies post reviews on their websites or have a page with ratings on some specialized resources on the Internet, where you can easily find all the needed information. The best option is to get customer contacts (you can request them from the service provider) and interview clients directly.
4. Pay attention to the website of a potential partner and make sure that it is quite convenient and understandable. The site is the face of the company, and if it is designed without adhering to the basic development principles, most likely, your project will also encounter similar difficulties.
5. Communication flexibility. Note the speed of sending a commercial offer. It will be correct to call the development company and check how quickly the office answers the call and how the phone manager communicates. Terminology knowledge, consulting skills and openness are good signs.
6. Time zone. When hiring an offshore dedicated team, you should remember about time zone differences. The operational rapidity can be impaired due to the inability to contact the team in the appropriate moment. So, it’s recommended to choose a company that can organize communication without sacrificing your usual way of work.
7. Software development approach. It is important to find out that developer understands the entire development methodology in detail and offers technologies that are suitable for solving your project problems. Agile and Scrum methodologies provide big advantages. They provide client satisfaction by rapid and continuous delivery of useful software. A customer can easily manage the workflow, following the development process. At the core of such approaches lies a team of like-minded people who are willing to pay attention to details and ergonomics. It’s obvious that unity implies higher probability of solving a problem.

Improving project visibility (43%) moved up three places to become the fourth most popular reason stated for adopting agile this year and accelerating product delivery increased from 62% last year to 69% this year, according to the 11th annual state of Agile report

Guided by these simple rules, you can choose a team that will match your highest expectations. However, it’s also necessary to provide all the needed information to the developers to reach closer cooperation.

That’s why it’s advisable to get professional consultation before you start the development project. Code Inspiration team has an expert-level experience in providing dedicated team model services, making it possible to greatly reduce your project expenses, provide outstanding quality and customer satisfaction level for each milestone of the project. Contact us to learn more about this model of cooperation and the benefits it can add to your project and company.

The article is a part of Code Inspiration’s software development outsourcing Knowledge Base.