By Paul Cervelloni, Director, Alsbridge, Inc.

Many companies use a staff augmentation model when sourcing external talent in order to achieve their business goals. Although the staff augmentation model is typically viewed as a simple and flexible method of inexpensively acquiring talent, it may actually work against the client’s best interest. This is especially true for clients with a history of sustaining contractors over multiple years for day-to-day tasks such as routine application maintenance and development.

However, innovative methods that can shift risk to the provider agency and help align contractor behavior with client goals are available and continue to emerge. Sustained success and client satisfaction have followed many of those brave enough to tread outside the safe and simple methods of staff augmentation.

This paper explores both a traditional and innovative method for aligning risk and behavior to business needs rather than simply buying hours of staff skills and effort.