10/21/24 | EverOps
Picture this: you’re a technology leader tasked with delivering a critical project, but your current team is already stretched thin. You need additional resources, and you need them fast. The clock is ticking, and the pressure is mounting. Sound familiar? It’s a common scenario that many tech leaders find themselves in, often leading to outsourcing their initiatives.
When faced with the need to get more work done than their current team can handle, technology leaders typically have several various options. The first is to hire and expand their team. However, due to factors such as budget cycles and limited management bandwidth, it’s common to turn to outside vendors for help.
These days, outsourcing choices tend to cluster around three types of vendors: contractors and staff augmentation, managed services or SaaS providers, and consultancies. However, not all outsourcing options are created equal. Contractors, managed services, and traditional consulting firms each come with their own set of challenges and limitations that can hinder your project’s success. This is where TechPods come into play. TechPods are a revolutionary outsourcing approach that combines each option’s best elements while eliminating common drawbacks for various leaders and organizations.
Read on to learn why TechPods are the ultimate solution for technology leaders who want to deliver projects on time and on budget without sacrificing exceptional quality.
When tech leaders find themselves in need of additional resources to tackle projects, they often turn to outsourcing as a solution. The outsourcing landscape is diverse, with a range of vendors offering different approaches and solutions. However, most outsourcing options can be categorized into three main types: contractors and staff augmentation, managed service providers and development shops, and traditional consultancies.
While each of these vendor types has its own set of advantages, they also come with significant challenges that can hinder project success and leave tech leaders searching for a better alternative. Let’s take a closer look at these three outsourcing categories, exploring their unique characteristics and the potential drawbacks that can make them less than ideal for many projects.
By understanding the limitations of these common outsourcing options, tech leaders and organizations can better appreciate the need for a more comprehensive and effective solution, such as TechPods.
When technology leaders require additional help with current or future work, they often turn to staff augmentation companies or independent contractors as their first choice. On the surface, this approach seems to make perfect sense, especially when time and budget constraints make hiring new team members unfeasible, or when the amount of work doesn’t justify a new full-time position.
However, the challenges with this approach become evident early on and can often fail organizations in several ways such as:
Even if you successfully navigate these hurdles and establish a great relationship with your account manager, the real challenges begin when your contracted help arrives. You’ll need to figure out how to provide the new engineers with the context they need to do the work effectively. This responsibility often falls on you or your existing team members, which can be a significant drain on your bandwidth and expertise. If the project requires multiple engineers, you may find yourself running an impromptu bootcamp to bring everyone up to speed. Failing to do so can result in your team being constantly interrupted by a barrage of questions and clarification requests.
Despite these efforts, progress may be derailed by unexpected events. If a contracted resource is out for an extended period, you’re faced with the difficult decision of extending the schedule or scrambling to find a replacement. While your account manager may reassure you that they have other suitable candidates, you’ll need to go through the process of confirming required skills or availability all over again. Even when a replacement is found, they might lack context about the original problem and will need to get up to speed on all the work done by their predecessor. These setbacks often lead to projects running late or going over budget and is something that should be heavily considered before outsourcing.
When faced with a more generalized problem that has likely been solved before, technology leaders may consider turning to managed service providers (MSPs), custom development shops, or even existing SaaS offerings. These vendors often have experience dealing with similar issues and have developed optimized systems and processes to address them.
That said, the likelihood that your organization will be able to fully leverage these vendors’ optimizations can be quite low. Here are some potential challenges you may encounter:
As a result, vendors like MSPs and development shops may prioritize their own optimized processes over your specific needs. This can lead to problems that are not fully solved, leaving you in a position where you are once again facing delays and budget overruns.
While these vendors can be a good fit for certain situations, it’s essential to carefully evaluate whether their offerings align with your organization’s unique requirements and goals. Failing to do so can result in a less-than-optimal outcome and additional challenges down the line.
When faced with a complex or poorly defined problem, turning to big consulting companies may seem like a logical choice. These consultancies have the ability to bring together a variety of competencies to analyze the problem space and provide recommendations based on current best practices and their experience with other clients.
However, the real challenge arises when it comes to implementing the proposed solution. The engineering or implementation arms of these consultancies often suffer from some, if not all, of the shortcomings discussed earlier. It is also helpful for organizations to consider that consultancies often introduce their implementation teams late in the engagement, sometimes with no overlap with the team that developed the initial recommendations. This approach can lead to several issues, such as:
Additionally, if the proposed solution requires ongoing maintenance or support, traditional consultancies may not have a suitable offering, or the options they provide may be too costly. This can leave you in a situation where you are spending more time and resources managing the help you brought in than you would have spent solving the problem internally.
While traditional consultancies can be valuable depending on the situation, it’s crucial to consider the potential drawbacks and ensure that the engagement is structured in a way that minimizes these risks. Failing to do so can result in a more complex, time-consuming, and cost-extensive process than initially anticipated.
If you or someone within your organization have spent months navigating the complexities of traditional outsourcing, only to find yourself faced with missed deadlines, budget overruns, and a solution that doesn’t quite hit the mark, you’re not alone. This is a common tale in the world of technology leadership, where the promise of outsourcing often falls short of reality.
But what if there was another way? A way to harness the power of external expertise without the headaches and limitations of traditional outsourcing models? This is where TechPods comes into play — a unique engagement model pioneered by EverOps, designed to help organizations achieve success where outside vendors typically struggle. By leveraging a carefully crafted blend of leadership, agility, velocity, expertise, continuity, and organizational navigation, TechPods offer a new path forward for technology leaders seeking to drive innovation and deliver results.
A TechPod is a dedicated team of skilled engineers, led by an experienced Pod Leader, that works closely with your organization to deliver technology projects efficiently and effectively. The TechPod model is designed to provide several key benefits, including:
Every TechPod has a skilled Pod Leader who manages the team and ensures smooth communication with your organization, minimizing the burden on your internal staff.
TechPods are comprised of engineers with diverse backgrounds and skill sets, allowing the team to adapt to changing priorities and business needs while maintaining context. This enables the team to focus on progress rather than getting bogged down in statement of work (SOW) updates and change orders.
EverOps selects engineers who are passionate about IT operations, DevOps, and DevSecOps. Additionally, pod members often have experience working together, allowing the TechPod to hit the ground running and tackle the work at hand without the distractions of learning to work together.
Pod Leaders are architect or principal-level engineering resources, supported by industry veterans at EverOps who have visibility into best practices and emerging trends across all EverOps customers. This positions TechPods to make informed decisions and avoid pitfalls that may be out of reach for even seasoned full-time employees.
If changes in staff become necessary, the TechPod handles knowledge transfer, training, and other related tasks, limiting the impact of the change and minimizing disruptions to deliverables.
Pod Leaders are not just tech leads or engineering managers. EverOps selects individuals with a talent for clear communication and experience working cross-functionally, including with other vendors, to successfully deliver complex projects.
In a world where technology leaders are constantly searching for ways to drive innovation and deliver results, TechPods offer a beacon of hope. By combining the best aspects of traditional outsourcing models and eliminating their shortcomings, TechPods provide a powerful tool for organizations looking to stay ahead of the curve. With their unique blend of leadership, agility, velocity, expertise, continuity, and organizational navigation, TechPods are poised to revolutionize the way we approach technology outsourcing.
In an era where digital transformation is no longer a choice but a necessity, technology leaders must be prepared to adapt and evolve their strategies to stay ahead of the curve. While traditional outsourcing models have long been the go-to option for many organizations, the reality is that these approaches often fall short of expectations. From the challenges of working with contractors and staff augmentation firms to the limitations of managed service providers and the drawbacks of traditional consultancies, technology leaders are increasingly finding themselves in need of a better way forward.
By recognizing the need for a more efficient and effective outsourcing solution, EverOps has developed TechPods. This groundbreaking approach is tailored specifically to the needs of modern technology leaders. By leveraging their deep industry expertise and extensive experience working with organizations across sectors, EverOps has crafted a unique engagement model designed to optimize both time and resources.
With years of industry expertise and a proven track record of success, EverOps has become a trusted partner for technology leaders looking to drive innovation, improve efficiency, and unlock the full potential of their teams. Our TechPod model is the culmination of this experience, offering a flexible, scalable, and highly effective solution that combines the best elements of traditional outsourcing while addressing its most common pain points.
By partnering with EverOps, organizations gain access to a team of highly skilled professionals who are passionate about delivering exceptional results. From leadership and agility to expertise and continuity, TechPods provides a comprehensive approach to outsourcing that empowers technology leaders to focus on what matters most: driving their organizations forward.
Whether you’re looking to accelerate a critical project, fill key skill gaps, or navigate complex organizational dynamics, EverOps has the knowledge, experience, and tools to help you succeed. So if you’re ready to take your technology initiatives to the next level, it’s time to trust EverOps and experience the power of TechPods for yourself.
A TechPod is a dedicated team of skilled engineers, led by an experienced Pod Leader, that works closely with your organization to deliver technology projects efficiently and effectively. TechPods are designed to provide a flexible, scalable, and highly effective outsourcing solution that combines the best elements of traditional models while addressing their most common pain points.
TechPods are designed to optimize both time and resources by providing a dedicated team of highly skilled professionals who work closely with your organization to deliver results quickly and efficiently. With a focus on leadership, agility, velocity, expertise, continuity, and organizational navigation, TechPods offer a comprehensive approach to outsourcing that eliminates many of the common challenges and inefficiencies associated with traditional models.
TechPod teams are composed of experienced professionals with a wide range of skills and expertise, including IT operations, DevOps, and DevSecOps. Our teams are led by Pod Leaders who are architect or principal-level engineering resources, supported by industry veterans with deep knowledge of best practices and emerging trends. This combination of expertise ensures that TechPods are well-equipped to handle even the most complex and challenging projects.
At EverOps, we understand the importance of continuity and knowledge transfer in ensuring the success of any outsourcing engagement. That’s why our TechPod model is designed to minimize disruptions and ensure a smooth transition of knowledge and expertise. If changes in staff become necessary, the TechPod team handles knowledge transfer, training, and other related tasks to ensure that projects stay on track and deliverables are not impacted.
Getting started with EverOps and the TechPod model is easy. Simply reach out to our team to schedule a consultation, and we’ll work with you to understand your specific needs and requirements. From there, we’ll develop a customized solution that leverages the power of TechPods to help you achieve your goals and drive success for your organization.