Staff Augmentation vs. Scaled Engineering: Choosing the Right Approach for Your Salesforce-Based Initiative

Written by Nadiya Kreynin | Apr 16, 2024

At a small scale, almost anything can work. At a big scale, choices become constrained…

When it comes to a new Salesforce-based initiative, businesses often find themselves at a crossroads, contemplating the most effective approach to simply augmenting their existing team or scaling their engineering capabilities. The right choice can impact the project's success, influencing everything from the pace of development to the quality of the final product.

In this blog post, we'll explore the nuances of staff augmentation and scaled engineering, highlighting the distinct advantages of each approach and providing insights to help you determine the best option for your next Salesforce-based initiative.

What is Staff Augmentation?

Staff Augmentation is a flexible strategy that allows you to add skilled professionals to your team as needed. It's beneficial when you need to scale your team quickly, fill a temporary skill gap, or complement your existing workforce without committing to long-term employment contracts.

What is Scaled Engineering?

Scaled Engineering is about developing a robust, long-term engineering capability. This could mean building a dedicated team, establishing a center of excellence, or creating an engineering hub focusing on innovation and ongoing development.

Behind the Numbers: Key Statistics and Insights

According to a report by Gartner, in 2023 65% of organizations were planning to use staff augmentation as a primary vehicle for their IT workforce strategy.
On average, companies can save up to 40% on costs by utilizing staff augmentation for their Salesforce projects, compared to hiring full-time employees, according to research by Deloitte.
Salesforce's research shows that organizations utilizing scaled engineering practices report a 25% increase in project success rates compared to traditional approaches.
According to a study by Accenture, organizations implementing scaled engineering practices witness a 20-30% increase in employee productivity due to improved collaboration and alignment.

"At Forte DGTL we are specializing in Staff Augmentation and Scaled Engineering for Salesforce Projects, I've witnessed the transformative impact of both approaches. When choosing between them, it's vital to match the method with the project's unique demands and organizational goals. For immediate access to specialized skills and flexible team scaling, Staff Augmentation shines. Alternatively, Scaled Engineering excels in fostering agile collaboration and continuous innovation for projects requiring rapid scalability and long-term success. My advice: carefully assess your project's scope and future trajectory, prioritizing alignment with strategic objectives and cultural values. Opting for the right approach ensures sustainable growth and competitive edge in the dynamic Salesforce landscape.”

Nadiya Kreynin
Chief Executive Officer at Forte DGTL

Staff Augmentation and Scaled Engineering Comparison

Before diving into the details of our comparison, it's essential to recognize that choosing between staff augmentation and scaled engineering can significantly influence the trajectory of your Salesforce initiatives. These strategies offer different benefits and can be pivotal in achieving your project’s objectives. This side-by-side analysis aims to provide a clear understanding of each approach, helping you to make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals, project requirements, and operational strategies.

	Staff Augmentation	Scaled Engineering
Objective	Aims to quickly fill specific skill gaps or boost team capacity on a temporary basis, particularly useful for Salesforce project customization or integration requirements.	Seeks to strategically grow the Salesforce development team and processes to accommodate long-term expansion and tackle complex, large-scale Salesforce projects.
Approach	Involves adding external Salesforce experts to the existing team on a contractual basis to provide specialized skills or additional manpower as needed	Entails comprehensive restructuring and expansion of the Salesforce development team and methodologies (e.g., adopting Salesforce DX for DevOps practices) to enhance efficiency and innovation.
Impact on Organization	Offers a flexible solution for scaling the Salesforce team without major changes to its core structure or long-term overheads.	Requires transformation in organizational culture, communication, and management to support a more complex Salesforce development operation.
Ideal Use Case	Best suited for addressing immediate skill shortages, supporting short-term Salesforce projects, or when needing rapid scaling for project deadlines but keep leadership over the project.	Ideal for organizations undergoing steady growth, managing extensive Salesforce implementations, or aiming for continuous innovation within their Salesforce ecosystem.
Benefits	Provides quick access to skilled Salesforce professionals, flexibility in scaling efforts, cost efficiencies, and minimal long-term commitments.	Drives long-term efficiency and productivity within Salesforce development, offers strategic flexibility, access to diversified skill sets, and supports sustainable growth.
Challenges	May encounter integration issues with external talent, consistency in communication, and management of multiple contractors.	Faces hurdles in adapting to increased complexity, maintaining cohesive team dynamics, and ensuring scalability of processes and systems.
Long-Term Impact	While effective for short-term needs, it has limited impact on achieving strategic, long-term Salesforce development goals.	Establishes a foundation for enduring growth, fostering innovation, and securing a competitive advantage in the Salesforce solutions domain.

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Benefits of Staff Augmentation and Scaled Engineering for Salesforce-Based Initiatives

As you prepare to enhance your Salesforce capabilities, understanding the benefits of staff augmentation and scaled engineering from another angle is crucial for making strategic decisions that align with your business objectives. Whether you're looking for flexibility and specialized skills to tackle immediate project needs or aiming to establish a robust, long-term engineering solution, this comparison will illuminate the distinct advantages each option offers, helping to guide your choice for a successful Salesforce deployment.

Staff Augmentation	Scaled Engineering
Flexibility and Scalability: Staff augmentation allows businesses to scale their Salesforce team up or down quickly based on project demands, providing a flexible workforce solution.	Long-term Strategic Growth: Scaled engineering focuses on building a robust Salesforce development capability within the organization to support long-term growth and scalability of Salesforce solutions.
Access to Specialized Skills and Experienced Professionals: It enables companies to fill specific skill gaps by bringing in experts with niche Salesforce competencies, such as Salesforce Lightning, Einstein Analytics, or Apex programming, for particular projects.	Enhanced Efficiency and Productivity: By expanding the team and optimizing processes, scaled engineering can lead to improved efficiency, productivity, and innovation in Salesforce projects.
Cost Efficiency: By hiring staff on a contract basis, businesses can optimize costs related to hiring, training, and maintaining full-time employees, especially for short-term needs.	Access to a Broad Skill Set: Scaling the engineering team allows for a more diverse set of skills and expertise, enabling the development of more complex and innovative Salesforce solutions.
Quick Integration: Augmented staff can be rapidly onboarded to accelerate project timelines, making it easier to meet deadlines and reduce time-to-market for Salesforce solutions.	Improved Collaboration and Agility: Adopting methodologies such as Agile and embracing DevOps practices within the Salesforce team can enhance collaboration, responsiveness, and project management effectiveness.
Reduced Hiring Risks: Staff augmentation reduces the risks and liabilities associated with permanent hiring, offering a more flexible approach to workforce management.	Sustainable Competitive Advantage: A strategically scaled Salesforce engineering team is better positioned to innovate and adapt to market changes, securing a competitive edge through continuous improvement and advanced Salesforce capabilities.
Risk Mitigation: Staff augmentation can help mitigate risks associated with IT projects by providing businesses with experienced and skilled IT professionals. Their expertise in the latest technologies and best practices can reduce the likelihood of errors and project delays	Risk Management and Resilience: Scaled engineering enhances risk mitigation by establishing robust processes, scalable infrastructure, and a skilled, adaptable workforce. This approach not only reduces the likelihood of project errors and delays but also builds resilience against market changes and technological disruptions.

Making the Right Choice for Your Salesforce Initiative

To determine the best path forward, consider the following aspects of your initiative:
Project Scope and Duration

Staff Augmentation: Ideal for projects with a well-defined scope and a shorter time frame.
Scaled Engineering: Better suited for long-term projects with evolving requirements but focused on specific business outcomes.

Strategic Business Goals

Staff Augmentation: If your initiative is tactical and not central to your long-term strategy, augmentation might be the way to go.
Scaled Engineering: For initiatives that are key to your business strategy and require ongoing development, consider scaled engineering.

Budget and Resource Management

Staff Augmentation: A more controlled and predictable cost structure is tied directly to the project's length and the number of augmented staff.
Scaled Engineering: Requires more significant upfront investment but can lead to greater efficiencies and cost savings over time.

Cultural Fit and Team Integration

Staff Augmentation: Augmented staff can blend with your existing team, but it's crucial to ensure they share your company's values and work ethic.
Scaled Engineering: Building a team from scratch allows you to cultivate a wholly aligned culture with your company's ethos.

The Hybrid Approach

Sometimes, the best approach is not an either/or decision but a combination of both strategies. A hybrid model can provide immediate manpower for staff augmentation while establishing the groundwork for scaled engineering capability that supports future growth.

Top 3 Salesforce Staff Augmentation & Scaled Engineering Companies

When it comes to Salesforce implementations, expertise matters. Partnering with specialized Salesforce staff augmentation or scaled engineering companies can streamline your journey toward success. Here, we present our top three picks based on the following criteria:

Specialty: While having expertise across multiple Salesforce products is a sign of professional maturity, we believe in the power of niche expertise. We favor providers focusing on specific Salesforce products (or a group of related products) rather than those offering multi-cloud, multi-product experts.
Ratings & Reviews: We've used information from the Salesforce partner portal as a foundation of our research, but delved deeper than just picking top-ranking experts. We've analyzed what their clients say in their reviews and if those reviews mention the exact Salesforce product we rank the provider for.
Staff Augmentation Availability: Although staff augmentation is common these days, not all Salesforce partners offer flexible staffing options, giving preference to dedicated teams or project-based work. We've made sure that each company in our list offers staff augmentation in their offered services or mentions it when describing their capabilities.
Company Size: We favor mid-sized companies, as they have the resources to provide qualified Salesforce professionals quickly and usually with more flexibility than big companies.
Headquarters Location: Location is the least important factor in our analysis and serves primarily as an indicator for potential clients looking to engage with staff augmentation providers in their geographic region.

Rank	Company	Company Size	Headquarters	Average Review Score	Specialty
1	Forte DGTL	100-120	Boca Raton, FL	4.9	Ideal set of talents and expertise for Salesforce Commerce, OMS, Sales, Service, Experience, and Revenue Clouds
2	Sercante	51-100	Atlanta, GA	4.8	Marketing-focused Salesforce experts specifically skilled in Marketing Cloud Engagement, Marketing Cloud Growth Edition, Marketing Cloud Intelligence
3	Revelation.AI	11-50	Boston, MA	4.9	Flexible staffing options for Salesforce AI and analytics needs, specializing in Data Cloud, Einstein, Tableau

Summary

The decision between staff augmentation and scaled engineering for your Salesforce-based initiative should be guided by your project's specific needs, long-term business strategy, and resource management preferences. By carefully assessing these factors, you can choose an approach that meets your project's immediate demands and aligns with your overarching vision for the future.

As Salesforce continues to evolve, so should your approach to building the teams that will leverage its power to drive your business forward. Whether through augmentation, scaled engineering, or a blend of both, the right strategy will ensure your Salesforce initiatives are successful, sustainable, and strategically sound.

Forte DGTL has refined methods for recruiting the needed Salesforce talent with a full spectrum of complementary product services.

Whether you seek short-term resources and competencies or are planning for long-term growth, Forte Group provides both models - from simple Staff Augmentation to Scaled Engineering.

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