Software development projects are getting increasingly complex. But not all organizations have the tools, or the skill sets to keep up with this complexity. Poor project planning, lack of the right tools or internal expertise, and the inability to acquire temporary resources to meet peak needs are just some of the reasons why many software development projects fail. 

According to a recent study, 31.1% of software projects are canceled before completion, and 52.7% exceed their original budgets by 189%. To boost software development efficiency, meet fluctuating customer needs, and accelerate time-to-market, organizations need to supplement their teams with skilled resources. 

Staff augmentation is a great way for organizations to get ready access to skilled DevOps experts, accelerate and scale project deliveries, and meet the evolving needs of customers.

Read on to learn more about DevOps staff augmentation and understand how it can help unlock the true potential of your DevOps project.

The Evolving Realm of DevOps

Just as technology is constantly advancing, the realm of DevOps is also undergoing a tectonic shift.

• New processes and methodologies are constantly emerging, requiring organizations to revamp and overhaul their traditional DevOps practices and stay relevant.
• With new technologies evolving at a lightning-fast pace, organizations are compelled to integrate them into their DevOps projects and drive greater value and impact.
• As hybrid work models continue to be popular, there is a perennial requirement to improve communication and collaboration between geographically dispersed teams and accelerate the achievement of shared goals.

Challenges Faced by Organizations

Organizations that rely on DevOps to streamline software development often come face-to-face with many challenges catering to projects of different scales:

• Lack of internal expertise: Despite aspirational DevOps goals, many companies lack the in-house knowledge required to fully utilize the advanced features of Atlassian and DevOps tools. This slows project progress while impacting the quality and timeliness of software deliveries.
• Hiring, training, and managing skilled resources: In today’s highly competitive and rapidly evolving job market, finding, hiring, and training qualified Atlassian and DevOps professionals can be a time-consuming and challenging process. With a high demand for skilled DevOps resources and extremely specific roles to fill, companies have a tough time attracting, onboarding, and managing talent for their unique needs.
• Merging multiple Atlassian instances: Teams that create their own instance of Jira face several challenges in merging and managing multiple instances. Having different instances can lead to redundant data entry, issues in managing workflows, limited visibility, and eventually, inefficiency in executing tasks. 
• Tracking progress and pivoting as needed: Software development teams also stuggle to track the progress of the project. Siloed tools restrict end-to-end visibility into what different teams are doing, causing either duplication of work or missed opportunities. They also make it difficult to clarify and confirm responsibilities and deliver high-quality work on time. 
• Meeting temporary support needs: Companies often require temporary support during peak workloads or project implementations. With a limited in-house team, it becomes difficult to maintain project continuity, especially given the high cost of hiring seasonal workers and the lengthy onboarding and ramp-up time.

Different Projects Demand Different Engagement Models

Organizations in this digital era have extremely tight deadlines to meet. As they struggle with the widening skills gap, they realize the need to hire skilled external resources. But no two software projects are the same, which means different projects demand different engagement models.  

• For instance, teams that have a variable business need seek specific skills to meet their needs. They have a short team resource requirement and want to be able to manage the recruitment, onboarding, and performance of these resources. Staff augmentation allows such organizations to quickly access qualified professionals to supplement their existing team.  They can leverage a wide talent pool and flexible engagement models to accelerate time-to-market.
• Organizations with long-term and evolving business needs are often on the lookout for skilled experts who can help address their complex and widespread scope. They prefer shared responsibility of project delivery and want the new pool of resources to complement their current skills. For such organizations, managed teams offer a great solution to build a dedicated Atlassian and DevOps team managed by skilled experts. With managed teams, organizations can streamline project delivery, make the most of expert management, and reduce risk – all while focusing on their core business.
• Organizations that are aspiring to undergo business transformation cannot achieve their goals by simply hiring a handful of resources. They need skilled experts who can support and guide them through the transformation journey. They need resources with comprehensive expertise across Atlassian tools, can clearly define SLAs and service levels, and take responsibility of the full execution and delivery of multiple projects, so organizations can focus on thier core business and have peace of mind with IT management. Managed services allow organizations to completely outsource their entire Atlassian and DevOps operations to a competent vendor for a seamless experience. With managed services, organizations can free themselves from managing complex projects, cut down on project costs and risks, optimize resource allocation, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends.

Staff Augmentation – A Recommended First Step

While organizations that seek skilled experts have many engagement models to choose from, staff augmentation is a recommended first step. DevOps staff augmentation allows organizations to quickly access qualified professionals to supplement their existing teams and fill their talent gaps.

enreap’s staff augmentation model allows organizations to seamlessly scale their Atlassian and DevOps expertise and achieve more with less:

• Access a Deep Talent Pool: enreap houses a network of 70+ certified Atlassian professionals across various roles like administrators, developers, and consultants. They can help drive value across the entire DevOps lifecycle while reducing the time and cost to hire and train resources.
• Enhance Team Efficiency: enreap’s meticulous selection process and dedicated project managers ensure a smooth integration of new team members into existing teams. This minimizes disruption while also complementing existing skill sets with new-age capabilities.
• Accelerate time to market: enreap’s pre-vetted experts bring years of Atlassian experience and expertise to the table from day one, along with comprehensive knowledge of DevOps best practices. This empowers organizations to deliver immediate value and minimize ramp-up time.
• Ensure Flexibility and Scalability: enreap works closely with organizations to understand their specific needs, project requirements, and desired skill sets. Using an extensive network to find the perfect candidate with the right experience and certifications, enreap delivers continuous support throughout the engagement, monitoring performance and addressing any concerns.
• Enhance Risk Management: enreap’s staff augmentation model allows organizations to enjoy a cost-effective solution compared to full-time hiring while mitigating hiring risks.

The Journey Forward

Strategic staff augmentation is a great starting point for organizations to keep their DevOps projects on track while also meeting evolving business and customer needs. By integrating skilled experts to complement existing skill sets, it drives higher levels of quality, scalability, and flexibility.

However, as project complexity increases and business needs grow, managed teams and managed services models deliver far greater advantages. Curated specially for complex, longer-term, enterprise-wide projects, they allow businesses to unlock the full potential of Atlassian and DevOps and enjoy complete peace of mind.

Explore our DevOps Consulting Services to know more!