Why staff augmentation? Because clients and consulting companies constantly encounter the need for resources to augment their existing teams. It is a known fact that the attrition rates in the IT industry are the highest and in some countries the attrition curve seems to be trotting up for ever in the IT field.

With both implementing and consulting companies clamoring for good SAP resources staff augmentation is the only panacea.

Many times Staff Augmentation is construed as a slick job to meet ad hoc resource requirements, but we are here to discuss why we do not think it is.

Before we delve further the following charts will help us understand the need for staff augmentation much better

SAP CLIENT LIFECYCLE

From the graph above we can infer that over a period of time a good number of SAP resources can leave a client after acquiring a great deal of expertise in SAP for better avenues in consulting. When this happens, the client is left wanting to fill gaps to run their businesses without interruptions.

Ad hoc arrangements using only internal staff often falls short of meeting the aggressive goals set by the company.

Having the right sized IT teams, when and where you need them, helps control costs while maximizing profitability. We understand the need for quick response to IT staffing demands, and we offer the flexibility and capability to take on assignments lasting from a few weeks to several months or years.

In the case of consulting companies they have always faced the daunting task of retaining consultants and they too face the challenge of having the right resources at the right time.

A blend of experience, certification and training in a variety of modules and exposure to the latest methodologies can only be possible from years of professional service. And this is what consulting companies need.

What goes wrong in Staff Augmentation? And what is required to avoid it?

• Not understanding the Resource requirement, simply because the resourcing company does not have the technical competence to evaluate a resource. How often do companies send profiles of consultants that should not have been forwarded in the first instance? This can only be avoided by having people who can understand the requirements.
• Based on the maturity levels of clients in SAP, the staffing requirements get more and more refined, by the same measure it mandates better understanding of SAP to source the right consultant with that wee bit of an edge.
• Augmenting companies may lack the infrastructure to have the right resources. Many of these companies continue to be alien to the field of SAP competence and treat staff augmentation as a mere affair to juggle with resumes.

How do we overcome these pitfalls?

• Our state of the art competence center with licensed SAP software and prototypes has specific tasks cut out for our consultants who are recruited by a panel of experts.
• Our first priority is to do staff augmentation through our own employees.
• We look at staff augmentation as one of the avenues to enhance the skill sets of our consultants, so we are also choosy about the kind of projects that they would be engaged.
• Our ultimate goal is to be a cost effective solution provider and it helps us to churn out the best resources.
• Our focus on the technology aspects of SAP makes us provide the best of the breed consultants.
• By effectively managing fluctuating resource demands, our specialized SAP Recruiting Practice ensures that each client is presented with a multitude of qualified, professional, well-spoken, and technically qualified candidates.
• We not only deliver the best IT talent around but also help in developing a strategy for maintaining the necessary IT staff in the short and long term, so as to maximize savings and performance.

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