If you read our posts on web-based management systems and customer portals , you will know just how powerful these tools can be for your business. This is all well and good, but it can be challenging for small businesses to maintain such systems, especially with the necessary internal resources and expertise to manage them effectively.
However, this doesn’t mean that you need to go and hire a full team of developers, designers, and project managers just to keep things running smoothly. What it does mean, is that you may benefit from a Fractional Web Development Team to help support your business and collaborate on projects.
What is a Fractional Web Development Team?
A Fractional Web Development Team is a structure where companies hire a team of developers on a part-time or project-based basis, rather than as full-time employees. For example, Moonfive’s Fractional Web Development Team would essentially act as an extension of your business to complete a project and provide ongoing application support.
Fractional Development is more than just a typical outsourcing solution. With Moonfive’s Fractional Web Development Team, you get end-to-end expertise. We don’t just develop web-based systems; we also take time to look at your processes, understand your goals, and design user-friendly interfaces that make your life easier.
This is an excellent choice for businesses that require specialised skills for specific tasks or projects, where hiring a full-time team may be too much.
Why Should You Use a Fractional Team?
1. Cost Efficiency
Save costs by only paying for the time and expertise that you need for a particular project. Businesses can allocate resources more efficiently by bringing in experts only when needed, and control budgets more effectively by paying for specific tasks or milestones. This reduces overall labour costs, since you’re not committed to ongoing salaries and benefits for a full-time team.
2. Tailored Expertise
Fractional teams can be assembled with experts in specific technologies, ensuring your project gets the skills required for success. Moonfive’s fractional web development team can provide you with expertise in the design and development of web-based management systems and customer portals, and provide all the application support that goes with it.
3. Flexibility
The development needs of a business can fluctuate over time. A fractional team is designed to adapt to specific requirements and can easily scale their service up or down. It’s a shorter-term commitment, making it easy for your business to adapt to market changes or project pivots.
4. Rapid Deployment
A crucial benefit of a fractional web development team is the speed at which you can get your project started and finished. By onboarding a team of pre-vetted, experienced professionals who can quickly integrate into a project, you eliminate the need for a lengthy (and costly!) recruitment process.
5. Reduced Hassle and Risk
With a fractional web development team, you can delegate the complexities of web development and reduce the risks associated with managing an in-house team. This frees you to concentrate on your core business activities, without the added stress of training and supervision.
6. Collaboration With In-House Teams
If you already have developers within your organisation, a fractional team can be there to support them, seamlessly integrating with your internal workforce to boost productivity.
Now you’re up to speed with the benefits of a fractional team, we bet you’re thinking “it all sounds great, but what’s the catch?”.
Potential Challenges and How To Overcome Them
Sure, like with anything, there are always potential challenges. Luckily, by proactively addressing these challenges they can easily be overcome:
1. Communication Issues
Remote collaboration can sometimes lead to communication gaps, impacting project understanding and execution.
To address this, implementing robust communication tools, establishing clear protocols, and scheduling regular updates and meetings will ensure effective collaboration. At Moonfive, we pride ourselves on providing regular and transparent updates consistently throughout all projects.
2. Security Concerns
Sharing sensitive information with an external team may seem daunting at first, and could raise security concerns.
This is why it’s important to establish security protocols from the outset, including data transfer methods and access controls. For an added layer of security, confidentiality agreements could be put in place at the start of a project.
3. Knowledge Transfer
Transitioning project knowledge between in-house and fractional teams may be challenging.
This can be made much simpler by comprehensive documentation of processes and project details. Linking to the regular update meetings and robust communication tools already implemented to ensure seamless communication, maintaining centralised documentation and encouraging knowledge sharing sessions will ensure your fractional team is brought up to speed with ease.
4. Dependency on External Resources
Some company’s may fear that relying on external resources may lead to a lack of control over project timelines and deliverables.
It’s extremely important that projects are scoped accurately, with clearly defined timelines, milestones, and deliverables laid out in the agreement. At Moonfive, we work with you to develop a comprehensive and adaptive project brief, providing flexibility throughout. You still steer the ship, we’re just there to ensure smooth sailing.
So sure, there may be some concerns, but nothing that can’t be addressed from the start with a little proactivity and transparency.
Makes Sense, Right?
Why burden your business with the challenges of maintaining complex web-based systems when you can get somebody else to do it? Embracing the benefits of a fractional web development team is a strategic solution. It’s cost-effective, flexible, and tailored expertise, without the pressure of managing a full time team.
There may be some initial challenges when integrating a fractional team, but there are also plenty of challenges involved in hiring a permanent team member. At least with a fractional team you get the added benefits of reduced risk, increased flexibility, and avoid yourself the headache of a long hiring process.
So, if you want to find out more on how Moonfive’s fractional team can support your web development needs, get in touch!
