Dedicated Teams: Who’s in Charge? Roles and Responsibilities

Although we have experienced important technological advances in recent years, people are still business’s most important asset. They take the organization’s visions into reality and help overcome challenges ensuring that products have market potential. In fact, talent shortage has become one of the most common business problems, with 66% of IT leaders in the U.S. facing this challenge. 

In this sense, a dedicated team could be a solution by allowing organizations to access top talents of unexploited markets like Latin America. However, there are some concerns related to project ownership and control. This is due to the belief that, by delegating it to an outside team, owners lose control over their own initiatives. But this is far from the truth. In today’s article, we’ll demystify this issue by analyzing dedicated teams’ roles. 

What Is A Dedicated Team?

First, let’s see what is a dedicated team. This refers to an outsourcing model in which specialized groups of professionals work exclusively on a client’s project. However, unlike traditional outsourcing, these teams integrate with the client’s business, aligning with its goals and processes. They typically operate remotely but closely collaborate with the in-house team.  

This is important since, as we said, hiring dedicated teams does not imply delegating your project control. On the contrary, although they have their structure and roles, these teams are not independent. They will only manage the logistics and operations (with your approval of course) while you will keep complete control over the project’s direction. 

Dedicated vs In-House Teams: Pros and Cons

Dedicated teams offer many advantages over in-house teams. However, they are not a one-size-fits-all solution, and in some cases, they may not be the best option for your business. That’s why we’ve prepared this comparison table to help you choose the approach that best suits your company’s needs.

How Does the Flexibility of a Dedicated Team Give Me More Control Over a Project?

As we saw, flexibility is one of the main advantages of a dedicated team. But this not only allows you to escalate as needed. It also offers several choices for businesses to adjust how involved they want to be in the project. These options include: 

• Team composition options: The client can choose the composition of the dedicated team, which roles they need, and which ones they don’t need. For example, the PM can be internal, or they can ask the partner to be theirs.

• Degree of management: The client can regulate the degree of direct management they have on the project. For example, clients can choose to have more control over the day-to-day tasks or delegate this monitoring to the partner.

• Dedicated team participation: Clients can control the degree to which the dedicated team is involved in the client’s processes (e.g. whether they use the same tools and apps or the partner’s communication and workflow management tools).

• Development Methodologies: Teams can adapt to various methodologies like Agile, Scrum, or Kanban to match the client’s preferred work style and project deadlines.

• Types of project extensions: Clients have the flexibility to decide whether to keep the team for long-term collaboration or scale back after project completion, allowing better resource allocation and long-term planning.

Management Tips for Your Dedicated Team

As we see, unlike traditional outsourcing models, a dedicated team is focused on long-term collaboration, fostering a deeper understanding of the client’s goals and offering more direct involvement and oversight throughout the project lifecycle. In this sense, clear communication is the key to securing project ownership by securing your direct participation and that your vision will be respected.  

There are many channels clients can use to monitor dedicated teams’ progress. However, the most used ones are the following: 

• Daily Stand-ups: Short meetings for updates on current tasks and blockers.

• Agile Pods: Small, cross-functional teams that operate semi-autonomously to deliver specific parts of a project

• Sprint Reviews/Demos: Periodic meetings (often bi-weekly) to showcase completed work.

• Progress Reports: Regular summaries detailing completed tasks and upcoming objectives.

• Project Management Tools: Platforms like Jira, Trello, or Asana for real-time tracking.

• Communication Platforms: Tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom for ongoing communication.

• Performance Dashboards: Custom dashboards for visual insights into team productivity and project status.

Dedicated Teams Roles

As we have seen, a dedicated team doesn’t take control of your business project. However, to be fully in charge, it is necessary to know their different roles. While these vary according to your needs and goals, the most common ones are: 

• Product Owner

• Project Manager (PM)

• Business Analyst (BA)

• Software Engineer Team

• Quality Assurance (QA) Engineers

• UI/UX Designers

• System Administrator / Network Engineer

In the following sections, we will see what they are and their respective responsibilities. Nevertheless, bear in mind that the best thing to do is consult with the right partner to see which areas of your project could need the help of dedicated teams. At Inclusion Cloud we can help you. Let’s meet and find the right talents for your business needs.

1. Product Owner

Let’s start with one of the most important members of dedicated teams: the product owner. He will be the person who defines and prioritizes features, ensures the development team understands client needs, and manages the product backlog. They act as the voice of the client within the team.  

2. Project Manager (PM)

The PM is the main point of contact between the client and the dedicated team, overseeing the project’s progress, timeline, and deliverables. They handle resource allocation, manage risks, and ensure that all project goals align with the client’s requirements.  

Let’s put it this way: the head of the dedicated team, but another employee of the client, in the sense that it must adjust to their needs and report progress, delays, and any relevant information. And, of course, he works closely with product owners to make sure that the client’s vision is reflected in the product. 

3. Business Analyst (BA)

The BA bridges the gap between the client’s business requirements and the technical aspects of the project. They analyze business needs, gather requirements, and ensure that the dedicated teams involved understand the client’s vision. In other words, it is the person in charge of translating the client needs to the outsource team. 

4. Software Engineer Team

The software engineer area of a dedicated team consists of developers, engineers, and software architects who oversee designing, coding, and testing the product or service being developed. They work in close coordination with project managers and business analysts. In addition, this includes several sub-roles depending on the project’s particularities. These are: 

• Frontend Developers: Focus on building the user interface and ensuring a seamless user experience.

• Backend Developers: Handle the server-side, databases, and application logic.

• Full-stack Developers: Skilled in both frontend and backend development.

• Mobile Developers: Specialized in creating applications for iOS or Android.

• DevOps Engineers: Manage the infrastructure, automation, and deployment processes.

4. Quality Assurance (QA) engineers

QA engineers are the people in charge of ensuring the product is free of defects (e.g. bugs) by developing and executing tests to verify functionality and performance. They also create test cases and maintain testing documentation. In this sense, attention to detail and knowledge about automated testing tools are essential for choosing a good quality assurance team. 

5. UI/UX Designers

UI/UX designers are focused on the user interface and overall experience design, ensuring that the application is both visually appealing and easy to use. They collaborate closely with developers and project managers. In addition, they must manage design tools (Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD) and deliver user-centered design, wireframing, and prototyping. 

6. System Administrator / Network Engineer

Both roles oversee managing the infrastructure, servers, and networking components of the project. Their main objective is to ensure that the system is secure, scalable, and operates efficiently, creating secure communication and data exchange. That’s why these are key roles in digital transformation processes since they create the data flow between platforms and applications necessary for integration, the first step of these projects. 

The Importance of Having a Nearshoring Partner

As we see, dedicated teams not only don’t take your project ownership away but also give you a more prominent role over them since it’s you who decide the course of action and workflow to follow. Through strong communication channels, you will always keep control over your business initiatives while you take full advantage of this work model. 

This is not minor, since it allows you to solve a problem that affects 64% of IT leaders: the skill gap in certain strategic positions for digital transformation. However, this requires a trustworthy nearshoring partner that helps you in both defining the needs of your project and finding the right talents to meet them. But don’t worry. At Inclusion Cloud we got you covered.  

Thanks to our AI-driven recruiting engine, we access a pool of over 1 million specialists to bring you the top talent you need in just 72 hours. So, let’s meet and find the talents you need for your business to grow. Follow us on LinkedIn for daily insights and updates. Join our community and stay ahead with the best industry information!