How to make internal and external tech teams work well together 

Effectively managing technology projects in today’s environment often means assembling a diverse team with varied skills and expertise. Companies frequently rely on both internal tech teams, who are full-time employees, or what is often called an in house development team, and external tech teams, which may include contractors, freelancers, or specialists from a staff augmentation service. This hybrid approach allows organizations to scale resources, access specialized skills, and manage costs effectively. However, bringing these two groups together presents unique challenges. 

Successfully integrating internal and external teams is critical for achieving project goals and driving innovation. When collaboration is seamless, companies can accelerate timelines, improve product quality, and maintain a competitive edge. 

Below are the key reasons why integrating internal and external teams is essential for organizational success. This blog will explore the dynamics of internal and external tech teams and provide a clear framework for fostering effective collaboration. By understanding their respective strengths and implementing best practices, you can create a unified, high-performing tech workforce. 

Understanding Internal Tech Teams 

An internal tech team consists of full-time employees who are an integral part of your organization. The nature of internal teams is characterized by close alignment with company values, strong collaboration, and a deep sense of ownership over projects. They possess deep institutional knowledge, understand the company culture, and are aligned with your long-term strategic goals. Aligning employee jobs with organizational strategies and fostering career mobility within these teams can significantly improve engagement and performance. These teams are the backbone of your technology operations, handling core functions and maintaining critical systems. 

Strengths of internal teams 

• Deep company knowledge: Internal teams have a thorough understanding of your company’s history, processes, and strategic objectives. This knowledge is invaluable for ensuring that new projects align with the broader business vision. 

• Cultural alignment: As full-time employees, they are immersed in your company culture, which fosters loyalty and a shared sense of purpose. This alignment can lead to greater commitment and a stronger work ethic. 

• Long-term stability: Internal teams provide continuity and stability. They’re invested in the long-term success of the company and are available to support and maintain projects long after they are launched. 

• Better control: Management has direct oversight of internal teams, making it easier to manage workloads, set priorities, and ensure adherence to company policies. Clearly defined job descriptions and expectations help clarify individual responsibilities, improving collaboration and accountability within the team. 

Limitations of internal teams 

• Limited scalability: Scaling an internal team quickly to meet sudden project demands can be difficult. The traditional IT recruitment process is often slow and resource-intensive, making it challenging to adapt to rapid changes. 

• Skill gaps: Your in-house team may lack the specialized skills required for new or emerging technologies. Training existing staff can be time-consuming and expensive. Implementing comprehensive training programs for onboarding and ongoing skill development is essential to ensure staff are aligned with organizational goals. Hiring for niche expertise may not be feasible for short-term projects. Organizations should be open to seeking external help or exploring new solutions when internal skill gaps are identified. 

• Higher costs: The cost of maintaining a full-time internal team includes salaries, benefits, training, and overhead. These fixed costs can strain budgets, especially for companies with fluctuating project needs. 

• Risk of burnout: When internal teams are stretched thin to cover skill gaps or manage increased workloads, the risk of burnout increases. This can lead to decreased productivity, lower morale, and higher employee turnover. 

Exploring external tech teams 

External tech teams are composed of professionals hired on a temporary or project basis. Businesses often hire external specialists to quickly access skills or experience that may not be available internally. This can include individual contractors, freelancers, or entire teams provided by a consulting firm or a staff augmentation service. These external resources are brought in to fill specific roles, provide specialized expertise, or add capacity to an existing team. 

Strengths of external teams 

Here are the pros of using external tech teams for your business: 

• Access to specialized skills: External teams provide on-demand access to a global talent pool with expertise in specialized technologies. This allows you to bring in the exact skills you need for a specific project without a long-term commitment. 

• Rapid scalability: One of the most significant advantages of external teams is the ability to scale your workforce quickly. A staff augmentation service can provide highly-skilled professionals in a matter of weeks, enabling you to respond to project demands with agility. 

• Cost-effectiveness: Hiring external talent can be more cost-effective for short-term projects. You avoid the long-term costs associated with full-time employees, such as benefits and training, and pay only for the expertise you need, when you need it. 

• Fresh perspectives: External professionals can bring new ideas and an outside perspective to your projects. Their experience with different companies and industries can help you identify innovative solutions and avoid common pitfalls. 

Limitations of external teams 

• Integration challenges: Integrating external team members into your company culture and workflows can be challenging. Organizations often face difficulties when transitioning to a model that includes external tech teams, as this shift requires adapting to new collaboration methods and digital solutions. Differences in communication styles and work processes can lead to friction and misunderstandings. 

• Lack of institutional knowledge: External team members will not have the same deep understanding of your company’s history, culture, and long-term goals as your internal staff. This can sometimes result in solutions that are not fully aligned with your business strategy. 

• Knowledge transfer risks: When external contractors complete a project and leave, they take their knowledge with them. Without a proper knowledge transfer plan, you risk losing valuable information and creating dependencies on external talent for future maintenance and support. 

• Management overhead: External teams require additional coordination and oversight to ensure they’re aligned with your project goals and quality standards. This can add to the workload of your project managers. 

Key factors for successful collaboration 

To bridge the gap between internal and external teams, organizations must focus on creating a cohesive and collaborative environment. Cross team collaboration is essential for achieving organizational goals, as it enhances productivity, fosters innovation, and improves problem-solving across different units. This involves establishing clear processes, fostering open communication, and aligning your teams around a common purpose. 

It’s also important to provide opportunities for team members to learn through educational resources, professional development sessions, and upskilling tools, which can enhance collaboration and deepen understanding of key topics. 

1. Establish clear and consistent communication 

Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful team collaboration. It is essential to establish clear channels and protocols that different team members, both internal and external, can follow. 

• Unified communication platforms: Use a single set of communication tools, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Jira, for all project-related discussions. This ensures that everyone has access to the same information and can participate in real-time conversations. These platforms enable seamless communication across internal and external teams, making collaboration more efficient and integrated. Team members can easily share information, generate meeting notes, and track progress with minimal effort, streamlining workflows and keeping everyone aligned. 

• Regular check-ins: Schedule daily stand-ups and weekly team meetings where both internal and external members can share updates, discuss challenges, and align on next steps. When planning these meetings, consider different time zones and personal schedules to ensure everyone can participate and maintain easy contact. Maintaining easy contact is essential for remote and distributed teams, supporting accessibility and responsiveness. 

• Documentation: Maintain comprehensive and accessible project documentation. This provides a single source of truth and helps external team members get up to speed quickly on project requirements and processes. 

2. Define roles and responsibilities clearly 

Ambiguity in roles and responsibilities can lead to confusion, duplicated efforts, and conflict. From the outset, it is crucial to clearly define what is expected of each team member. 

• Role definition: Create detailed role descriptions for every member of the project team, outlining their specific duties, deliverables, and decision-making authority. 

• Responsibility matrix: Use tools like a  Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed (RACI) chart to map out tasks and clarify who is responsible for each part of the project. Effective task management and clear job assignments help streamline collaboration, prevent redundant work, and ensure that employees are matched to roles that align with their skills and values.  

• Onboarding process: Develop a structured onboarding process for external team members. This should include an introduction to key internal stakeholders, an overview of company processes, and access to all necessary tools and documentation. 

3. Cultivate a culture of shared goals 

A sense of shared purpose is a powerful motivator for any team. When both internal and external members feel they are working toward the same objective, collaboration improves, and the team becomes more effective. 

• Shared vision: Clearly articulate the project’s goals and how it contributes to the company’s overall strategy. Setting clear goals enables teams to work collectively toward a common goal, ensuring everyone is aligned and understands their role in achieving success. Help all team members understand the “why” behind their work to foster a sense of shared ownership. 

• Inclusive environment: Treat external team members as part of the team. Allowing all members, including external ones, to feel like part of their own team fosters inclusivity and strengthens collaboration. Include external team members in team-building activities, celebrate successes together, and acknowledge their contributions. 

• Data-driven decisions: Encourage a culture where decisions are based on data and testing rather than personal opinions. Data-driven practices enable better collaboration and allow teams to achieve their goals more effectively. This helps resolve conflicts objectively and keeps the team focused on achieving measurable outcomes. 

Real-world examples of successful collaboration 

Vaco has a proven track record of helping organizations successfully integrate external experts with their internal teams. These case studies demonstrate the power of effective collaboration and the impact it can have on efficiency and results. 

• Fortune 50 ERP consolidation: For over 10 years, a global agriculture corporation had been operating with more than 65 legacy ERP systems. In 2021, Vaco became the exclusive staffing partner, providing a team that integrated seamlessly with the client’s project management office. After evaluating their operational needs and the challenges faced, the client decided to partner with Vaco to address their complex requirements. Vaco served the client’s needs through effective communication and ongoing support, ensuring all stakeholders were engaged throughout the process. This collaboration spanned 50 countries and involved continuous work to standardize processes, enable real-time reporting, and create a scalable global workflow. The staff augmentation approach helped save significant time and resources, improved efficiency, and made a real difference in the project’s success. The results included measurable improvements in operational performance and a lasting impact on the organization. 

• Retail MDM migration: A national retailer with over 1,000 locations had to migrate 4,300 iPads to new software in just two months. With internal IT resources stretched thin, they turned to Vaco. Within one week, Vaco deployed 10 skilled consultants who worked closely with the client’s internal team. The two-month migration project required extensive coordination and effort, but the partnership and solution helped the client save time and improve efficiency, resulting in acompleted migration weeks ahead of schedule. The results were clear: internal staff were able to focus on other priorities, and the improvements in process had a positive, measurable impact on ongoing operations. 

Overcoming common challenges 

Even with the best planning, integrating internal and external teams can present challenges. Anticipating these issues and having strategies to address them is key to maintaining a productive environment. Failing to address an issue can be detrimental to team performance and customer outcomes. 

• Challenge: Cultural mismatch. External teams may have different work styles and communication norms, which can clash with your company culture. The value of reducing misunderstandings and serving both internal and external team needs cannot be overstated. 

• Solution: Foster an inclusive environment from day one. It takes deliberate effort and investment to create a culture where everyone feels included. During onboarding, clearly communicate your company’s values and expectations. Gathering input and feedback is also imperative for improvement. Encourage open dialogue about working styles and create opportunities for social interaction to build personal connections. 

• Challenge: Trust and security. Bringing in external members can raise concerns about data security and intellectual property. Organizations must be ready to address security issues, and it is a fact that trust is essential for success. 

• Solution: Implement robust security protocols, including non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and limited access to sensitive systems. Taking steps to invest in robust protocols serves both the organization and its customers. Work with a reputable staff augmentation service that conducts thorough background checks and understands compliance requirements. 

• Challenge: Knowledge hoarding. Internal team members might be hesitant to share information with temporary contractors, or external members might not document their work properly. Knowledge hoarding can be detrimental, and reducing this issue is key to improvement. 

• Solution: Make knowledge sharing a formal part of the project process. It is imperative that knowledge is understood and shared, and regular input and feedback sessions help ensure terms and processes are clear. Require comprehensive documentation for all work and schedule regular knowledge transfer sessions. Emphasize that collaboration and documentation are critical for project success and will be part of performance evaluations. 

By proactively addressing these challenges and taking action at the right moment, you can make a difference and help teams succeed in serving customers. For more insights on adding tech experts to your team, read our detailed guide here. 

Building a unified and powerful tech team 

In conclusion, combining internal and external teams is essential for organizations seeking to maximize their strengths and remain competitive in today’s fast-changing environment. 

Building effective technology teams today requires flexibility and adaptability. By combining the stability and deep institutional knowledge of an internal team with the specialized skills and scalability of an external team, organizations can achieve a powerful competitive advantage. 

Success depends on deliberate and thoughtful integration. By establishing clear communication channels, defining roles and responsibilities, and fostering a culture of shared goals, you can create a unified team that is greater than the sum of its parts. This collaborative approach improves project outcomes, enriches your internal team’s skills, and enhances your organization’s capacity for innovation, providing significant benefits in the long run. 

If you are looking to enhance your tech team’s capabilities, explore Vaco’s staff augmentation and technology talent solutions to find the right experts to drive your organization’s goals forward.