Dedicated Team vs. Extended Team: Choosing The Right Team for Your Next Project

Software development varies widely from one organization to another, and so does the development team. While in-house software development teams are a great start, sometimes a business requires outside help to finish development.

That’s where dedicated team models and extended team models come in. Though both are great for collaborating with external professionals, which model is preferable?

Today, let’s compare dedicated teams vs. extended teams to find out. And, of course, we’ll start our discussion with the pros and cons of both models.

Pros of the Dedicated Team Model

• The dedicated team vendor will provide you with an in-house project manager who can handle the development team, which will lessen your burden.
• As the name suggests, the entire team is dedicated to your project only, resulting in a cost-effective solution.
• The model is highly flexible and scalable and can provide you with the necessary expertise and the right resources.
• It helps reduce business overhead
• Allows for direct management and oversight
• The project data stays secure under contract obligations and data security compliances.

Cons of Dedicated Team Model

• Potential cultural or language barriers can affect communication and collaboration.
• Not a very efficient solution for short-term projects
• Incremental management is required for constant collaboration

Pros of the Extended Team Model

• The model is a great solution for effectively bringing in expertise for one-off tasks.
• It provides the right temporary resources the in-house team needs to reach deadlines and milestones.
• Doesn’t increase business overhead when you bring in additional members
• Model vendors provide additional resources along with team members
• Helps in-house team prioritize other tasks
• The extended team members can help with large projects as well
• Management can contact the extended team members directly and constantly

Cons of Extended Team Model

• Cultural barriers can make collaboration between internal and external teams much tougher.
• An external team might be out of sync with the in-house teams if communication isn’t frequent.
• Core changes affect the objectives of the extended software team.

Dedicated Team VS. Extended Team-The Ultimate Comparison

Parameters	Dedicated Team	Extended Team
Audience	Businesses that want better control over resources and process	Businesses looking to add specialized skills to the team
Use Cases	Ideal for long-term projects but not suitable for short-term projects	Ideal for short-term projects, but can also work for long-term projects
Cost Effectiveness	Medium-High	High
Infrastructure	Provided by the vendor	Shared between the internal and external team
Hiring	Responsibility of the vendor	Your responsibility
Training	Requires company-specific training along with orientation	Requires integration with the internal team and understanding of the project
Communication	Regular and direct communication	Communication can be complex due to collaboration with the internal team
Flexibility	Less flexibility in dedicating the entire team to a single project	High flexibility comes from freedom of scalability
Security	High because you’re in charge of setting all the standard security protocols	Medium-High, since you share the control with the vendor of your choice
Tools and Processes	Complete control over the tools and processes	Extended team uses the tools and resources of the internal team
Agreements	Requires long-term agreements	It can be both short-term and long-term
Service Range	Built based on your needs	Limited to the capacity of the team

When Should You Hire A Dedicated Team?

Ask yourself the following questions and answer them in a yes/ no manner. Your answers will help you determine whether you should go with the dedicated team model.

• Are you a startup business that is at an early stage?
• Are you dealing with a product where the requirements are highly vague?
• Are the requirements for your product subject to constant change?
• Are you planning to work with a long-term project where the project will get sophisticated over time?
• Are you working with a client who doesn’t have any prior experience with application development?

You should opt for the dedicated team model if all the answers are yes.

When Should You Hire An Extended Team?

Like the previous one, ask yourself the following questions to make the right decision.

• Is your current in-house development team lacking specific expertise?
• Does your current core team have too much on their plate?
• Are you lacking experts on hand?
• Are the current tasks very urgent?
• Are you trying to reach a deadline and don’t have the time to onboard additional members with traditional hiring practices?
• Are you working with a tight budget?

To Wrap It All Up

While both a dedicated and extended team can help you scale your team to take on projects of different scales, they are not a one-size-fits-all solution for your business. Analyze your business processes, determine the immediate requirements, and then choose the model that offers solutions compatible with the requirements.

Regardless of the model you work with, you can partner with Impala Intech for highly reliable services.

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