Software Development Team at Capacity

A recent report* finds that two of the greatest challenges companies face today are: their software development teams are at capacity (24%) and hiring more talent (21%).

With innovation projects and development resources being central to the ability for a business to thrive, we’ll review the capacity and hiring challenges facing companies. And then provide some solutions to resolve these hurdles.

Your Software Development Team is at Maximum Capacity. Now what?

In the IT world, team capacity and hiring developers dovetail each other. When the software development team is at capacity, a logical response is to hire more developers. But what exactly does it mean for the development team to be at capacity? For managers intent on aligning projects with business goals, capacity can be defined in the following way:

“the ability for a team of developers to build more features faster, while addressing a backlog of features that need implementation.”

Sometimes a team is simply too small to meet all those demands. Other times, projects require specific skills sets that are missing on the team. In both scenarios, hiring more developers can be a solution. But, hiring is a slow process that has its own set of challenges. Plus, when a manager is looking for niche technology skills, hiring the right developers will take even longer. This can all lead to delays in innovation projects or slower output from the existing team.

So how do IT managers solve their software development team’s capacity and hiring dilemmas? Working with trusted technology partners.

Finding a technology partner that’s right for your project

To know if it’s time to work with a technology partner, here are some questions to ask. The answers can help you determine a solution that is most suitable for your organization.

• Does your current talent pool have the expertise necessary for a project?
• Will this project overburden your team and prevent them from performing their other job functions?
• What is the budget for this project?

If you’ve determined that your software development team is at maximum capacity, and hiring will not address the immediate demands of your project, it’s time to partner with trusted providers.

These recommendations can guide your selection process for working with 3rd parties.

What to look for in a trusted staffing agency to hire developers

A recent report* shows that around 67% of companies outsource software development. Yet the general satisfaction rates were low. Only 22% reported being absolutely satisfied and 40% being somewhat satisfied. With such disparity in satisfaction results, reevaluating who you’ll trust to source more developers for your project is imperative.

Here are a couple of things to note.

Demand more than resumes from your staffing agency

Developer staffing agencies are abundant. But not all provide the quality of talent and services you should come to expect from a trusted vendor. The average developer staffing companies collects and disburses resumes. Generally, there is less effort to vet and qualify candidates to best align with client projects. In contrast, a trusted staffing partner like JDK’s Workforce Solutions, will do more. They screen and vet their developers to ensure they are pre-qualified to meet all project requirements. They also provide supporting resources to developers and clients alike. Things like ongoing training, performance tracking, valuable reporting and metrics reflect their commitment to the project’s success.

Outsourcing your project to a trusted technology partner

There might come a time when a project requires more than extending hiring temporary developers to extend your team’s capacity. It might need to be outsourced completely to a 3rd party vendor. Like working with a trusted staffing agency, the key is hiring a trusted technology partner over a traditional software development shop. Here’s why:

A trusted technology partner does more than develop software. They are solutions consultants offering a range of services in digital design, strategy, development, support and maintenance. A trusted technology partner will take time to understand the business goal and design measurable solutions to hit those goals.

Also a trusted technology partner is invested in their client’s success. They become an extension of the team, providing knowledge, technical skills and the human resources to bring a complex project to completion.

In conclusion

There are concrete benefits to outsourcing entire software development projects or augmenting your IT workforce with more developers. An increasing number of companies are choosing trusted technology partners over traditional software development companies to design, develop, and implement complex technology initiatives. Others are solving capacity and talent shortages by working with trusted staffing agencies that offer the needed skills and resources right away.

How are you solving capacity and talent shortages? We’d love to hear your stories in the comments.