Blog/Outsourcing

Dedicated Development Team

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Praise Iwuh

February 15, 2022

A dedicated development team is a collaborative business model where a business owner outsources a project to a development team. The hired team of developers works on your project(s), ensuring all your requirements and business needs are met. Working with development teams builds a long-lasting relationship, fostering team cohesion and understanding.

This article discusses the benefits of dedicated development teams to your business, the value they bring to the table, why this collaborative model works and the difference between dedicated development teams and team extension/ augmentation.

Table of Content

What is a Dedicated Development Team?
Dedicated Development Team structure
When Should You Hire one
How to Hire a Dedicated Development Team
Who Makes up a Dedicated Development Team
How to Manage a Dedicated Development Team
Benefits of a Dedicated Development Team
Difference between a dedicated team and team extension model?

What is a Dedicated Development Team?

A Dedicated Development Team is a specialized group of skilled professionals exclusively assembled to work on a specific project or set of tasks. Comprising developers, designers, and other essential roles, this team is committed solely to the client's project, providing focused expertise, adaptability, and efficiency. This model offers a flexible and scalable approach to meet project needs, making it an ideal solution for businesses seeking dedicated, high-quality resources without the long-term commitment of building an in-house team.

Essentially, a dedicated team is an approach to software development. The idea behind it is to hire a group of skilled developers who can work on your project as your team members, manage, and direct them to a certain extent. You can take advantage of their expertise, share some workload with them, and enjoy working without extra stress on you.

This eliminates the need to employ and train in-house specialists while giving you rapid access to talent. In addition, the Dedicated Team model is designed to allow you to use only the developers you need— from one to as many as your project requires.

'Dedicated' because this is a team focused on your project and committed to delivering high-quality results on time. This model is proven effective whether a company is well-established or a startup.

You have probably come across terms like team extension and team augmentation before, and we won't be surprised if you wonder if they mean the same as a dedicated team. Short answer- No, they are not the same. While they share similarities, "dedicated team," "team extension," and "team augmentation" have nuanced differences in terms of commitment, duration, and scope.

Team extension is hiring specific expertise or a development team to work with an in-house team for the duration of a project. The main benefit of team extension is for companies to save time picking experience by outsourcing projects to temporary workers.

Furthermore, Dedicated teams are often more exclusive and committed, while team extension is a specific application of team augmentation for short-term projects. The terms can be used interchangeably in some contexts, but there are some notable subtle differences.

This article covers everything you need to know about Team Extension.

Dedicated Development Team Structure

A Dedicated Development Team (DDT) Structure involves outsourcing a project to remote developers, forming a specialized team comprising skilled professionals, including developers, a quality assurance team, and a remote project manager. This approach combines high expertise with cost-effectiveness due to outsourcing. It is particularly beneficial for clients with a solid understanding of their market and industry challenges.

Constructing an effective structure for a dedicated software development team necessitates careful consideration of various aspects, including team size, type of development team, and defining the right roles for each professional. These factors directly impact the team's functionality. However, after you've assembled this dedicated development team with these essential components, your project is ready to take the software industry by storm.

Here are some simple steps to follow for creating your DDT structure:

1. Pick the Development Team Type:

Determine the type of development team based on your project goals. Choose from Generalists (versatile in various tech areas but with potential expertise limitations), Specialists (highly skilled in specific fields but with potential communication challenges), or a Hybrid Team (a blend of Generalists and Specialists for a balanced approach).

2. Decide the Right Team Size:

Contrary to common assumptions, larger teams are less efficient due to increased communication channels. Aim for 5-7 members for optimal efficiency, adjusting based on project size. Consider outsourcing specialists for larger projects.

3. Assign the Correct Development Roles:

Key roles include Project Managers for leadership, Business Analysts for project modification, Software Architects for high-level design choices, Developers for tech skills, UX UI Designers for user-friendly products, and QA Testers for testing and security.

4. Keep Documentation Updated and Easy to Manage:

Finalize a robust documentation strategy for both business and technical aspects. Ensure documentation is applicable to the project's current state, facilitating better project management. Use information management software for organized storage and real-time collaboration.

5. Make Communication a Priority:

Strong communication is vital for success. Even with other components in place, lacking communication can harm the project. Hence, efficient communication enhances collaboration, creativity, and innovation within the dedicated team. It is also essential to address project specifications and requirements through effective communication.

6. Use Communication Apps to Establish Offline Interaction:

Implement communication apps like Slack and Zoom for efficient interaction. This is because instant messaging messaging fosters quicker communication than emails, facilitating the sharing of opinions, concerns, and working progress. Additionally, offline interaction, through open discussions and project debriefings, enhances team performance and establishes a trustworthy working culture.

When to Hire a Dedicated Development Team?

A dedicated team is a team hired by you for you. You can select the members, manage their performance, and make changes without spending your time recruiting and training new developers.

They are experts in what they do and could provide support to solve issues as they come up. Once your project is in good hands, you can focus on achieving your business goals and planning the next steps.

With a dedicated team, you have a direct line of communication with the project manager, who is in charge of the group, and you'll be notified when project goals are met.

Here are some scenarios that can guide you in knowing when to hire a dedicated development team:

1. When you need to scale your team: Scaling a development team is a common requirement as projects grow in complexity or scope. When your existing team lacks the capacity to handle increased workloads, deadlines, or new features, hiring a dedicated development team is a strategic move. This approach allows you to quickly augment your workforce, ensuring that you can meet project demands without compromising on quality.

2. Tight deadline to meet: When faced with a tight deadline, hiring a dedicated development team can be crucial to expedite project delivery. A dedicated team can quickly mobilize, focusing exclusively on your project without distractions from other tasks. This ensures a concentrated effort and a higher likelihood of meeting the deadline.

3. Long-term development project (from 3 months): For projects with a duration of three months or longer, a dedicated development team becomes valuable due to the sustained and continuous effort required. It allows for better team cohesion, knowledge retention, and adaptability to changing project requirements over an extended period. This model ensures stability and consistency in development efforts.

4. Early-stage startup: Early-stage startups often face resource constraints and need a flexible yet committed team to transform their vision into a tangible product. Therefore, hiring a dedicated development team provides the necessary technical expertise without the long-term commitment and cost associated with building an in-house team. This allows startups to scale up or down based on evolving project needs.

5. Projects with vague requirements: When project requirements are not clearly defined or subject to frequent changes, a dedicated development team is beneficial. This team can adapt to evolving specifications, collaborate closely with stakeholders, and iteratively refine the project scope. Their flexibility and responsiveness contribute to successful project outcomes, especially when dealing with uncertainties in the initial stages.

How to Hire a Dedicated Development Team

1. Prepare Your Requirements:

The first step in hiring a dedicated development team is to outline your project goals, business and tech requirements, budget, and the number of specialists needed. An excellent way to achieve this is to create a Request for Proposal (RFP) to gather detailed information and compare potential teams more effectively. Here is what an RFP looks like:

2. Study the Company's Website:

Once you have found potential DDT teams, investigate each company's website, focusing on its blog, services, relevant experience, company size, and years in the market. Check the number of developers, development process management, and additional services offered, such as business support or marketing analysis.

3. Study the Portfolio:

Examine the company's portfolio to ensure they have experience in your domain. Look for completed projects similar to yours, assessing their expertise and ability to deliver results in your specific industry.

4. Get Information about Service Quality & Security:

Prioritize understanding how the company handles data and server security when hiring a dedicated team. Inquire about coding standards, code review practices, code refactoring, version control, server administration capabilities, and security measures for both project and company information.

5. Look for a Tech Partner, not just a Developer:

Consider the dedicated development team as a tech partner, not just a vendor. Seek a team that adds value to your project, supports your business goals, challenges you with thoughtful questions, and offers extra ideas and recommendations for improved results.

Who Makes up a Dedicated Development Team?

Here is a list of specialists in a dedicated team and their roles:

Full-stack Developer - Front-end and back-end developers: The frontend developer builds the client, and the backend developer builds the server side of a project

Product Designer: Create and develop a solution that meets user experience demands

DevOps Engineer: Harmonise the development, operations and testing phases

QA and Testing Engineer: ensures the delivery of error-free software

Business Analyst: Analyse user data, analytics, and project requirements and provide recommendations

Project Manager: Serves as a liaison between the client and the developers. They plan, manage, monitor progress, and mitigate project risks.

Software architects: define the overarching structure and technical vision of a software system, guiding the development team in creating a scalable and efficient solution.

Data scientists: employ advanced analytics and machine learning techniques to extract valuable insights from data, enhancing decision-making processes.

Team leads: oversees and coordinates the development team's efforts to ensure project success, effective communication, and efficient collaboration.

How to Manage a Dedicated Development Team

Managing a Dedicated Development Team (DDT) effectively involves several key practices. Here are five points to consider:

1. Clear Communication:

Ensure transparent and consistent communication with the dedicated development team. Use collaboration tools, regular meetings, and establish a communication protocol to keep everyone informed about project progress, challenges, and expectations.

2. Define Clear Goals and Roles:

Set clear project goals and define individual roles within the dedicated development team. This will help you establish expectations for each team member and ensure everyone understands their responsibilities and contributions to the project.

3. Agile Methodology:

Embrace agile methodologies such as disciplined agile delivery framework to enhance flexibility and responsiveness in project development. Break down the project into manageable sprints, conduct regular reviews, and adapt to changes quickly based on feedback and evolving requirements.

4. Regular Monitoring and Reporting:

Implement robust monitoring and reporting mechanisms to track the team's progress, identify potential issues, and measure performance against key performance indicators (KPIs). Also, regularly review the achieved milestones and make data-driven decisions.

5. Provide Ongoing Support and Training:

Foster a culture of continuous improvement by providing ongoing support and training to the dedicated development team. Encourage skill development, address challenges promptly, and create an environment that promotes learning and collaboration.

Benefits of a Dedicated Development Team

Do you know that hiring a dedicated development team offshore can lead to significant cost savings, sometimes up to 50-70% on the development budget? According to Capital Counselor, the primary motivation behind outsourcing, accounting for 70% of cases, is the substantial reduction in costs. But this is not the only benefit of a DDT. Here are some more benefits of hiring a Dedicated Development Team:

Costs and time savings:

Opting for an offshore dedicated development team saves costs compared to hiring local in-house specialists. There's no need for additional office space, equipment purchases, or local-related expenditures. Moreover, hourly rates for engineers in regions like Eastern Europe (Ukraine) are substantially lower than in the US or Europe, providing significant cost savings. Research from Daxx indicates an average rate of around $40 for Ukraine-based developers, compared to $130 in the USA for the same expertise.

High flexibility

Bringing in a dedicated development team provides full control over the process and increased flexibility. You can determine the number of engineers, deadlines, and tools used. Furthermore, adjustments to the workflow and project scope are easily manageable. For those not wanting to engage in management tasks, delegating responsibilities to a project manager is also an option. Additionally, the flexibility extends to the project's conclusion, eliminating concerns about laying off the team or finding tasks for them within your company. Ultimately, an offshore dedicated development team offers a more cost-efficient alternative to in-house developers.

Access to niche skills

When you opt for a dedicated development team, you gain access to specialized skills that may be challenging to find locally. These niche skills could include expertise in specific programming languages, frameworks, or technologies. For instance, if your project requires knowledge in emerging areas like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain, or data science, hiring a dedicated team allows you to tap into a global talent pool with professionals possessing these specialized skills. This access to niche expertise enhances the capabilities of your development team and ensures that your project benefits from the latest advancements in technology.

Long-term partnerships

Choosing a dedicated development team often leads to the establishment of long-term partnerships. Unlike short-term projects or freelance arrangements, a dedicated team model encourages a more enduring collaboration. Long-term partnerships offer several advantages, including a deeper understanding of your business goals and processes by the dedicated team. This familiarity enables the team to provide more tailored solutions, contribute to strategic planning, and adapt to evolving project requirements over time. Long-term partnerships also foster a sense of commitment and shared goals, resulting in a more cohesive and efficient working relationship.

Access to Global Expertise

Hiring a dedicated development team provides access to a diverse pool of global expertise. You can assemble a team with members from various geographical locations, each bringing unique perspectives, experiences, and cultural insights to the table. This diversity not only enriches the overall team dynamic but also contributes to creative problem-solving and innovation. Access to global expertise also ensures that your project benefits from a broad range of skills and knowledge, allowing you to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Additionally, working with professionals from different regions may open up new opportunities and perspectives for your business.

The reality of hiring a dedicated team is seen in the value that it delivers to businesses: They are:

Defined budget
Flexibility with requirement change
Complete control over the management of the team
Team members deeply understand the project and business goals of their clients.
Direct line of communication.
The team is stable and fully dedicated to the particular client.

Difference between a Dedicated Team and Team Extension Model?

These terms, dedicated team model and team extension, are often used interchangeably, but there's a nuanced difference between the two. The dedicated team model involves a development team handling the end-to-end development of projects, functioning as a standalone unit. On the other hand, team extension leverages a company's expertise by hiring specific skills or an entire team to supplement and augment its existing in-house staff. Team extension is particularly beneficial for scaling development teams without the need for comprehensive project outsourcing. Essentially, the evolution from dedicated teams to the team extension model allows for the hiring of a complete development team, either to function as an in-house team or to augment and scale an existing in-house team.

Conclusion

The dedicated development team extension model has emerged as the pinnacle of efficiency and quality in application development. At Wazobia.tech, we embrace this model to deliver unparalleled services to our clients. Our commitment to employing the best software methodologies and development practices ensures the swift enhancement of development speed, effectiveness, and overall project quality. From project ideation to deployment, we take a holistic approach, and our services include ongoing software maintenance. Let Wazobia Tech be your trusted partner in transforming your ideas into exceptional digital solutions. Send a message now to Wazobia Technologies.

Read: Essential Tools for Remote Development Teams