You have hired a development team with the right skills, and now you want to know how involved you should be in their work. Even though each company prefers to do things their way, there are three basic engagement models. These are the most common scenarios when dealing with a software development life cycle models team.
Managed Product
If you want to maintain control over each step in the development process, this is the option. It guarantees maximum predictability and is ideal in the situation where you have clear-cut objectives. You can share your vision with them, estimate deadlines and manage your budget. The team will be a partner throughout the software development life cycle of the project. They will work on the implementation, maintenance and improvement of the product.
An outline of what is agile software development stages might look like:
- Specifying business objectives
- Project evaluation is required at times
- Research and design
- Product development
- Maintenance and technical support provided post-launch
In such cases, the development team comprises project manager, business analysts, designer, external lead, technical consultants, and designers. The wide range of expertise can help you and your employees build a product from scratch.
Team Extension
The software development companies can operate as an extension of your workforce if you have defined business goals and a plan for achieving them. The team plays the role of additional experts required to complete the job. It is a popular option among CTOs looking for a group of experts they can use for a limited amount of time. The expertise could be in web development, and you can hire programmers, QA specialists and designers to build part of the project. There is also the option for hiring Team Leads, Project Manager and Business Analysts but the responsibility of laying down the strategy depends on you. The biggest reasons for choosing this model is to save time and money rather than hiring temporary employees through staff augmentation.
Dedicated Team
It is the most suitable option when you have a general idea of how the project should look. It is ideal for companies that already have an in-house team working on the project but need additional help. The needs of your project may change during development, and you cannot hire another group, then a dedicated software development company could be the solution. This model is also known as managed services, and it allows employees to collaborate with a couple of specialists to exceed the company’s expectations.
In essence, the model you choose to engage a software development team depends on how well-defined your goals and objectives are. The unit can be an extension to speed up development or help you create a final version of the project.