Get ready to master the one simple trick™ that will help you build the roster of tech talent your business needs – the extended development team.
There aren’t enough developers to go around. The situation is going to get worse as software engineering positions are expected to increase 22% by 2030. Here’s what the math looks like around that:
Current number of dev jobs in the US: 1,847,900
New jobs per year: ~189,000
Computer science graduates per year: ~53,000
Shortfall: 136,000 per year
Those are US numbers. In Australia, the situation isn’t much better. Research from 2021 places the number of developers and related roles at 630,000 with estimates that there will be 100,000 unfilled positions by 2024. At the same time, Australia is producing only about 8,500 (domestic) computer science graduates per year.
The shortfall in available talent is driving up salaries. Salary levels are being further distorted by the willingness of large companies like Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon (MAMAA) to pay high salaries along with stock options to fill their open roles and retain talent. The post-COVID embrace of remote work means these salaries are affecting markets even outside of the US.
If your business needs an app to compete, or your business is an app, this is the market you are fighting in to land the talent you need to survive. The competition for developers means it can take 2 to 3 months to fill a role with the right person. If you can afford them.
What is an extended development team?
An extended development team, the “one simple trick”, also goes by the name of a team extension, dedicated team or staff augmentation. It’s remote workers with better management, lower risk, and lower costs.
The biggest benefit of an extended team is how quickly they can be put in place and start being productive. This is made possible by the vendor you will work with.
How do you build an extended development team?
Building your extended team will require a vendor like SoftwareSeni. In SoftwareSeni’s case, we use a hybrid onshore/near-shore model: your project consultant is based in Australia, and our talent pool is based in Indonesia’s tech hub, Yogyakarta.
To build your team you simply supply us with details on the composition of the team that you need and SoftwareSeni provides candidates for you to interview and select from. What can take 2 or 3 months (including negotiating salaries and paying $$$ to recruiters) is completed within a week or two, with you knowing at the outset what your costs will be.
How is an extended development team different from a normal team or outsourcing?
In this era of Work From Home, an extended team is no different to a normal team. They show up. You manage them. They do the work. They attend meetings. Just like the rest of your employees.
However, unlike normal remote employees, they work out of the vendor’s premises. This provides a second level of supervision. The vendor wants them to deliver the quality of service they agreed upon with you. They also provide your extended team members with technical and human resource support functions you don’t need to fund or deal with.
Unlike a typical outsourcing arrangement, you are in complete control and have complete insight into the work they’re doing for you.
Where to start when building an extended team?
The first step in building your extended team is to speak to your vendor. At SoftwareSeni we can help you to quickly finalise team composition and skill sets based on your product goals so you can start building. At every step you’ll be in complete control of costs and be able to scale your team up and down to match your budget.
Contact us to start building your extended team and moving your business forward.
