Software Team Extension Services to Scale Your Business

The extended development team model is a hybrid approach that blends the best of staff augmentation and dedicated team models.

What it means: An extended development team is a model in which external team members are integrated into your existing team. They work according to your development process, use your tools, but formally remain employees of another partner.

The main difference from other models:

• Do not outsource the project entirely, as is typically done in traditional outsourcing. You remain at the center of project management. An extended development team complements your in-house team.
   
• An extended development team is people who are matched for purpose. It allows you to scale your team to include several specialists or entire roles for a longer period, integrating them seamlessly into your structure.
   
• Control and shared responsibility. An extended development team collaborates with your in-house team, ensuring an even distribution of responsibility, and the project operates as a single software development team.

Hire top-notch software developers to fill skill gaps and facilitate your project’s success.

An extended development team is “additional people from the outside” and a thoughtful collaboration model that allows combining in-house resources with external expertise as if they were always part of your software development team. Proper onboarding and organization of processes make this as efficient and transparent as possible.

Explore how it works in practice:

Integration into processes

External team members are connected to the existing team workflow. They use the same task trackers (Jira, Trello, Asana), repositories (GitHub, GitLab), and messengers (Slack, Teams), and participate in daily meetings, retrospectives, and planning sessions. This seamless integration avoids the feeling of “outsourcing from the outside” and creates full involvement. As a result, new specialists onboard seamlessly and quickly adapt to the company's internal culture.

Maintaining control

The customer always remains in the role of product owner or project manager. You tailor tasks, benefits, and timeline to your project needs, and external specialists follow these within the specified development process. This fundamentally differs from classic outsourcing, where control often passes to the service provider. Here, you maintain control, transparency, and can influence results at any stage.

Work coherence

Thanks to direct communication and integration into your in-house team, new specialists act as equal participants rather than an “appendage.” They take responsibility for outcomes, enhancing productivity and creating connections: internal engineers bring deep product knowledge, while external software developers contribute fresh technological solutions.

Rapid scaling

If you have a new facility or additional workload, the software team extension model allows you to scale your team quickly by adding developers, QA, DevOps, or designers. This is faster than classic recruitment, as the partner handles sourcing, verification, and selection. You can scale your software development team up or down according to specific needs without overpaying or leaving resources unavailable at critical moments.

Contact us to leverage a top-notch extended development team that complements your in-house team and fills skill gaps for your next project.

An extended software development team may not be a suitable model for all cases. However, in many business scenarios, it becomes the most effective solution. The modern development market requires speed, flexibility, and a deep understanding of skills and expertise. Traditional hiring often takes months, which can delay project completion. Pure outsourcing may seem convenient, but it can reduce control and change your approach to work.

An extended software development team allows seamlessly integrate with your team, maintaining your existing processes while providing access to the right specialised expertise at the right time. This model is ideal for companies that prioritise transparency, seek to implement robust workflows, and minimise unnecessary costs. It is particularly useful when the workload grows unevenly, enabling you to connect external resources exactly when needed. That is why many businesses opt for an extended software development team, providing a balance of speed and quality.

The need for several specialists for a project or sprint.

Often, a software development team extension is required for a task that demands additional hands for only a few weeks or months, such as a large-scale release or the kickoff of a new module. Hiring through traditional methods is inefficient because, after the sprint, new team members may have no clear role. An extended software development team solves this by letting you add 2 or 3 team extension partner specialists for a specific stage. They quickly integrate, deliver the required deliverables, and help your team meet technical requirements and deadlines.

Closing a narrow expertise without lengthy recruitment.

Some projects demand very specific knowledge, such as experience with Drupal, DevOps practices, or a particular cloud infrastructure. Finding such a specialist through traditional hiring can take months. The team extension process ensures that your team extension services offer flexible solutions: the partner provides a professional with the necessary stack immediately. This is invaluable for companies that need to close skill gaps quickly without wasting time on long-term training.

Preservation of their own processes and team culture.

One of the main fears with outsourcing is losing control over your cultural fit. An extended software development team works differently: external resources are integrated into existing processes, adhere to your standards, and use your tools. This ensures your team’s DNA remains intact while providing additional capacity. Such a cohesive integration often becomes the decisive factor for businesses.

Alternative to freelancing or internal expansion.

Freelancing may seem like a quick solution, but it is unpredictable: missed deadlines, unstable quality, and a lack of long-term accountability. Expanding your in-house team is more expensive and slower. An extended software development team acts as a middle ground: you get a proven track record of specialists, clear communication, and software team extension services that allow scalability without unnecessary risk. This outsourcing IT team extension approach helps ensure a smooth workflow while meeting GDPR and other compliance needs.