Let's start with a simple question:

What is a dedicated team model?

This model represents a team that works remotely on a project, to significantly reduce a product's time to market and improve the client's business processes.

Such a team is not an extension of the customer's team but a separate unit with its own framework and management, meaning that it is less dependent on the customer than other models.

A dedicated development team has turned into a popular solution these days for large companies looking for faster development, reasonable development costs, and relevant expertise.

In this blog post, we'll explore the pros and cons of dedicated teams.

Advantages

There are a lot of dedicated team advantages, we will cover the key ones below.

Cost Efficiency

Cost efficiency is at the top of the list, and here is why: hiring a dedicated team for a project is usually much cheaper than recruiting in-house specialists, especially if the team is located in a different country where development costs are much lower than in, say, the US.

A group of experts with a proven track record of successful projects similar to yours won't cost the Earth and will do the necessary work without compromising the product’s quality.

It's a great chance to reduce HR costs and slash the overheads that would be involved if you were to hire new employees.

Focused Approach

Another huge advantage is a focused approach. All the people involved in the project will concentrate exclusively on it, ignoring potential distractions.

And that's not all. The team is flexible—it can be re-configured at any time according to the current requirements and needs of the project, ensuring the project’s faster completion and better results.

Transparent Management

Dedicated teams use time tracking and task management solutions which the customer can access upon request. This helps them to be on the same page and gives the client an opportunity to check on the progress themselves.

Regular communication via messengers like Slack and Telegram and daily reports that you will receive will also contribute to transparent management.

Relevant Experience and Expertise

Selecting external developers delivers professionals who have the necessary skills and professional expertise.

And, quite often, this also means that these people have already completed projects similar to yours. They can give you useful advice and take into account the tiniest details that you could have missed.

Working together for some time, they have established polished workflows and know how to delegate tasks. You won't have to do this from scratch and deal with conflicts that may arise, and it is highly beneficial too.

Tight Collaboration

The customer and team members work closely together to achieve the common goal and obtain visible results. They not only communicate with each other on a daily basis but also participate in brainstorming to assess strong and weak points of the process, improve workflows and long-term planning.

This approach is indispensable for timely solving of unexpected issues and overcoming project-related challenges.

Faster Development

How quickly would you like to get the work done? Speed is one more advantage of dedicated models. Bringing their experience and expertise and quickly adapting to new requirements, they can speed things up considerably.

Disadvantages

There are some snags, of course. The biggest disadvantages of the dedicated team model are detailed below.

Low Efficiency for a Short-Term Project

The model works best for long-term projects that constantly evolve and in which requirements are flexible and change frequently. In all other cases, it's better to choose another model.

Not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution

Before selecting such a model, double-check that it is exactly what you need. Your project may be long-term, but if you have clearly defined goals and the set of requirements seems to be final, signing a contract with a dedicated team may be an unwise decision.

Different Time Zones

Different time zones may become a serious problem if an offshore company is involved. But this problem is solved easily if the team applies the principles of agile development.

When a company is located in the same country as the customer, this problem will simply never arise.

Checklist: Does Your Project Need a Dedicated Team?

We’ve covered the major pros and cons of the model. If you are still in two minds about whether you need it, consult the checklist we have compiled for you. If you answer ‘yes’ to most of the statements below, the chances are high that a dedicated team model is a viable option for you.

Your employees don’t have the required experience and expertise

Are you sure that your workers have enough experience and expertise to embark on the project? If no, you need help from the outside.

It’s a large project

If the project is large with multiple tasks and numerous requirements, it may be difficult for your employees bring it to a successful conclusion themselves.

It’s a long-term project

No matter whether you are a startup or a well-established company, you will definitely launch other projects later on. In short, it’s nearly impossible to stay efficient when working on multiple projects simultaneously.

You need a great deal of flexibility

The project may change in the course of time, leading to completely different goals and, ultimately, new requirements. The dedicated development team structure is built in a way that gives the project flexibility to constantly evolve.

You wish to have control over the resources

With a dedicated model, you gain complete management control over the project and also the team running it.

Real-time progress tracking and daily updates

If you are a control freak or simply wish not to stay in the dark about how the project is going on, you’ll be able to obtain this information from progress-tracking tools used by the team and daily reports sent to you.

How to Choose a Dedicated Team?

So, you’ve decided to employ a team to work with you. But how do you select a winning team? Follow the simple steps listed below and you will find the best of the breed.

• Review their portfolio. A portfolio won’t lie. You’ll find examples of previous projects there and will be able to judge whether you want to move further with them.
• Ask for customer reviews. They will help you make sure whether the company is comfortable to work with.
• Find out their rates. Companies have varying rates. Their rates may either fit your budget perfectly or burn a hole in your pocket.
• Conduct an interview. Have any questions you want to be answered before inking a contract? It’s a perfect time for that.
• Discuss the billing process. This will help you plan your budget and make adjustments if needed.
• Set deadlines. Of course, deadlines won’t be very tight for a long-term project, but setting at least tentative deadlines is still essential.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have guided you through the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a dedicated development team. We hope that now you will be able to make an informed choice when launching your own project. Have one in mind? Contact AGENTE to discuss all the nitty-gritty.