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There has been a growing increase in tech layoffs and workforce reduction since 2022. Big name companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Meta, and Salesforce have downsized their employee workforce in preparation for the economic recession. A Bloomberg report highlights that 70% of surveyed economists predict a recession in 2023. To survive the economic downturn, many businesses have resorted to measures such as hiring freezes, layoffs, and rescinding job offers.

According to TechCrunch, over 168,243 employees have been laid off so far in 2023. With the recent trend of workforce reduction, many companies are looking to hire contractors instead of full-time employees. This will help businesses save costs by forgoing employee benefits like paid time off, health insurance, stocks, and other competitive incentives. In the wake of the pandemic and amidst the ongoing job market fluctuations, it is difficult to hire tech talent with the right skill set at a reasonable cost. Outsourcing has proven to be a remarkable solution for companies who want to save costs while maintaining high-quality service delivery. Employers have the opportunity to outsource to IT staff augmentation companies like Devsu, which has over a decade of experience working on projects for tech companies. Leveraging staff augmentation services will help companies navigate this economic downturn and let go of expensive internal talent and low performers. 


Staff Augmentation is the hiring of external workers to fill the talent gap in an organization on a contractual basis to meet business needs. The IT staff augmentation market is projected to increase to multimillion USD by 2029. Staff augmentation is one of the easiest and most affordable ways for companies to extend their team with world-class talent from nearshore staff augmentation services, speeding up projects and streamlining workflows. Many businesses struggle with tech staff shortages while spending excessive time on the recruitment process. With IT staff augmentation, companies can concentrate on core business objectives and expand their team with the talent they need from staffing agencies. 

The primary goal of staff augmentation is to fill positions quickly for long or short-term projects. For instance, if your company is building a new software product and you find yourself in need of a project manager, software developer, full stack developer, and UI/UX specialist, staff augmentation can be a lifesaver. By hiring individuals who meet the requirements of these roles, you not only fill your talent gaps but also significantly boost your company's productivity. 

Opting to supplement your team through the staff augmentation model allows you to access a broad pool of tech experts who can serve as guides for your software project at a cost-effective rate. Importantly, it can help you scale your team according to project needs.



What Is The Difference Between Staff Augmentation vs.  Project Outsourcing 


Staff Augmentation allows companies to hire external personnel to work on projects internally, helping manage workload and increase project speed. Project Outsourcing, on the other hand, involves granting autonomy to outsourcing companies to work on projects and deliver results. In this case, project management and accountability are handed over to the outsourcing company.  The main difference between staff augmentation and project outsourcing lies in who is responsible for the results and projects. While staff augmentation involves the company bringing in skilled individuals to work on projects internally, project outsourcing allows companies to entrust the project to a third party for result management.

Companies that need to launch digital products quickly and boost their team to meet up to competing demands can use the staff augmentation model. With this approach, businesses can secure highly skilled software engineers that might be difficult to hire in the market. Most times, the need to hire tech talent can arise at any stage of development, and this model gives you the opportunity to staff your company at will and keep up with the competition in the industry. 

In project outsourcing, you delegate the entirety of a project to an external team, thereby eliminating the need to handle administrative and project management tasks in-house. This model is broader than staff augmentation because it encompasses all aspects of a project, not just addressing a specific need. The outsourcing company assumes responsibility for the project's outcomes, challenges, and the quality of the final product. Businesses seeking to develop new features, products, or services that need expertise beyond their internal capability should go for the project outsourcing model.

If considering project outsourcing, it's recommended to partner with a team that employs an agile methodology. This approach ensures continuous feedback and iteration, fostering rapid project progression.  


In light of the recent surge in tech layoffs, staff augmentation is transforming the way businesses expand their teams and hire in 2023 to fill talent gaps. There are numerous advantages to staff augmentation, like increasing profitability for businesses and accessing the right skill set. However, if software is a core part of your business, you may have one individual with a specialized skill set or a few individuals filling different roles. In some instances, you might still encounter technical roadblocks during the development phase of your project. Hiring to address these issues is crucial and can save significant time. 

Let's explore some of the key benefits of staff augmentation:


By 2023, it's projected that 71% of the US workforce will be either fully remote or hybrid workers. This trend has significantly influenced staff augmentation, with most projects now carried out remotely. This has not only expanded the pool of potential talent, but also broken down geographical barriers, making it easier than ever for businesses to source the skills they need. 

The staff augmentation model allows you to hire a skilled software engineer or project manager on demand for your project. Consequently, it enables the seamless onboarding of tech teams with your existing IT team. Devsu has a team of over 200 technology professionals who can expand your team and help with existing or new software projects. Accessing various talents can improve the quality of your product and help your scale up or down according to business needs. 

The collaboration of your internal team with the augmented team allows your in-house staff to grow and learn from other experts in the field, exposing them to unique ideas and a faster approach to work. 


A great way to cut down on hiring is by expanding your team with the necessary skill set. Many companies spend a large portion of their budget on recruitment processes and staff retention. The inclusion of employee benefits and utilities can consume a lot of resources that could be allocated to other critical company expenses. Utilizing the staff augmentation model can help your company reduce the need to hire permanent employees, enabling you to focus more on developing your product. Expenses such as work tools, health insurance, and vacation time will be covered by the outsourcing company, and payment will only be made for the period of time worked on the project. 


Businesses can scale their teams easily with the augmentation approach. As your software development project progresses, you might need to add or remove more tech talent to the team, depending on the phase of the project. Staff augmentation gives you the opportunity to hire temporarily or cover for an employee who may be on leave. This flexibility of hiring when the need arises, can be a great boost to business outcomes.


A significant advantage of expanding your team using the augmentation model is saving time spent on the lengthy recruitment process. Your human resources team will save cost and time when the staff augmentation company handles the burden of sourcing, interviewing, and training potential candidates. These companies have access to the tech talent you need and can provide you with these skill sets fast. Some well-known staff augmentation companies provide hires in 14 days, while others take longer.  

When you partner with a reputable staff augmentation company for your projects, your data can be secured through a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) signed at the onset of the contract. This ensures that both parties understand and commit to preserving the confidentiality of shared information. This approach is typically safer than using freelancers who may not be as inclined to sign an NDA or could potentially breach the agreement due to unforeseen circumstances. Most staff augmentation companies have robust procedures and processes in place specifically designed to protect their clients' data from breaches, ensuring your sensitive information remains secure throughout the project duration.

The trend of layoffs in 2023 has proven that it can be demoralizing to employees and alter the structures of the company. Employees become unproductive with the fear of workforce cuts and some might even resign from the company, affecting project continuity. Augmentation can help companies maintain innovation at a good pace by hiring personnel at different intervals.

It also offers a cost-saving measure during economic recessions, allowing companies to expand their teams easily on a contractual basis and at a reduced cost. This method ensures the continuity of projects and maintains employee morale, positioning your company for resilience and growth even during challenging times.

The technological evolution of the world can make it challenging for companies to keep up with trends, especially during economic fluctuations. The staff augmentation model can serve as a valuable resource for companies that want to keep pace with this fast-moving industry. It allows them to release features based on customer demands, meet tight project deadlines, and ensure that products are launched swiftly to the market.

In conclusion, whether you're looking to scale your team, improve flexibility, cut costs, or enhance efficiency, staff augmentation offers substantial benefits to you as an employer. Amidst the tech layoffs in 2023, it's crucial to find ways to keep your business ahead and avoid stagnation due to a lack of skilled talent and a competent tech team. Having a resourceful staff augmentation company that can readily provide you with top-notch talent can significantly improve your business outcomes.


Devsu is a staff augmentation company with over 10 years of experience in helping businesses scale up their products and deliver high-quality software. If you're interested in expanding your team with top-tier tech talent that aligns with your time zone, contact us today to get started. 

Is IT Staff Augmentation the Solution for Companies Facing Tech Talent Layoffs?

Creating a minimum viable product (MVP) is an essential step for many startups or businesses looking to launch a new product or service. That’s because it lets companies quickly test a concept, validate customer feedback, and get an idea of the potential success of the project before fully investing in development. But how do you know if you really need an MVP?

An MVP project is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Every business is unique, and there are several factors to consider when deciding if an MVP is right for your applications. This starter guide will help you better understand the concept of an MVP and whether it is a suitable option for your company’s vision.

An MVP is a product or service with a minimal set of features that allows customers to interact with it and provide feedback. This allows businesses to test their product idea on the market before committing to a full product launch. That’s why an MVP should include the core features needed to validate the concept, while also providing insights on potential improvements. The goal is to get feedback quickly and refine the product based on customer reactions.

But what does MVP mean in project management processes? How does it integrate with your team and your methods? The MVP is a strategy used to identify the essential features that users appreciate most, prioritizing them for development. That means your teams can commit more resources to the most important functions and determine which ones can be improved or added in later iterations with Agile project management. 

MVPs are developed quickly and released so that potential users can show what they care about most, which can either be used to refine the product and make it more successful in the long run or determine that it’s not worth further investment because of low demand.

Read: The Six-Step Process to MVP Development

Or, more accurately, what does MVP stand for in project management planning? This goes beyond saying that the acronym means ‘minimum viable product’. During product development, you want to have a dedicated stage to confirm product-market fit—and that’s what an MVP stands for.

If you are launching a new product or service, deciding to create an MVP can be a great way to test the market and collect valuable feedback. It can also be used to gain an edge over the competition, or to see if there is even a market for the product or service. 

An MVP can also be used to quickly test the feasibility of a project before committing to a full launch. This allows you to make sure the project is viable before investing too much money or effort. 

An MVP can save you time and money in the long run. By launching an MVP, you can quickly validate the concept and identify potential improvements for the final product. This allows you to make refinements early on, saving you time and money in the long run.

An MVP also allows you to quickly test the market and identify possible customers. It can also be used to gain an edge over the competition or to see if there is even a market for the product or service. In software development in particular, the MVP stage helps with gathering real-time user feedback and a faster time to market.

Address pain points: This early version of your product is a demonstration of how it resolves concerns for your user base. By focusing the core features around their pain points, you can show users what to expect from your product.

Get insights from your target audience: Creating an MVP lets your target users get their hands on something real, so they can say what they like and what they wish they could do with your product. This means you can shape future development based on direct user feedback. 

Measuring market fit: Delivering customer value is one of the main priorities of the MVP development process. Because of that, your MVP will confirm whether or not the market needs a product like yours. This helps you invest your time and resources more wisely.

While MVPs are useful tools, there are common oversights that can make them less effective for your business. For example, if you launch an MVP, you should be prepared to make changes and refinements quickly. Make sure you’re ready to do that and avoid the following challenges that you could run into while creating an MVP.

Building a Product Right: Does My Project Need an MVP?

In a recent Accenture report on AI, 84% of C-suite executives are investigating the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to foster business growth and achieve their objectives. The rapid adoption of AI and big data for solving business problems and gaining valuable insights is changing industries. Similarly, an IBM survey found that 77% of companies are exploring the use of AI, with 35% already using AI in their operations and 42% planning to do so in their work systems.

AI and big data are transforming the business landscape by enhancing productivity, creating new revenue opportunities, and improving cost savings and decision-making processes. As an organization, there are several ways you can benefit from leveraging artificial intelligence and big data. This article breaks down the basic concepts and shows the various ways AI and big data can help solve your business problems.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to technology that can perform tasks similar to those of humans. John McCarthy first coined the term "Artificial Intelligence" in 1955, describing it as the science behind creating intelligent machines. Examples of AI for businesses include process automation, sales, business forecasting, and virtual assistants.

Simply put, AI is an algorithm programmed to complete tasks and actions in a human-like fashion. AI identifies patterns within datasets and responds based on pre-defined logic. There are two main elements within AI: machine learning and deep learning.

Machine learning uses algorithms to process vast amounts of data and make informed decisions based on the results while learning from the data without relying on rules-based programming.  

Deep learning, a subset of machine learning, creates neural networks that make decisions independently. Similar to the human brain network, deep learning allows computer algorithms to perform specific tasks on complex data. For instance, chatbots that answer human questions and respond to inquiries are powered by deep learning.

Based on these explanations, it is evident that data is a significant part of AI. Therefore, Big Data is the driving force of artificial intelligence. Without data, AI is merely a technology framework.

Big Data refers to the vast amount of information generated from multiple sources in various formats. This data is characterized by its volume, variety, velocity, and veracity, often challenging to analyze or process using traditional methods.

Big Data sets are created by collecting large volumes of information from various sources, including real-time data streams, legacy datasets, software applications, IoT sensors, customer feedback surveys, videos, images, and more.

In simpler terms, Big Data describes the processing and storage of enormous amounts of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data. The goal is to organize and extract valuable insights to help businesses and organizations make informed decisions and gain a competitive edge.

How Businesses Can Leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Big Data

AI and Big Data can help businesses identify trends and patterns in large data sets. Instead of creating complex reports and transferring data between data warehouses, AI & Big Data can help companies collect, process, and analyze customer information. Insights gathered from this data can keep businesses updated on customer trends, preferences, habits, and behaviors. Companies can also use data generated from AI and Big Data to implement new strategies that increase customer retention and tailor offerings to meet customer expectations.

The importance of AI & Big Data in driving improved customer service cannot be overstated. Using chatbots, in-app communication APIs, and virtual assistants can enhance the customer experience by reducing wait times. With these technologies, customers can easily receive answers to common questions. In this case, Devsu's chatbot intelligence solution can help your business save time and create a great customer experience.

By leveraging AI and Big Data technologies, businesses can predict future outcomes by identifying trends and patterns, such as product and service demand and supply chain disruptions. This enables demand forecasting, where companies can anticipate customer needs based on historical data sets. Additionally, utilizing AI and Big Data helps companies enhance HR workforce planning by understanding demand levels and improving efficiency and productivity by addressing specific issues rather than managing supply chain problems.

AI and Big Data can assist businesses in detecting fraud, including fake invoices, fraudulent payments, identity theft, ID falsification, email phishing, and much more. Computer algorithms can quickly identify and respond to fraud threats, stopping the transaction or activity while alerting the responsible parties. For instance, machine learning can prevent the submission of a false ID by scanning the ID photos using a pre-trained neural network, investigating patterns in other fake documents, and highlighting any suspicious aspects of the ID document.

AI and Big Data technologies can help businesses optimize their supply chain operations. Companies can identify shortcomings, reduce costs, and improve delivery times by analyzing data from suppliers, warehouses, and transportation systems. As a result, AI and Big Data solutions can help companies predict the price of raw materials and shipping and estimate the speed at which products can move through the supply chain.

AI and Big Data technologies can enhance talent management by reducing employee workload by shifting data collection and analysis from time-consuming to streamlined processes. Also, by analyzing data on employee performance, businesses can identify skill gaps, improve training programs, and make better hiring decisions.

Explore the Possibilities of Artificial Intelligence & Big Data for Your Organization

Are you ready to elevate your business? Devsu's artificial intelligence solutions can help develop chatbot systems, voice recognition, machine learning, computer vision, and customized AI solutions tailored to your business needs. Get started today!

In today's world, it is essential to integrate AI and Big Data to achieve optimal results and gain valuable insights that can drive business growth and address various challenges. Combining both technologies will facilitate data collection and analysis while giving you a competitive edge in the industry.

Using AI & Big Data to Solve Business Problems: Strategies & Benefits

For over a decade, Devsu has been committed to recruiting top tech talent to build world-class software products for companies. Today, we are honored to announce that Devsu’s CEO, Felipe Cornejo, and CTO, César Salazar, have both been awarded the prestigious Gold Globee® Awards for their outstanding contributions to the Information Technology (IT) and software development industries.

Felipe Cornejo, CEO of Devsu, has been named the "Hero of the Year in Information Technology Products or Services" for his efforts in increasing hires and providing better economic opportunities through the implementation of remote work. Over the years, Devsu has recruited talent from the United States and nearshore Latin America (LATAM), offering technology experts the opportunity to contribute to the industry by innovating, building promising careers, and developing remarkable software products.

The CTO of Devsu, César Salazar, has earned the esteemed title of "Chief Technology Officer of the Year in IT Software" for his outstanding work in addressing the programmer shortage by developing talent in underdeveloped countries. Through deliberate efforts and upholding Devsu’s values of collaboration, perseverance, and quality, César has been instrumental in identifying, nurturing, and integrating skilled software developers from regions that have lacked access to IT education, career opportunities, and remote work experiences.

These two awards are a testament to the hard work and dedication of Devsu’s team. Our clients are at the heart of everything we do, from transforming their digital solutions through software outsourcing to expanding their team in less than two weeks to achieve meaningful business results. 

We are grateful for all our partners who have worked with us and trust us to deliver quality software products and services. Undoubtedly, Devsu’s continued focus on innovation, talent development, and remote work positions it as a force to be reckoned with in the technology landscape.

As the world becomes more technologically focused, we are responsible for the trust our partners, clients, employees, and stakeholders put in us, and we are dedicated to overcoming challenges and achieving great success.

Since 2003, the Globee Awards have acknowledged companies that have contributed to global growth and development in various industries. The Globee Awards is an international business award and competition that is determined by peers and experts who reviewed submitted nominations. The emerging winners are those who received an average score from the judges on a scale of 1 to 10. 

Notably, the Globee tiers are Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Only the top nominee receives the Gold Globee award. Those who score at least 8 out of 10 receive the Silver Globee, and any other reviewed nominations receive the Bronze Globee. 

Learn more about the Gold Globee® Awards at https://globeeawards.com/about/.

We are a software outsourcing and staff augmentation company headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and Quito, Ecuador, that specializes in providing customized software solutions. With a focus on digital transformation, Devsu has built a reputation for excellence in software development and IT services by partnering with clients to create cutting-edge technology solutions that drive growth and success. Devsu has demonstrated its proven method of using agile methodologies and scaling teams quickly, which has produced high-quality products and services for partners.

Devsu CEO Felipe Cornejo and CTO César Salazar Recognized for Two Prestigious Awards At The Annual Gold Globee Awards

In today's ever-evolving technological world, Saas start-ups are constantly looking to increase their software development process and increase speed to market to stay ahead of the competition. But what exactly does it take for a SaaS company to gain a competitive edge in its industry?

Many executives argue that focusing on speed-to-market in your initial strategy will help streamline product launches and enable faster customer feedback. In a recent survey by Accenture, over 1,000 companies are gaining a competitive edge in the industry because of faster software development and increased speed to market.

In this article, we cover what speed to market means, why it is important, and important tips for increasing your company's speed to market.

Speed to market refers to a company's ability to launch a product faster than its competitors or anyone else in the industry. Also popularly known as Time to market (ttm), it measures the time a company takes to get its product to the market. In essence, speed to market is a product development term that describes the process of transforming an idea into a finished product for consumers.

Speed to market is important because it sets you apart from your competition. Instead of being portrayed as a copycat, you become the leading innovator because you first introduced your product to the market. Imagine the outcome of being the first to launch a new product: you get recognized by customers and clients, you have increased sales, and you become a thought leader in the industry. Many SaaS companies have become industry leaders because of increased speed to market. For example, Netflix changed the streaming industry by being the first to offer a subscription-based streaming service. Their speed to market allowed them to establish a strong brand presence, increase market share, and set the standard for the industry, making it difficult for competitors to catch up.

Apart from being an industry leader, time to market can help you increase customer satisfaction and reduce development costs. The longer your software development takes, the more the financial cost. By streamlining development and getting to market faster, you can minimize expenses and keep your customers satisfied with timely product releases.

5 Tips For Increasing Your Speed To Market 

As you develop your software product, here are some important tips to help you increase speed to market.

Develop a set of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) that align with your vision. Create a detailed plan outlining your timelines, workflow processes, and the steps for your product development. Collaborate with your team to identify the materials, tools, and resources needed to ensure the development of quality products. Setting clear goals and expectations helps streamline the development process and keep your team focused on achieving a faster time to market.

Traditional project management methods have proven ineffective in today's digital world. Agile methodology is highly recommended for teams working on software development projects, as it enables them to keep up with the fast-paced nature of the industry. Studies show that companies using agile methodology are 28% more successful than those that don't. Interestingly, over 71% of software development teams currently use the agile method to achieve successful product development. Implementing agile methodology helps your team focus on the minimum viable product (MVP) that will be valuable to your customers. Being agile also allows you to adjust to changes, eliminate roadblocks, and remove bottlenecks.

Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a great way to increase your market speed. Creating an MVP allows you to receive user feedback quickly and make informed decisions regarding essential product features. Importantly, it provides a learning opportunity to understand your customers' preferences. Instead of building a complete end-to-end product in a single iteration, you can develop it in sprints or stages. This approach helps you gain data-driven insights about the market and the value of your product.

Many software start-ups, began with an MVP before achieving success. For instance, Meta (formerly Facebook) initially launched the primary functionalities of Facebook to a small group of people and gathered feedback before releasing it to the public.

Over time, building an MVP has benefited the most successful SaaS companies today, which is why we wrote an in-depth guide on how to launch your product from an MVP to an IPO. Download it here.

Read: A comprehensive guide to build an MVP

To increase your speed to market, it's crucial to have the right tech talent and a flexible team that can adapt to changes. Employing experienced developers who can write clean code without bugs, a capable quality assurance (QA) team to continuously test the product, a product manager who can oversee the development process, and other essential technical roles is highly important. Often, companies realize they need more hands-on a software development project during the process of building. If you find yourself in this situation, consider outsourcing some of your product features to a nearshore software development company with an experienced team of tech talent that can deliver quality software products on a budget.

Consequently, the right team will adopt Continuous Integration (CI) and Deployment (CD) coding practices, which means that software developers integrate their changes weekly or daily into a shared repository. Having a CI/CD in place can help increase product launch speed by improving the company's productivity and efficiency and streamlining workflows.

Whether you're working with an internal team or an externally outsourced team, communication is key to ensuring progress. Various communication tools can help your team increase speed to market. Depending on your workflow and project, you can initiate daily stand-ups, weekly meetings, and monthly progress updates and reports. Also, you can create a community channel where your software developers can easily communicate with one another or share roadblocks. For example, our team of software engineers has a community of 200+ experts who readily share ideas or issues with one another to ensure projects are developed quickly.

In conclusion, building a SaaS product can seem daunting when you don't have the right team with the right skill set to increase speed to market. However, the speed of your software development is crucial for gaining a competitive advantage in the industry. It's important not to compromise on quality and to ensure your product is built by the right talent in due time. Thus, it is essential to implement these five major SaaS development tips and contact Devsu if you need to expand your tech team or have a software project you want to launch to the market quickly.



5 SaaS Development Tips for Increasing Speed To Market

There are many methods for achieving a product goal on a specified timeline. Among the most popular is Scrum methodology, according to Zippia, which reported that 61% of survey respondents from around the world used this process. Understanding how this method delivers on product features by having Scrum teams work with stakeholders is the key to figuring out how it can help you turn good ideas into exceptional products.

At the center of this team-up is a communicator and representative of the target audience: the Product Owner.

A critical role in Scrum, the Product Owner is responsible for defining and prioritizing the features and requirements for a product and ensuring that the development team is working on the most important ones at any given time. In this position, a professional experienced in Scrum will work closely with the development team members, stakeholders, and customers to understand their needs and priorities. Another part of Product Owner roles and responsibilities involves keeping the project aligned with both overall strategic goals and the focused product vision.

They also play an essential role in facilitating Scrum team procedures, such as sprint planning, daily standups, managing user stories and product backlog items, and sprint review and retrospectives to implement the Scrum framework during product development.

Learn more about how the Product Owner role improves collaboration in product management by hearing directly from our qualified Product Owner, Elisa. Below, she answers common questions about Scrum methodology and her work experience with development teams and decision makers.

Read: Scrum Masters and Product Owners: Roles In Software Delivery

Exclusive Interview with Product Owner, Elisa

Tell me a little bit about your experience. How long have you been working as a product owner in Agile team direction?

I’ve been leading teams for approximately 10 years. For Agile teams specifically in a product owner or Scrum Master role, I’ve done that for the past 5 years or so.

The very first technology team I worked with was really interesting because it was a very small team: two developers and a designer. They didn’t have a project manager at that time, so they were kind of lost. I was brought in from a different department, and I was both the Scrum Master and the product owner for that team because it was so small. 

Together, we implemented Scrum. We built up the team. And because we were able to get organized, the team was able to grow. 

At that point, I realized that Agile and specifically Scrum really fit my professional goals and what I wanted to do. I’ve stuck with that process from that point on.

You said you had two roles at the same time, which can happen with a lot of small teams. What’s the difference between a Scrum Master, a Project Manager, and Product Owner? 

The Scrum Master is there to do two things. One is to ensure that Scrum process is being followed in the way that the team decided to follow it. Scrum is a framework, so they give you guidelines of what you should do, but you’re not obligated to follow a specific pattern. As a team, you decide how to implement things. 

But there are certain things that the Scrum Master doesn’t ensure: that the daily call is taking place, that the daily call is not getting derailed into 45-minute discussions about a specific thing, that the sprint goal is being defined. So basically, think of a Scrum Master as an auditor of sorts. They’re just ensuring that things are running as smoothly as they can with the Scrum process itself. 

The Scrum Master is also responsible for ensuring that any roadblocks the team runs into are resolved. So, if the team has an issue with the database and they’re unable to proceed with implementing a change until the issue is resolved, the Scrum Master would need to reach out to the data team (or whoever’s responsible for maintaining the database) and check in with them. 

They need to see how much longer it will be for that to be resolved, so they also remove roadblocks to the best of their ability.

Now, the Product Owner is a representation within the team of the end customer. In some companies, they do have the end customer play the role of the Product Owner. That doesn’t always happen, depending on how the company is set up. 

The idea is for the Product Owner to be the voice of the customer within the team. So they need to ensure that the highest priority items are being taken into account, that the requirements are shown or described in a way that will ensure that they’re implemented correctly, and making sure the day-to-day team has all of the necessary knowledge to implement the requirements properly.

Finally, for a Project Manager. The main difference between a Product Owner and a Project Manager is that the Product Owner’s emphasis is on the product itself. So again, it’s a representation of the customer within the team whereas a Project Manager is more focused on the company’s performance overall. 

I believe that a lot of tasks and responsibilities will be very similar. The main change is the focus and the importance that each role gives to the day-to-day tasks.

Why did you decide to manage teams with Agile methodologies?

I have a software development background, education wise, so I already had a certain affinity for the development process. But development itself was not something I found my passion in once I was already involved. So, as I was working with a technology company, we were exploring different options where I could apply my technical background in a more administrative role. That’s how I got started. 

Then, a lot of the soft skills I have really fit well with this role. I enjoy the process of prioritizing tasks, of getting to work with different people in different roles, and figuring out how different skill sets all work together to accomplish a specific goal. Or, in the case of Scrum, to accomplish all the sprint goals.

So I’ve really enjoyed that side of things: organizing everything, gathering the requirements, cleaning them up, working with the teams, answering questions, and meeting with other people that may have the answers if I don’t have the answers. I think that’s what I’ve enjoyed the most about being a Product Owner, is that communication. 

I mentioned earlier that you meet with people from all different backgrounds. So, as a Product Owner, you will have a meeting with the database team and their own culture. Sometimes, you get to meet with the design team, which has an entirely different culture and different personalities. It’s really cool and interesting to be able to experiment with how different teams have their own culture and their own way of communicating, then adapting to that.

Understanding that a Product Owner is basically a client within the team, have you ever disagreed with a stakeholder because their request was in conflict with the purpose of the team?

Yes, and it does happen a lot. At different scales, right? Sometimes, it’s smaller differences in what they think the best approach for implementing something is. I think part of the role of the Product Owner is to keep the customer’s best benefit in mind. 

Sometimes, that will include pointing them in the right direction if what they’re requesting is not in the best interest. If it’s a situation in which what the customer is requesting is going to be very complicated and would impact other requests, it is the role of the Product Owner to make that clear to the stakeholder or the client. 

If the client is aware that what they’re requesting could potentially impact other requests or that it will take a significantly longer amount of time than another proposal, I think the Product Owner should follow the customer’s request as long as they make it known what issues they could run into in the future. I don’t know if other Product Owners would think differently, but I do think it’s important to keep the customers in mind and their wishes and desires as top priority.

Now, there will be cases in which what they want just cannot be done. In that case, I think the best approach is to get a couple of representatives from the technical team, get the stakeholder or the client and the Product Owner on a call, and brainstorm together what the best solution is going to be.

In my opinion, that has worked really well because it clarifies to the customer why something cannot be done the way that they wish. And it usually ends up coming up with a solution that works for almost everyone, or at least resolves the most critical aspects of the request. 

I will say that sometimes, depending on the technical team, you can have a team that is not very customer-friendly. In those cases, it will require the Product Owner to be a lot more involved in understanding the technical blocks themselves, so that they can clearly explain that to a customer if a technical team is not able to explain it in terms that are easy to understand for someone that’s not technical.

What would you include in skill sets that are important for a Product Owner to have?

I personally think it’s a lot of soft skills, so: communication, organization, productivity. Organization is probably the most important. A Product Owner will usually have a few different implementations of a product going on at the same time. 

So it’s important to keep that organized and make sure you’re not missing anything crucial along the way. At the end of the day, you’re responsible for that product itself. That is literally the most important thing for a Product Owner. If you’re not organized, you can end up missing essential things.

Why is it important to have a Product Owner that is independent from the stakeholders, and on which types of projects?

Having one that’s independent isn’t always the best. The Product Owner not being the stakeholder or client themselves will typically happen when an organization has multiple customers. So, you have one product that’s being sold or marketed to several clients. 

When that’s the case, you obviously won’t be able to have one representative of each client in your meetings. That would probably not be very useful for the organization. So that’s definitely a setting in which you would not have that. 

Another one, and one that I’ve had to interact with in the past, is when a product is being used by multiple teams within the same organization. So these are external customers, they’re internal customers. But one program is being used by several teams in different ways. 

So you need to consolidate one Product Owner to represent these different teams. And that one can get tricky! Especially if you have different teams that their requests are more important than the other teams’. That’s when it’s useful to have just an independent or non-stakeholder Product Owner.

If you are creating a product for one team or one specific customer, if it’s within the reach to have a Product Owner directly from that team or from that customer, then that is the best approach in my opinion.

How has your experience been working with two different organizations as part of both of them?

I think my experience is slightly different than the majority, based on what I’ve been able to observe. But I work full-time with my day-to-day activities for one company, doing tasks that are all related to their operations. 

I’m more involved with the development partner only in the more social activities. There is one person in the partner company that’s in my team, but apart from them, everyone else is directly in the other company. So my daily work is more focused on that.

In a way, I’m the bridge of communication between the two. The company I work for full-time is on the smaller side, so the director and even the CEO are very involved and very hands-on in day-to-day activities. But yeah, bridging that communication between management and the actual team is part of the task.

What do you think is the most valuable thing you bring to the project you’re working on?

A different perspective! The way that the main company I work for handles Scrum and the Product Owner role was very different than what I was used to, and we’ve kind of compromised a lot. 

I have modified my way of working to fit their way, but I’ve also been able to bring a different perspective. And some of the things I’ve mentioned, we’ve been able to discuss and implement as a team. So I think that’s been helpful on both sides, actually. I have learned a lot and looked at things in a new way than I had before, and I think I have been able to provide a fresh perspective as well.

Scrum Product Owner Interview: Product Delivery & Scrum Methodology

Enterprise application software (EAS) development inspires company growth simply because it’s designed for large-scale business functions. The tools it can offer typically include:

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software

Customer relationship management (CRM) software

Software change management (SCM) software

From ROI to productivity on new projects, EAS has a lot to offer your teams. Even if you focus on the ERP aspect, companies told TEC that the top three benefits of ERP systems are faster business processes, better collaboration, and an enterprise-wide data system.

But planning for successful development and implementation takes careful attention. In 2022 so far, 41% of companies worldwide went over their ERP budget according to Statista. This is up from 2021, suggesting that budgeting is one of the biggest challenges for these types of projects. Make sure you stay on track with these tips for streamlining enterprise software development.

Read: How to Measure Digital Transformation Progress

10 Tips for a Successful Development Process with Enterprise Software Applications

Talent shortages are the top reason why IT executives had trouble adopting 64% of new technologies, followed by costs and security (in a global Gartner report cited by Forbes). If you rely on onshore staffing, that shortage will continue. The U.S. Department of Labor projected that the current talent gap for software engineers could reach 85.2 million as soon as 2030.

According to the United Nations, there’s also been a steady decrease in humanity’s birth rates compared to the population boom of the ‘50s—declining by about half from 1950 to 2021. By 2050, the UN estimates that women will have two children each. Some nations have an even lower number, leading to the Great People Shortage.

These trends combined are bad news for the tech industry. From Washington D.C. to Wall Street, the United States and other major tech nations are searching for solutions to smaller talent pools.

Long-term strategies for this have already begun, such as the Deep Tech Talent initiative from the European Union. But innovation waits for no one. Businesses will have to adapt to survive and fast.

A Shrinking Global Population & Expanding Tech Industry

The hiring needs of tech giants and startups are growing too fast for Silicon Valley to keep up with alone. A diminishing population worldwide will only make the demand for skilled IT employees even higher. Big tech companies will face sky-high salaries to get the best talent, and entrepreneurs likely won’t be able to compete at that cost.

So, what is the solution to the looming Great Labor Shortage?

Rather than waiting for a declining population to cripple our global economy, creative thinkers are rising to the challenge. Pioneers followed globalization trends to an effective solution for talent gaps: software outsourcing. 

Before talent gaps were a concern, outsourcing was often used for tasks that took up too much time, resources, and attention in-house. To free up their internal teams, C-level staff like Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) would assign those responsibilities to outside teams. Common service models included accounting, customer service, marketing, IT management, and other business functions.

Now, nearshore software outsourcing has grown to meet the demand for experienced technical staff. These flexible teams can adapt to individual businesses and broader needs.

Read: The Future of Digital Transformation

Applications and Benefits of Software Outsourcing Teams

From right-fit teams for specific projects to improving workplace efficiency, outsourcing software development pays off. Here are some examples of how this practice has helped companies of all sizes with igniting their digital transformation:

How the Great People Shortage Sparked the Big Tech Reckoning

When the coronavirus response led to remote structures for industries across the globe, the technology services market was already headed in that direction. Digital adoption came easier for those businesses. That head start helped them accelerate remote implementation for less tech-oriented companies. Searching for guidance in an economy suddenly defined by digital accessibility, they contracted these remote vendors to get up to speed.

And following COVID-19, many other businesses have discovered the benefits of remote work and related services. Senior technology leaders who responded to the Commit 2022 State of Tech Staffing report offered the following as the top five perks of remote teams:

2022 State of Tech Staffing Report: 70% Growth Forecast for Outsourcing Services

When we talk about the benefits of outsourcing, most executives think about cost savings as the top benefit. This practice has an established reputation to offer savings like few other options can. Going to market happens on a budget, and every dollar needs to be spent carefully.

But this decision comes with the same list of complaints too. Offshore outsourcing teams are only available for a small window of business hours for U.S. companies because their time zone could be 10+ hours ahead. In-person meetings are difficult, if not essentially impossible, because of impractical flight costs and times. Quality standards at the development company might be consistently lower than the client’s, for the product and in data security. 

These “hidden” costs of offshore outsourcing can often outweigh the potential savings. Especially in the likely event of project delays, it’s challenging to communicate and overcome the barriers slowing down time to market. Even sharing the necessary documents with the correct permissions can be its own obstacle. Lastly, the offshore project management team often feels like it’s not coordinating with the business and their product vision. This poor communication can result in a digital delivery that doesn’t align with the user base or your goals.

Nearshore technology partners alleviate some of these pain points. More than that, partnering with staffing businesses from nearby countries gives you opportunities you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Value Beyond Cost Savings: Nearshore Solutions

When business processes moved online because of the pandemic, every company became a tech company. This meant that the labor market for digital professionals got very competitive—very fast. Turning to neighboring countries in Latin America, pioneering companies discovered a large and growing talent pool of 1M+ active developers and other digital experts. A reputable nearshore outsourcing company can close talent gaps faster than traditional recruiting, so you can get back to innovating and defining the market.

Latin America has the fastest projected IT growth in the world according to the IDC Spending Guide. The expected revenue growth rate for LATAM in the 2020s is 5.3% (making it two percent higher than the 3.3% average worldwide). As the market expands, new professionals will flock to it and keep growing the region’s high-quality talent pool.

Because of the geographical proximity, you can travel to LATAM from the U.S. in one flight that takes just a few hours. Meet the team in person, or have them come to your company to work on your software solutions. Prefer to stay all-remote? Internet access has doubled in LATAM since 2010, so your nearshore team can work from home. Nearshore outsourcing and staff augmentation services can be custom-fit to your business.

Along with record education growth since the 2000s, Latin American STEM initiatives in 2020-2021 launched with the help of Siemens Stiftung and other institutions teaming up with the regional Ministries of Education. UNICEF has also launched STEM skills initiatives for girls in LATAM and the Caribbean to encourage inclusivity. Some nations’ governments are also providing free education for technological degrees, creating a growing trend of digital talent in this part of the world.

The EF English Proficiency Index (EPI) in 2021 showed that Latin America averaged at around 500 for its overall fluency, with the top scores being over 550. The EF EPI ranking system defines this across two tiers. At over 550 (high proficiency), people can write business emails and be involved in meetings about their field. With English skills ranging from 500-549 (moderate proficiency), people can make work presentations, understand conversations, and read well. Over half of LATAM nations have moderate to high levels of English proficiency.

This region shares a similar time zone to the United States (if not the same, depending on the countries doing business together). LATAM time zones are only one to four hours different from the contiguous United States, meaning it’s easy to arrange for regular meetings. Your in-house teams can stay involved in the project by measuring the productivity and progress of your partner company.

Globalize Your Business with a Quality Nearshore Partner

As technology grows and the internet becomes more accessible around the world, globalization is the natural next step. Be at the center of this movement by tapping into resources from nearshore staff augmentation and outsourcing. Devsu offers world-class digital talent in just 14 days, complete with training and coordination with your in-house team. Tell us about your project or contact us at (407) 807-0664 with any questions today. We’ve got you covered.

Nearshore Software Development and the Future of Digital Transformation

With new augmented reality (AR) information and devices being released often, it takes an expert to know the latest AR technologies and practices. That’s why we set up an interview with our mobile and AR professional, John Trujillo, here at Devsu. He has 10 years of education and experience in mobile development, plus award-winning projects built on that and his AR expertise.

Read about tech and innovation

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