Why consider an extended development team?

Technology and development have long made it essential for companies to be adaptable, and for adaptability to be incorporated into the company's values and employees. Where previously one could rely on new projects and development being carried out by an in-house IT department and internal knowledge, there are today greater demands for adaptation to new technology and development, and therefore more frequent need to bring in external expertise. In this article, we aim to give you several tips on why you should consider using an extended development team, and how it can help your company specifically.

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What does an extended development team involve?

An extended development team can be considered an extension of the internal expertise the company already possesses. This is a group of external specialists brought in based on the competence they contribute to the project. The advantage of such a team is that the specialist knowledge needed can be acquired without significant costs, without the company having to hire anyone internally. This is especially relevant in IT environments, where specialized knowledge can be essential for small, demanding tasks to be completed on time.

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What can an extended development team bring to your company?

The advantage of an extended development team is that you can tailor the team based on the needs that arise. Starting from the expertise available internally, you can then bring in specialists in various fields, but in a far more cost-effective way than permanent employment. At the same time, complexity and the need for specialized expertise are increasing. This was particularly highlighted during the pandemic, when a combination of the right collaboration tools and remote workforce was forced upon many companies. As a result, many discovered the advantageous opportunities that this combination can bring. Let's take a closer look at some of the benefits such an arrangement can have for both the company and the project team.

1. Lower costs

One of the biggest arguments for an extended development team is cost savings. By using an extended development team, the necessary expertise can be brought in on a needs basis, meaning the company does not commit to keeping developers on a running contract. Nor are you left with a project team that lacks work after the product or service has been completed.

2. Increased efficiency

By having an extended development team, the company can focus on growth and continued operations, rather than directing its workforce toward external areas of expertise. Let specialists do what they do best, so internal resources can be used for what they were hired to do.

3. Cost-effective exposure to specialists

An extended development team provides the desired exposure to specialists, bringing with it access to highly competent knowledge. Very few small businesses have senior developers, engineers, or designers as part of their in-house staff, often due to costs and availability. By using an extended development team, you can gain exposure to this knowledge without incurring significant costs for the company.

4. Lets the company focus on business operations

Project management is an important part of development, but that doesn't mean the managing director is always the right person for this. By using an extended development team, the company can get help from someone with expertise in development and project execution, ensuring the project is completed in an efficient and budget-friendly manner. Here, the company can play an active role in shaping goals, milestones, and timelines, and then let specialists take over the actual execution.

5. Effective control over resources

The budget is often what forms the framework for a project, but it will also impose a number of limitations. It will therefore be important to find the most efficient solution, something an extended development team can often help with. Since the development team can easily be scaled both up and down, the project will achieve far greater flexibility during execution. This applies especially in areas such as design, service, UX/UI, system architecture, and software and app development.

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An extended development team provides better control during the process

Previously, it was common to assemble a project group responsible for development internally within the organization. In hindsight, it has been learned that this way of running projects is a less efficient arrangement, since the outcome of the work is rarely controlled until the project is completed. If instead you choose to use an extended development team, it becomes possible to review, monitor, and above all see the progress of the work from individual parties throughout the process. This very possibility has led many companies to use an extended team as part of their own development. This is especially relevant in IT environments, where ever-higher demands for competence and development are placed as part of modernization. Combined with companies' increased focus on cost efficiency, flexible expertise has become more frequently sought after.

By offering businesses tailored specialist expertise, you can easily assemble the perfect extension to the competence that exists internally. Most companies have development and IT departments that can handle the groundwork, but will need specialists to carry out more demanding tasks, or time-consuming tasks in extension of the basics. With an extended development team, you can adapt the team along the way, and have the opportunity to replace the expertise you no longer need as soon as a task is completed or a milestone reached. In this way, you streamline the process, minimize costs, and increase the success rate of developing and executing new projects.

Get in touch to find out more about what we can do together with your company, and what opportunities you have with an extended development team from Seven Peaks on board.

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