In the demanding and fast-paced world of software development, being given the green light for a potentially lucrative new project can be both exhilarating and daunting. As a hiring manager, you are presented with a formidable challenge: constructing the best software development team your organization has ever witnessed. The mission is not only to gather the best in the field but also to ensure that this ensemble hits the ground running. The stakes are high and the pressing question that keeps you awake at night is this: what makes a team excel while others flounder?

Exceptional software development teams share several distinguishing traits. Among these, a shared vision, robust communication, a clearly defined hierarchy, and a well-rounded skills base are the key factors that contribute to a team’s success. Identifying these traits can guide you in sourcing the ideal candidates and effectively pairing individuals to create a synergistic team.

1. Common Vision: The Foundation of Successful Teams

For a team to function seamlessly, the team members must feel a genuine sense of belonging. This sense of unity propels individuals to work towards a common goal and fosters a healthy team environment. Remember, each team’s chemistry and dynamics are unique, much like the gears of a clock; some teams naturally operate like a well-oiled machine, while others need an extra push to work as an efficient, cohesive unit. For such teams, engaging in team-building exercises or reshuffling team members can ignite the sense of unity, leading to a boost in productivity.

Moreover, it’s crucial to consider the individual team-playing abilities and preferred work environments of each candidate during the hiring and team assignment process. Failing to do so could result in incompatible team compositions. For instance, a candidate who thrives in small groups may find themselves lost and unproductive in a larger setting.

2. Effective Communication: The Lifeblood of Agile Development

In any project, communication stands as the backbone of success, but in the agile development world, it’s absolutely paramount. Agile methodology, by nature, necessitates high degrees of collaboration and superior communication skills. Modern project management portals like Jira have simplified the process of communication and collaboration, but ultimately, the effectiveness of communication comes down to individual styles and capabilities. Hence, it’s essential to assemble a tech team that communicates effectively and understands the nuances of project management communication.

3. Comprehensive Skill Set: Maximizing Efficiency and Productivity

The division of labor and the specificity of roles and responsibilities is a critical determinants of a team’s success. But what if a project requires the simultaneous application of multiple skills, which only a single team member possesses? This scenario is not uncommon in development teams and underscores the importance of redundancy in skills and expertise. Solutions to this problem can range from recruiting candidates with the necessary skills during the hiring phase to promoting continual learning within your existing team, especially if your team is already well-balanced and productive.

When recruiting temporary on-site talent, these challenges are further amplified. It’s crucial to find team members who can seamlessly integrate and perform at their peak from day one. In such situations, partnering with IT and tech staffing services providers such as iTech can be extremely beneficial. With the capability to source the ideal candidates from anywhere in the world, we build cohesive, productive teams ready for on-site deployment. In fact, many of our development teams have previous experience working together, ensuring that you benefit from a team with great dynamics and the precise skill set required for your project.

Using IT Staffing Services to Assemble the Best Software Development Team

Operating from Dallas, our staffing service providers at iTech serve clients across Texas and throughout the nation. We invite you to reach out if you’re seeking assistance in recruiting IT staff or building the perfect team of software developers for your upcoming project.

Are you ready to discover if our IT and tech staffing services can meet your company’s needs? Take the first step towards building a high-performance software development team with iTech.

The post The Traits of the Best Software Development Teams first appeared on iTech.

If you’re ready to hire a team of developers, you may want to get comfortable because according to Rootstrap, the average time it takes to hire a software developer is between two to 6 weeks– but that only applies to a typical software developer who’s hired for a very basic position. If you require a developer with specialized skills, as is often the case, your hiring timeframe could be weeks longer.

This is the reality of hiring a single software developer. But what if you need more than just one developer; what if you need an entire team? You’re tasked with filling multiple positions and in the process, you must be sure that you choose talent who can mesh well with others. A group of individuals does not constitute a team; you need to find developers who have a productive dynamic.

With that said, it’s probably no surprise that the recruiting and hiring process can be a long and rather frustrating one. This is especially true of staffing needs that relate to high-value or especially time-sensitive projects. In many cases, it is not uncommon for a company to spend 8-to-12 weeks or longer hiring a specialized team of software developers. To make matters worse, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all developer, so you could find yourself in a scenario where you’re approached by a development team leader because they’re concerned about a new hire who just isn’t pulling their weight. In the haste to fill a position, a company may overlook the traits that are required to find the right tech talent for the job.

You may not be entirely surprised to learn that on average, there are five companies competing for every available developer. There is a tremendous gap between supply and demand in this talent pool, and that gap is expected to grow even larger. That’s because mobile technology, the Internet of Things, and everyday uses for technology — like summoning a ride via Uber or turning up your home’s AC using an IoT-integrated smart home app — are becoming more and more commonplace. According to U.S.News, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects 26% growth in this profession over the next 10 years, which is about 371,000 jobs.

Why is it So Challenging to Hire a Team of Developers (Quickly)?

The ability to call in a team of developers quickly is important for many companies, both large and small, as it gives you the flexibility to take on profitable projects that you might otherwise be forced to pass up. It also positions you to implement new software and other tech measures promptly.

You may know that you need team members with skills X, Y, and Z. But finding those developers precisely when you need them and assembling a team that can work in a cohesive, productive manner can be a challenge. There are many obstacles standing in your way, including the following:

• You must form a cohesive team, with individuals who complement each others’ personalities, working styles, and skill sets;
• Recruiters may have a limited understanding of what skills and attributes are required in tech talent, so you could end up with a team that’s poorly equipped to meet your needs;
• Many HR staff lack the knowledge required to properly evaluate tech candidates effectively, so they’re forced to cut corners or pull experts from an already-time-pressed tech department; and
• Company leaders may focus exclusively on technical capabilities, failing to consider the importance of soft skills and team dynamics.

When you combine a short timeframe with the typical challenges associated with hiring a software developer, IT experts, or other tech staff,  you may find that you’ve created a recipe for disaster. In the end, this can result in a scenario where you hire the wrong person (or people) — a potentially costly mistake. It’s not uncommon to hear of companies that spent months assembling a development team that had good dynamics and the collective skill set required to get the job done right. But you don’t have months. So what’s the solution?

IT Staffing Services and Other Hiring Solutions

An alternative option is to turn to a tech staffing service provider, who has the experience and knowledge required to assemble a winning team quickly. Staffing firms have several advantages over the internal HR department. They have refined the tech recruiting, screening, and vetting processes, and their extensive knowledge of the tech industry means they’re well-positioned to find the right person for the position. Tech staffing firms also maintain a massive database of candidates who are open to new opportunities, so they can often assemble a cohesive team with minimal recruiting.

Tech staffing firms like iTech specialize in temporary on-site staffing services, which provides companies with an added advantage: you’ll get the right talent precisely when you need it, thereby allowing you to seize opportunities that you would normally pass up. iTech deals in temporary staffing solutions, so if your need is long-term, your company will get the time it needs to properly assemble a permanent team. The temporary team serves as an interim solution, fulfilling your needs in the short term. We also offer tech consulting services, so our experts can provide you with the guidance you need to improve your recruiting and hiring process for developers and other tech staff.

iTech’s development teams are well-established groups, with members who have already learned how to reach maximum productivity as a cohesive unit. This means you’ll see the best results right out of the starting gate, which is good news if you’re on a tight deadline.

iTech is based in Dallas, Texas and we work with clients locally and beyond DFW, Houston, and Austin. If you need help to hire a team of developers, contact us today

The post Are You Struggling to Hire a Team of Software Developers? first appeared on iTech.

When dealing with staff augmentation contracts, you need to work with a qualified attorney who can clearly articulate the terms of the relationships the contracts codify. Temporary onsite tech staff can be privy to sensitive data, processes, and technology. So you must protect your intellectual property, proprietary technology, and company interests as a whole.

Using a Contract to Protect Proprietary Technology and Trade Secrets

Companies spend millions of dollars on trade secrets and proprietary technology development. If that information were to become public, it could result in massive economic harm.

That is why it’s essential that your contracts include a non-disclosure clause prohibiting staff from revealing or sharing such information. Your contract should be very specific in what can and cannot be disclosed.

Including a Non-Compete Clause in Your IT Staff Augmentation Contract

Some companies will include a non-compete clause in their contracts. This type of clause prohibits an individual from working with a competitor during their time with your company and even for a certain timeframe after your business relationship ends. This prevents former temporary employees from sharing (intentionally or unintentionally) sensitive information after going to work for a competitor.

A non-compete clause must clearly articulate what constitutes a competitor, either by name, by industry/specialty, or by geographic region. This portion of the contract should also specify a reasonable timeframe for the non-compete prohibition.

It’s important that this section of your contract is realistic and reasonable. Otherwise, it may fall into the realm of “unenforceable” in the event that you were to take the matter to court. For instance, a judge would be extremely unlikely to enforce a contract that prohibits a software developer from working for any other tech company for a period of 10 years. Conversely, a judge may be very willing to enforce a contract that has a non-compete clause that prohibits an employee from working for a specific, direct local competitor for a period of 12 months after the business relationship concludes.

Non-compete clauses can be quite useful for protecting your company’s data, processes, and other in-house knowledge that could be acquired by a temporary team member.

Protecting Your Company from Vulnerabilities and Breaches

Tech companies face the challenging task of preventing breaches and limiting vulnerability. This becomes exponentially more challenging as you add more employees. And don’t forget about all of those new devices, constantly evolving technologies, and an ever-changing realm of hackers, viruses, malware, and bots.

For this reason, it’s important that you have a contract that spells out your company’s bring-your-own-device policies, along with any requirements or restrictions surrounding hardware, software or procedures. This will ensure that the temporary team member does not introduce any new vulnerabilities, which could be very costly to your company.

Finding the Right Temporary IT Staff

Connecting with the right temporary tech staff can be a tremendous challenge in this hyper-competitive business environment. Many risks can be mitigated by finding individuals who are honest, ethical and well-compensated. This is precisely what you’ll get when you trust your temporary IT staffing to iTech, as we specialize in staff augmentation for tech companies and tech departments across the nation.

We compensate our talent at a very competitive rate and work aggressively to ensure that we find team members who are committed and ready to meet your needs. Contact iTech today to find IT staff to suit your precise needs and requirements.

The post Why Do I Need a Well-Written IT Staff Augmentation Contract? first appeared on iTech.

Hiring is a complex equation, with a recipe for success that’s unique to every company. As such, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, there are many points to keep in mind when considering temporary vs. permanent IT staff. This is typically a consideration for companies that—for whatever reason—cannot or prefer not to outsource or use independent contractors.

Company leaders and even hiring managers may erroneously believe that hiring a permanent employee is more productive and economical, especially considering the sometimes-lengthy and costly recruiting process required to find the right talent. But this is not always the case. There are many instances where hiring a temporary IT staff may lead to far greater cost savings and productivity.

The Impact on Employee Morale and Team-Building

Many hiring managers are keen to take on permanent IT staff with the belief that it’s better for employee morale and team-building, but this isn’t always the case. When a temporary team member arrives on-site, there is an expectation that they will only remain as part of the team for a finite period of time. As such, you won’t see a hit to morale when the project reaches its conclusion and the temporary hire departs.

But in the case permanent employees, a departure can be far more upsetting to fellow team members, resulting in a major dent in morale. It’s difficult when a colleague leaves, especially if you had great team dynamics.

Employment length could also be comparable for either a temporary hire who’s working on a larger year-long project or a permanent hire who only remains on board for a year. In fact, in the tech sector, the average tenure with a company averages between 1-2 years, so it’s not inconceivable that a permanent employee’s time with your business could be measured in a matter of months.

When it comes to team-building, temporary talent usually has an advantage over permanent hires. That’s because temporary IT staff are usually more adept at finding their place within the team dynamic, simply due to the number of times that they’ve had to integrate with the existing onsite staff. Temporary tech talent may also have experience working with a broader range of personality types and office types, making them more adaptable.

The Cost of Benefits, Vacation and Perks

Permanent employees typically expect to receive benefits, paid vacation and other perks, which can combine to account for a very sizable sum of money. These are recurring costs, so the cost of maintaining this sort of employee can be quite significant.

This is especially true for high-level, high-paying positions—which are fairly common in the tech and IT sector. High-level talent generally expects to receive a generous benefits package and plenty of perks. The highly competitive nature of the tech industry has created an environment wherein these benefits and perks are used to attract prospective hires, so many companies will pull out all stops to offer the best possible total compensation package. Temporary employees don’t have such expectations, although some smaller perks are sometimes included.

Considering Relocation, Travel and Accommodation Costs

Relocation costs can be significant, but they’re a price that many companies are willing to pay to land the right tech talent for their company. Relocation costs can include the cost of hiring a moving company, travel costs and temporary accommodations for long-distance moves that take several days.

A temporary employee generally does not permanently relocate for work, so you can side-step relocation expenses. But if you’re hiring talent outside of commuting range, there are costs associated with travel and accommodations that must be considered.

If relocation or travel is necessary, both temporary and permanent talent are associated with expenses, whether it’s moving costs or hotel and rental car expenses. These expenses can be highly variable on a case-by-case basis, so it’s hard to perform an accurate comparison between temporary and permanent staff on this basis.

The Cost of Unemployment Benefits

If you’re uncertain whether you have sufficient work to keep a team member permanently employed, then it’s generally best to opt for temporary staffing and staff augmentation solutions. That’s because you could face the burden of contributing to an individual’s unemployment benefits in the event that you’re forced to lay off a permanent staffer.

There is no such cost associated with temporary tech talent, which can be quite advantageous. Plus, many individuals are open to more permanent opportunities if a short-term arrangement proves to be a success.

What’s more, companies seeking temporary staff often have access to a larger pool of candidates. That’s because people tend to be more willing to travel, whereas individuals tend to be far more hesitant to relocate on a permanent basis. This means that if you opt for temporary staff, you won’t be limited to the best local talent; instead, you’ll be in a position to hire the best person for the job—period.

Temporary IT talent can provide companies with a much-needed competitive edge, particularly when your business turns to an IT staffing company like iTech. Our recruiters can slash the amount of time and the cost associated with finding the right talent for your precise needs. In fact, we maintain a pool of qualified candidates who are ready to be dispatched to work onsite at one of your office locations.

Allow iTech to search worldwide to help you find the right IT staff for your unique needs. We invite you to contact us today to begin the hiring process.

The post Temporary vs. Permanent IT Staff: Key Considerations first appeared on iTech.

But recent months have seen a significant shift, as developers and IT professionals in India and other regions of the world have started earning a wage that’s comparable to their North American developer and IT expert counterparts. As a result, the tech industry has seen a major jump in competitiveness and overall demand.

[bctt tweet=”According to U.S. News, the software development field will see 19 percent growth – that’s 135,500 new jobs – by 2024.” username=”iTechUS”]

According to U.S. News, the software development field will see 19 percent growth – that’s 135,500 new jobs – by 2024. That’s just in the United States; hundreds of thousands of additional positions will be added globally in the coming decade. What’s more, the tech industry has very rapid turnover, with many developers and IT managers staying on board with a company for just a year or two.

The result is a hyper-competitive tech sector that has left many company leaders wondering whether they’re offering fair, competitive pay for IT professionals and developers. As in most fields, you get what you pay for. If you’re offering a less-than-competitive pay rate, there is a good chance that you won’t get job candidates as experienced and skilled as you would with a higher wage.

[bctt tweet=”A lower-than-average pay rate can actually cost far more than you save.” username=”iTechUS”]

A lower-than-average pay rate can actually cost far more than you save. This can have a fairly significant impact on your bottom line, especially when you consider that underpaid talent is less likely to stay with your company over the long term. According to DevSkiller, the cost of recruitment for a single position can top $31,000, and lost productivity over the course of the 43 days (on average) that it takes to find a new tech professional can easily surpass $33,000.

How Do I Know if I’m Offering Competitive Pay for IT Professionals and Developers?

[bctt tweet=”It’s crucial that you compare your pay rate to the rate for similar positions, which require a similar skill set and experience level.” username=”iTechUS”]

Research is essential if you’re attempting to determine what figure constitutes a competitive pay rate. It’s crucial that you compare your pay rate to the rate for similar positions, which require a similar skill set and experience level.

Location also plays a major role in determining what constitutes a competitive pay rate. Therefore, you’ll need to investigate this issue on a regional level too. The cost of hiring an IT professional in City A may be significantly less than what you would expect to pay in City B, which may have a much higher cost of living.

You can also gain some great insight from the prospective candidates. Your employment application should include a line for “desired salary.” This gives you a feel for what the talent believes would be a fair pay rate. Of course, there will be some variation depending upon experience and skill set, but enquiring about desired salary can generate some very useful data.

Pay Rates for Permanent vs Temporary IT Staff

As you research tech industry pay rates in your region, you’ll need to be certain that you’re examining the same type of position in terms of the timeframe. It’s unwise to compare pay rates for a permanent position to a temporary position, as there are some significant variables, including:

• The cost of accommodations for temporary talent;
• The cost of travel for temporary staff;
• The cost of health insurance for permanent staff;
• The cost of paid vacations and paid sick days for long-term employees; and
• The cost of the company’s 401K contributions for permanent talent.

There are some very different considerations when comparing the going rate for temporary versus permanent IT staff and developers. It’s important that you acknowledge this differential when evaluating pay rate.

Your comparison should also account for onsite staff versus remote staff. Workers who are expected to work onsite tend to earn a bit more due to the time and cost associated with commuting, whereas remote talent can be happy earning a bit less since they don’t incur costs associated with a commute.

Accounting for Other Variables When Hiring IT Staff

Many companies believe they’re offering a competitive pay rate for IT staff and developers, but in reality, they’re on the low end of the wage spectrum. How could this happen? Well, it’s actually a bit more common than you may realize.

As iTech CEO Kishore Khandavalli explains, many companies turn to recruiters and IT staffing firms when hiring tech talent, but they can end up in a situation where they fail to appreciate the real cost of hiring a developer or IT expert.

“The company may be paying $100 per hour and they may assume that the talent is receiving $75 per hour. but it’s possible that the recruiting company could take a larger-than-expected piece of the pie. So the talent may only be receiving $40 per hour, which is far less competitive. For this reason, it’s critical that you, as a company, ask questions and determine precisely how much the talent is receiving,” Khandavalli explained.

Ensuring that your company offers a competitive pay rate to IT staff and developers can actually lead to significant savings in the long term, as you’ll see greater productivity, improved tech team morale and a higher quality of work. Finding the right team members can be a challenge, but that’s where iTech can assist, as we specialize in helping companies find IT staff who will mesh well with your company and meet your needs.

If you’re ready to hire IT staff, start the process of recruiting by contacting the team here at iTech.

The post Is Your Company Offering Competitive Pay for IT Professionals? first appeared on iTech.

Local IT Staffing Agencies Know Their Communities

Local IT staffing agencies not only know about a candidate’s tech credentials, but also what they’re like in person and how they work. This knowledge allows agencies to place talent in positions that might, on paper, seem outside of their main or past competencies. A candidate who is extra-energetic and performs well in startup environments, for example, could be a better fit for some companies than someone with decades-long technical proficiency in the skills those companies need, but who works best in a standard 9-to-5 environment.

Local agencies acquire this detailed knowledge of candidates in a number of ways, such as by frequenting networking events, conferences and job fairs. This is especially true in cities that are hubs for technology companies. Staffing agencies send representatives to these events to discover the inside scoop about which IT pros are best for which types of jobs. Getting the chance to meet candidates personally in an informal setting allows agencies to screen them for cultural fit, which is as important as—or even more important than—a candidate’s skill set. Relying on the knowledge of a local staffing agency to find talent is one way to get the right match for your team and workflow.

Local Agencies Offer Personalized, Responsive Service

Since they’re physically close to your company, local IT staffing agencies can often give your company highly responsive and personalized attention, including on-site visits to see your operations firsthand. This can give them an excellent sense of your company’s working environment, which helps them find candidates who will thrive in it.

A local agency focused on your company’s specific needs sounds like an unalloyed benefit. However, even the best customer service can’t compensate for IT talent that underperforms. If the right people for the job aren’t in your area, even the best available local options will be a compromise. This leads us to the main caveat with using local IT staffing agencies in your talent search.

[bctt tweet=”If the right people for the job aren’t in your area, even the best available local options will be a compromise. ” via=”no”]

Local Searches Will Limit Your Candidate Pool

Although using a local IT staffing agency can be a good option, their talent pool will be most likely limited to that city or area. You might get the best local person for the job, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the best overall candidate. This is where using a staffing agency with both local and global connections can make sense. iTech’s talent pool, for instance, is global, which means you’re not just getting the best candidate in the immediate area—you’re getting the best candidate for the job, period.

At iTech, we specialize in IT consulting and temporary IT staffing. iTech operates out of Dallas, but we have locations worldwide, and we know a great deal about operating within a given community. Regardless of your location, we invite you to contact us to learn more about how we can help you find IT staff that will suit your company and its needs.

The post IT Staffing Agencies Near You: What You Should Know first appeared on iTech.

IT Staffing Agencies Do the Screening, Interviewing and Vetting

One of the immediate values of using an IT staffing agency to access software engineering talent comes from the screening, interviewing and vetting processes. When you tap talent from an IT staffing agency, you’ll know that the professionals working for you not only have been screened for the correct development languages and other software engineering proficiencies, but also have the right set of soft skills to fit your company and its culture.

In addition to supplying temp workers, the right IT staffing agency can also provide you with entire teams of software developers and engineers assembled specifically to produce optimal results from the start. Most hiring managers know how difficult and time-consuming it can be to hire and grow a full-time team that works well together. The same concern applies to recruiting freelancers, too. Unless you’ve worked with a freelancing candidate before, you’re taking a risk not just on their job-specific skills, but also on their ability to perform well within your environment—and with others.

If you aren’t highly technical yourself, the screening process comes with an extra level of difficulty, as you’ll need to consult with experts who can ascertain whether a candidate has the right mix of skills and workstyle you need. Having an IT staffing agency handle that for you saves time (and, in the long run, money).

Accessing Top IT Talent While Lowering Risk

Using an IT staffing agency gives you immediate access to top-level software developers and engineers without the risks of hiring the wrong talent. Even if you have enough money to fast-track the process, you can end up expediting the hiring of the wrong people. In many cases, hires aren’t necessarily missing required job skills; instead, it’s their inability to work effectively with your team that causes problems. With an IT staffing agency, you can make sure the talent you bring in will gel with your colleagues and workflow.

The best IT staffing agencies recruit globally, ensuring you get not just the best talent in your area, but the best talent, period. Tapping into the worldwide IT talent pool will be increasingly necessary as it becomes more difficult to entice the best US-based devs.

Although it would seem that using an IT staffing agency would automatically make your staffing dollars go further than if you hired a full-time staff yourself, there is a caveat: Make sure your agency divulges the percentage their talent gets. If you pay, for example, $100 per hour and the agency takes half, you’re getting half the value you expected. iTech talent receive competitive compensation, and our clients benefit from that. You’ll know upfront that you’re getting the level of talent for which you paid. [bctt tweet=”If you pay $100 per hour and a staffing agency takes half, you’re getting half the value you expected. ” via=”no”]

If you have any questions about the level of IT talent you can access for your budget or would like to know how long it takes to get a software developer or team on-board, we’d like to hear from you.

The post How to Hire Top Software Engineers on a Budget first appeared on iTech.

With an estimated 20 million software developers worldwide and over 250 programming languages and countless specialties, it’s easy to see how difficult it could be for a hiring manager to find the right person for the job.

IT hiring is not easy. When you hire a commercial electrician, you know that they have what it takes to get the job done. But this is not necessarily the case for a developer. There are numerous software developer types, and if you hire one at random, there’s a good chance they may lack the skills required to get the job done.

One developer’s specialty may be quite different from another’s, which presents big challenges to hiring the right developer for your exact needs. Even hiring managers who are extremely well-versed in the types of software developers and their skill sets may encounter struggles during the hiring process. So what are the most common mistakes involved in hiring software developers, and how can you avoid or overcome them?

Mistake: Failing to Identify the Best Approach for the Project

There are many strategies for approaching a software development project. If you fail to properly identify the best development strategy before you begin the hiring process, you may end up with a less-than-ideal end result.

Let’s say your company needs to develop a new, custom-tailored inventory tracking system. There are many choices involved in developing this sort of interface, including the platform and operating system, programming languages, hardware, and beyond. And not all platforms, hardware, and programming languages are created equally. What’s possible and practical with one programming language may not be viable with another. Each language has its own unique set of capabilities, weaknesses, and advantages; as such, you should choose the right one for your platform and needs.

Given the many approaches to success (or the potential for failure, depending on your perspective), it’s essential that your project managers establish their approach for the project before hiring developers. In some instances, your company may benefit from an IT consulting firm for insight into the best software development strategy to reach your goals.

Mistake: Failing to Draft Comprehensive (And Accurate) Project Specs

The project specs sit at the very heart of the hiring process and are the largest variables when developing an accurate job description. If you fail to articulate your project’s scope and approach, finding the right talent becomes far more challenging. [bctt tweet=”The project specs sit at the very heart of the hiring process, and are the largest variables when developing an accurate job description.” via=”no”]

Problems arise because many companies recycle project specs, using similar specifications as a starting point and altering them slightly to suit the new project. But this can cause some major problems, as you may have project specs that lack the necessary level of detail and accuracy. If you use such specs to build your job descriptions and use those descriptions as the basis of your developer search, you could end up hiring developers who just aren’t right for the project.

Therefore, it’s critical that hiring managers work with their development team leaders to ensure that the appropriate time and effort is invested into crafting detailed, accurate development project specs. Only then can you proceed by hiring developers with the experience and skills required to get the job done on time and within budget?

Mistake: Failing to Consider the Rest of the Development Team

Software development is often a team effort, with the best and most efficient software development teams operating in a highly efficient and productive manner. However, if you fail to consider the team properly—including how individuals will fit in with the rest of the team—you could end up with mismatches. Team dynamics matter. Soft skills and other non-technical skills can have a tremendous impact on the quality of the work and the end result. Dynamics aside, there’s also the matter of coordinating expertise in your software development team to ensure consistent and smooth workflow.

Asking the following questions upfront will help ensure effective team composition:

• Does a candidate’s experience complement the team, ideally both creating much-needed redundancy and expanding the team’s collective abilities?
• Does the individual have experience working within a team of a similar size that has used your preferred development methodology?
• Are you hiring for cultural fit? This is a major consideration, as a strong match between the company/team and the individual can go a long way toward promoting productivity and success.

Addressing these points will increase your chances of finding the right person for the job. If you’re seeking help with the software developer hiring process, consider turning to a team of professionals. At iTech, we specialize in IT consulting and temporary IT staffing. We invite you to contact us to learn more about how we can help you find IT staff that will suit your company and its needs.

The post How to Avoid Hiring the Wrong Types of Software Developers first appeared on iTech.

[bctt tweet=”The most diverse companies are 35% more likely to surpass industry medians and averages in terms of performance. –McKinsey” username=”iTechUS”]

In fact, skill diversity and simple skill redundancy can be quite useful, as you’re more likely to have a team member who can fill any gaps that arise during your workflow. So what makes a software development team diverse and multifaceted? And what does this mean for your hiring process?

The Benefits of a Development Team With Experiential Diversity

Experiential diversity is really important in the software development world, as there are some key insights that can only be found through personal experience. For example, a mistake can give you ideas for improving a process or adapting a methodology to suit your team’s workflow. Experiential diversity also leads to more effective strategy development, and when necessary, problem-solving. This provides you with an opportunity to obtain valuable feedback from individuals with more unique viewpoints and perspectives.

The Benefits of a Development Team With a Varied Skill Set

The best teams of developers possess experiential diversity and a wide variety of skill sets, which can be extremely successful and effective. If your team’s members have a broad range of skills—and a high redundancy of those skills—you’ll enjoy improved flexibility in roles and workloads. You’ll also have a far smoother development process.

A high degree of redundant skills will also increase your chances that work can continue if a key team member is absent, because you’ll have another person who can fill the gap. This is critical if you’re going to meet your project’s timeframe and cost projections, while maximizing productivity.

The Benefits of Multicultural Software Development Teams

Multicultural development teams can operate very effectively, provided you overcome any language and communication barriers. Most companies that stay focused on trainings and measures that promote good communication are able to overcome many of the obstacles in this area.

Multicultural software development teams have a distinct advantage, as each individual brings a unique viewpoint and knowledge base to the table. This is especially advantageous when developing a platform, software program or application that will be used worldwide. Your team will likely have valuable insights that can lead to a far more balanced, user-friendly end result. This can include knowledge of different product marketplaces, different development techniques and strategies, along with a unique cultural understanding that can result in more effective UI and a richer UX.

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A diverse group can promote personal and professional growth in many different areas, while also elevating development projects to the next level. A Harvard Business Review study found that the most successful multicultural development teams dealt with challenges through adaptation, structural intervention and managerial intervention.

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A multifaceted software development team can enjoy the best of all worlds. But building a multifaceted team is far easier said than done. Talent management executives and even many hiring managers struggle to build a truly diverse, multifaceted team. This is particularly true if they fail to fully appreciate the importance of hiring for cultural fit and soft skills. Tech skills are just one piece of the equation. The task also becomes far more challenging when dealing with temporary staff.

Fortunately, this is one area where iTech can assist. We specialize in providing temporary IT staffing services for clients across the United States. We place tremendous emphasis on helping you build a multifaceted group. Whether you need just a couple of developers or multiple teams, we invite you to contact iTech today to discuss your tech staffing needs.

The post What are the Benefits of a Multifaceted and Multicultural Software Development Team? first appeared on iTech.

As of 2023 27% of U.S. employees work remotely according to research done by Zippia, and these figures represent a 22% increase over 2018’s figures. The work-from-home figure was even higher in the tech industry.

But telecommuting can come at a cost, particularly for temporary staff who must achieve maximum productivity in a relatively short timeframe. And that’s not the only potential drawback. Hiring managers and company leaders alike may hold some very real concerns over productivity and confidentiality, amongst other issues.

While working remotely has become very commonplace in the tech industry, the benefits of working onsite are still numerous and significant. As a hiring manager, what advantages can you expect to enjoy if you require developers and other tech staff to work onsite at your location?

Immersion as One of the Advantages of Working Onsite

Immersion has long been regarded as one of the most efficient learning environments. When an employee works onsite, they’re immersed in your unique company culture. This can drive productivity since they can learn those onboarding essentials much faster. You’ll be speeding the learning process as a new or temporary team member gets acclimated to the project and the workplace.

For projects involving temporary staff, this is especially good news. You want to ensure that your talent gains momentum as quickly as possible, so you can make the most of your limited time together. It’s easy to see how an individual would be much faster to ramp up while working onsite versus working remotely, where they’re more isolated and largely left to their own devices.

Improved Communication When Working at a Client’s Location

Agile development methodologies are team-centric, which inherently involves a lot of communication. Communication tends to occur more naturally when everyone is in the same place. It also becomes much easier to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Consider the small remarks that you might make to a co-worker while coding. These are remarks that you would simply omit if you were working remotely. But collectively, those comments can convey large volumes of information, while promoting collaboration.

In fact, it can be challenging to develop a sense of cohesion and unity when many team members are working remotely. For this reason, many companies ask staff to work on-site for a minimum number of days per week or for certain phases of a project. But many development team leaders would probably agree that the most communicative and productive teams tend to be those where all of the members regularly work onsite. This can be especially vital for temporary staff, who may otherwise lack that sense of team if they’re isolated from the rest of the group.

The Benefits of Working at Your Company Location: Greater Control

It’s far easier for development team leaders to maintain control over a project when all of the developers are working together onsite. This can be critical for highly complex, multi-faceted projects with lots of moving parts. It’s also far more likely that problems or errors will be identified early in the game if everyone is working at the same office location, which can help companies to avoid costly mistakes or missteps.

It’s also easy to see how employees may be more productive while working onsite at your company’s office location. For instance, there may be fewer non-work-related distractions in some cases.

There is also greater control over data and information when everyone works onsite. This can be very important for many companies, especially those dealing with financial data or personal information such as medical records. Medical records, in particular, are governed closely by HIPAA. Many businesses have sensitive in-house data too. It can be rather disconcerting knowing that staff may be accessing this information from a less-than-secure device or connection. This is a major benefit of onsite staff, as you have far greater control over security-related issues. You can implement in-house security measures and protocols that ensure a secure connection to a virus-free device, whereas it’s virtually impossible to regulate this sort of thing if an employee is accessing your network via a personal device in a remote location.

Taking Advantage of the Benefits of Working Onsite With Temporary Staffing

Challenges surrounding productivity, security, and efficiency tend to be amplified when dealing with temporary staff, which makes it even more important to bring talent to work onsite whenever possible.

When you work with an IT staffing services provider like iTech, you can rest assured knowing that you’ll have access to talent from across the globe—talent who can work onsite at your office location for the duration of your project. What’s more, since we seek talent on a global basis, clients can rest assured knowing that they have the best person for the job; not just the best local person for the job. Our experts will work with hiring managers like you to understand your unique needs and requirements. From there, we’ll develop a profile of the ideal person for the job. Then, we set out to find talent who meets your precise criteria. If you’re ready to start your search for the top temporary IT staff, turn to iTech today.

The post The Advantages of Working Onsite for IT Staff first appeared on iTech.